Intelligent Optimization Methods for Industrial Storage Systems

The presented chapter introduces intelligent methods, which can be used for designing and managing of modern warehouses. Because of the ever-increasing complexity of such systems, the traditional methods cannot assure optimal or near-optimal solutions in design and operation. Demands for high utilization, flexibility, and the capacity to work reliably, even in changeable environments, can be met by adding intelligence to artificial system. The most promising intelligent methods are evolutionary computation and swarm intelligence which are unique methods of non-deterministic solving and optimizing. They proved to be effective and robust for planning and management of real systems. Evolutionary computation and swarm intelligence are methods, which were obtained from the observation of nature. Nature has some of the best answers to the problem of design and management. Therefore, this chapter tries to present intelligent methods to wider audience, and especially to experts and students of warehousing design and management.