ORIGINAL ARTICLE A multi-criteria cross-docking scheduling with just-in-time approach A. R. Boloori Arabani & S. M. T. Fatemi Ghomi & M. Zandieh Received: 29 June 2009 / Accepted: 6 November 2009 / Published online: 25 November 2009 # Springer-Verlag London Limited 2009 Abstract This paper addresses a scheduling problem of inbound and outbound trailers in a cross-docking system according to just-in-time approach. In the cross-docking system, commodities are unloaded from inbound trailers, sorted and categorized based on their specifications and loaded onto outbound trailers for delivery to demand points in a distribution network. One of the most fundamental issues in such systems is to establish coordination between the performance of inbound and outbound trailers in that they can be scheduled, and the product items can be assigned to trailers effectively. As we observe the JIT concept, the punctuality and exactness of product deliveries are vital for the system’ s performance. To satisfy this target, this paper considers a multi-criteria scheduling in which primary objective is to minimize earliness and tardiness simultaneously via a unified objective function. Three meta-heuristics are applied for this matter, and their solutions’ quality and the acquired elapsed time are compared with each other in each case. Keywords Cross-docking . Multi-criteria scheduling . Earliness . Tardiness . Just-in-time scheduling 1 Introduction In a common distribution, centre-five processes are carried out for a product: receiving, sorting, storing, retrieving and shipping which all can be done consecutively or in spatial order. As a result of applying the cross-docking system, the cost of both storage and products retrieval can be considerably reduced by consolidating the inbound and outbound trailer flows. So, three main parts for material flow in the cross-dock will be left if storage and material handling are wiped out: (1) commodities are received and controlled at the receiving dock; (2) commodities are categorized based on the demand point and (3) these items are loaded into outbound trailers and leave the shipping dock. With the advent of new trends in material handling, advanced techniques for product classification and imple- mentation of computer in inventory management, better application of cross-docking systems has been prepared recently. In fact, cross-docks are perceived beneficial, as they help to reduction of inventory levels, operational costs, delivery time and increase of throughput, and level of customer satisfaction. If a company has a purpose of implementing the cross-docking system successfully, some elements should be taken into account precisely [26, 40]: (1) in such systems, products must be delivered with short lead times, because no stock, or considerably little stock is held in the storage. In fact, if the demanded item(s) are not shipped on time, and in acceptable quality and quantity, the supplier will definitely face to stock shortage, and probably back orders; (2) as the arrival and departure schedules of trailers should be specified in advance, the required information should be obtained primarily; (3) we can reliably deal with items that are highly requested by the customers by consolidating the homogeneous product items A. R. Boloori Arabani : S. M. T. Fatemi Ghomi (*) Department of Industrial Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, 424 Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran e-mail: fatemi@aut.ac.ir M. Zandieh Department of Industrial Management, Management and Accounting Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University G.C., Tehran, Iran Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 49:741–756 DOI 10.1007/s00170-009-2429-5