Cookies Policy
The website need some cookies and similar means to function. If you permit us, we will use those means to collect data on your visits for aggregated statistics to improve our service. Find out More
Accept Reject
  • Menu
About

About

My main area of scientific activity is Operations Research and Management Science. Within Operations Research my main application area are the Cutting and Packing Problems, while from the techniques viewpoint my research is centered in the use and development of Metaheuristics approaches.

Cutting and Packing problems are hard combinatorial optimization problems that arise under several practical contexts, whenever big pieces of raw-material have to be cut into smaller items, or small items have to be packed inside a larger container, so that waste is minimized. These problems include hard geometric constraints when dealing with the optimization layer. I have also worked on Vehicle Routing Problem. My research on Lotsizing and Scheduling problems in industrial contexts, planogram optimization in retailing, and shared mobility mainly builds on my expertise on Metaheuristics.

I also work on the use of the quantitative methods, provided by Operations Research and Management Science, to support decision making in Higher Education institutions management, which includes workload models, sustainability, institutional benchmarking and assessment and evaluation of institutions and teaching staff.

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    José Fernando Oliveira
  • Role

    Research Coordinator
  • Since

    04th July 1985
011
Publications

2025

A GRASP-based multi-objective approach for the tuna purse seine fishing fleet routing problem

Authors
Granado, I; Silva, E; Carravilla, MA; Oliveira, JF; Hernando, L; Fernandes-Salvador, JA;

Publication
COMPUTERS & OPERATIONS RESEARCH

Abstract
Nowadays, the world's fishing fleet uses 20% more fuel to catch the same amount offish compared to 30 years ago. Addressing this negative environmental and economic performance is crucial due to stricter emission regulations, rising fuel costs, and predicted declines in fish biomass and body sizes due to climate change. Investment in more efficient engines, larger ships and better fuel has been the main response, but this is only feasible in the long term at high infrastructure cost. An alternative is to optimize operations such as the routing of a fleet, which is an extremely complex problem due to its dynamic (time-dependent) moving target characteristics. To date, no other scientific work has approached this problem in its full complexity, i.e., as a dynamic vehicle routing problem with multiple time windows and moving targets. In this paper, two bi-objective mixed linear integer programming (MIP) models are presented, one for the static variant and another for the time-dependent variant. The bi-objective approaches allow to trade off the economic (e.g., probability of high catches) and environmental (e.g., fuel consumption) objectives. To overcome the limitations of exact solutions of the MIP models, a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure for the multi-objective problem (MO-GRASP) is proposed. The computational experiments demonstrate the good performance of the MO-GRASP algorithm with clearly different results when the importance of each objective is varied. In addition, computational experiments conducted on historical data prove the feasibility of applying the MO-GRASP algorithm in a real context and explore the benefits of joint planning (collaborative approach) compared to a non-collaborative strategy. Collaborative approaches enable the definition of better routes that may select slightly worse fishing and planting areas (2.9%), but in exchange fora significant reduction in fuel consumption (17.3%) and time at sea (10.1%) compared to non-collaborative strategies. The final experiment examines the importance of the collaborative approach when the number of available drifting fishing aggregation devices (dFADs) per vessel is reduced.

2025

Static stability versus packing efficiency in online three-dimensional packing problems: A new approach and a computational study

Authors
Ali, S; Ramos, AG; Oliveira, JF;

Publication
Computers & Operations Research

Abstract

2024

Heuristics for online three-dimensional packing problems and algorithm selection framework for semi-online with full look-ahead

Authors
Ali, S; Ramos, AG; Carravilla, MA; Oliveira, JF;

