Abstract

We study the uncapacitated lot-sizing problem with uncertain demand and costs. The problem is modeled as a multistage stochastic mixed-integer linear program in which the evolution of the uncertain parameters is represented by a scenario tree. To solve this problem, we propose a new extension of the stochastic dual dynamic integer programming algorithm (SDDiP). This extension aims at being more computationally efficient in the management of the expected cost-to-go functions involved in the model, in particular by reducing their number and by exploiting the current knowledge on the polyhedral structure of the stochastic uncapacitated lot-sizing problem. The algorithm is based on a partial decomposition of the problem into a set of stochastic subproblems, each one involving a subset of nodes forming a subtree of the initial scenario tree. We then introduce a cutting plane-generation procedure that iteratively strengthens the linear relaxation of these subproblems and enables the generation of an additional strengthened Benders' cut, which improves the convergence of the method. We carry out extensive computational experiments on randomly generated large-size instances. Our numerical results show that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms the SDDiP algorithm at providing good-quality solutions within the computation time limit.