This paper presents a novel queuing model for analyzing the performance of automated container terminals employing lifting vehicles. By introducing a special two-phase server to accurately represent the operations of quay cranes, automated lifting vehicles, and stack cranes, the study addresses modeling gaps overlooked in previous research. A new network decomposition-based method is developed to solve the model, validated by simulation with less than 5% error. Numerical results reveal that neglecting two-phase operations can overestimate the throughput time by 25–65%. The proposed framework enables accurate performance estimation and supports resource planning, offering valuable design insights for terminal automation.
Co-author (s): Divyansh Tripathi (PhD Student, IIM Udaipur) Vishal Bansal (Professor, IIM Calcutta).
Journal: International Journal of Production Economics.
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