The paper addresses the strategic design of parcel type portfolios in e-commerce under uncertain demand. It introduces the stochastic three-dimensional bin selection problem (S3D-BSP) and formulates it as a multi-stage stochastic program that integrates packing decisions with inventory, procurement, and portfolio design.
From a methodological perspective, the paper develops a branch-and-repair algorithm tailored to multi-stage stochastic programs with combinatorially challenging recourse problems. Computational results demonstrate the scalability of the approach and highlight its relevance for practical logistics and packaging applications.
The article is available here.
