On the computational complexity of the plate stacking problem

This paper deals with a stowage plan for plates in a warehouse. This plan includes how to place each plate and how to sequence outgoing lots for picking. A group of plates in an outgoing lot should be loaded in the same outgoing pallet and between two plates in the same lot, no plate from other than the lot should be placed. Since the approach to the plates is only from above, when the plates in the different lots are placed mixed in a warehouse, we have to temporarily move many of plates in some other place to let a place in the lot for which loading is under way go out. Our purpose is to minimize those temporary moves. We analyze the computational complexity of several problems arising in the stowage plan of a plate warehouse.