Cutting and packing in production and distribution

Within such disciplines as Management Science, Information and Computer Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics and Operations Research, problems of cutting and packing (C& P)of concrete or abstract objects appear under various specifications although they have essentially the same logical structure. This book tries to give a description and categorization of C& P-problems as a whole, making them comparable in such a way as to clearly mark their similarities and differences with respect to the underlying planning problems. The purpose is to create a basis of knowledge which presents suggestions for selection, development and utilization of appropriate solution approaches. For this purpose the book - creates a consistent terminology for C& P problems, - developes anappropriate characterization scheme of 34 properties, and - typifies more than 300 real C& P-problems published in the German and English literature. Moreover, the book contains a collection of nearly 700 German and English references on C& P-problems.