A new heuristic development and implementation to a paper cutting problem: Case of AL-Khoutaf Company

Abstract

This paper deals with the cutting stock problem a well-known problem in operational research and in supply chain management, met frequently in paper and tissues industry. This problem is classified among the NP-hard problems for which, it is difficult to find the optimal solution; indeed the only known method able to solve this kind of problem would be the resolution through heuristic methods. The aim of this paper is the development and the computing implementation of a new heuristic for a specific cutting stock problem, which is evoked by an industrial print company. The objective is to determine the characteristics of reel to be orders while respecting a set of constraints fixed by the manufacturer. In order to validate the performance of the proposed heuristic several critical problems were tested. Huge profits are recognized compared with the current method used by the company. We believe that our solution can help company to make supplying decision automatically in appropriate ways.