Inventory Management Optimization

This project implements a heuristic algorithm for solving an inventory management problem with ocean and air shipping options. The algorithm optimizes shipping decisions considering:

• Multiple products with different volumes and costs
• Two shipping methods (ocean and air) with different lead times
• Container-based costs for ocean shipping
• Variable costs for air shipping
• Inventory tracking and management

Features

• Reads input data from Excel files
• Calculates optimal shipping method for each order
• Prevents negative inventory
• Considers lead times for different shipping methods
• Outputs detailed results to Excel file

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• pandas
• numpy
• openpyxl

Usage

1. Prepare your input Excel file with the following sheets:

   • Demand
   • Shipping cost
   • Inventory cost

2. Run the program:

   python heuristic_solution.py

3. Check the output file heuristic_results.xlsx for detailed results including:

   • Order quantities and timing
   • Inventory levels
   • Container usage
   • Total costs

Output Format

The program generates an Excel file with multiple sheets:

• Summary: Overall cost and problem size
• Orders: Detailed order information by period
• Inventory: Inventory levels by product and period
• Containers: Container usage by period