Publication
APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING

Abstract
In online three-dimensional packing problems (3D-PPs), unlike offline problems, items arrive sequentially and require immediate packing decisions without any information about the quantities and sizes of the items to come. Heuristic methods are of great importance in solving online problems to find good solutions in a reasonable amount of time. However, the literature on heuristics for online problems is sparse. As our first contribution, we developed a pool of heuristics applicable to online 3D-PPs with complementary performance on different sets of instances. Computational results showed that in terms of the number of used bins, in all problem instances, at least one of our heuristics had a better or equal performance compared to existing heuristics in the literature. The developed heuristics are also fully applicable to an intermediate class between offline and online problems, referred to in this paper as a specific type of semi-online with full look-ahead, which has several practical applications. In this class, as in offline problems, complete information about all items is known in advance (i.e., full look-ahead); however, due to time or space constraints, as in online problems, items should be packed immediately in the order of their arrival. As our second contribution, we presented an algorithm selection framework, building on developed heuristics and utilizing prior information about items in this specific class of problems. We used supervised machine learning techniques to find the relationship between the features of problem instances and the performance of heuristics and to build a prediction model. The results indicate an 88% accuracy in predicting (identifying) the most promising heuristic(s) for solving any new instance from this class of problems.

2024

Optimizing multi-attribute pricing plans with time- and location-dependent rates for different carsharing user profiles

Authors
Golalikhani, M; Oliveira, BB; Correia, GHD; Oliveira, JF; Carravilla, MA;

Publication
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART E-LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION REVIEW

Abstract
One of the main challenges of one-way carsharing systems is to maximize profit by attracting potential customers and utilizing the fleet efficiently. Pricing plans are mid or long-term decisions that affect customers' decision to join a carsharing system and may also be used to influence their travel behavior to increase fleet utilization e.g., favoring rentals on off-peak hours. These plans contain different attributes, such as registration fee, travel distance fee, and rental time fee, to attract various customer segments, considering their travel habits. This paper aims to bridge a gap between business practice and state of the art, moving from unique single-tariff plan assumptions to a realistic market offer of multi-attribute plans. To fill this gap, we develop a mixed-integer linear programming model and a solving method to optimize the value of plans' attributes that maximize carsharing operators' profit. Customer preferences are incorporated into the model through a discrete choice model, and the Brooklyn taxi trip dataset is used to identify specific customer segments, validate the model's results, and deliver relevant managerial insights. The results show that developing customized plans with time- and location-dependent rates allows the operators to increase profit compared to fixed-rate plans. Sensitivity analysis reveals how key parameters impact customer choices, pricing plans, and overall profit.

2024

A three-phase algorithm for the three-dimensional loading vehicle routing problem with split pickups and time windows

Authors
Leloup, E; Paquay, C; Pironet, T; Oliveira, JF;

Publication
European Journal of Operational Research

Abstract
In a survey of Belgian logistics service providers, the efficiency of first-mile pickup operations was identified as a key area for improvement, given the increasing number of returns in e-commerce, which has a significant impact on traffic congestion, carbon emissions, energy consumption and operational costs. However, the complexity of first-mile pickup operations, resulting from the small number of parcels to be collected at each pickup location, customer time windows, and the need to efficiently accommodate the highly heterogeneous cargo inside the vans, has hindered the development of real-world solution approaches. This article tackles this operational problem as a vehicle routing problem with time windows, time-dependent travel durations, and split pickups and integrates practical 3D container loading constraints such as vertical and horizontal stability as well as a more realistic reachability constraint to replace the classical “Last In First Out” (LIFO) constraint. To solve it, we propose a three-phase heuristic based on a savings constructive heuristic, an extreme point concept for the loading aspect and a General Variable Neighborhood Search as an improvement phase for both routing and packing. Numerical experiments are conducted to assess the performance of the algorithm on benchmark instances and new instances are tested to validate the positive managerial impacts on cost when allowing split pickups and on driver working duration when extending customer time windows. In addition, we show the impacts of considering the reachability constraint on cost and of the variation of speed during peak hours on schedule feasibility. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

Supervised
thesis

2023

Practical approaches for online and semi-online 3D packing problems

Author
Sara Ali

Institution
UP-FEUP

2022

Desenho e Desdobramento Estratégico como Motor de Crescimento

Author
João Pedro Palos Alves Costa

Institution
UP-FEUP

2022

Transformação do Processo de Venda via Canal Digital numa Empresa de Renting Automóvel

Author
Luís Guilherme Marques de Noronha Pinheiro Torres

Institution
UP-FEUP

2022

Developing a learning solution approach for the on-line three-dimensional bin packing problems

Author
Sara Ali

Institution
UP-FEUP

2021

Developing a learning solution approach for the on-line three-dimensional bin packing problems

Author
Sara Ali

Institution
UP-FEUP