A novel learning based approach for a new integrated location-routing and scheduling problem within cross-docking considering direct shipment

One of the most important problem in supply chain management is the design of distribution systems which can reduce the transportation costs and meet the customer's demand at the minimum time. In recent years, cross-docking (CD) centers have been considered as the place that reduces the transportation and inventory costs. Meanwhile, neglecting the optimum location of the centers and the optimum routing and scheduling of the vehicles mislead the optimization process to local optima. Accordingly, in this research, the integrated vehicle routing and scheduling problem in cross-docking systems is modeled. In this new model, the direct shipment from the manufacturers to the customers is also included. Besides, the vehicles are assigned to the cross-dock doors with lower cost. Next, to solve the model, a novel machine-learning-based heuristic method (MLBM) is developed, in which the customers, manufacturers and locations of the cross-docking centers are grouped through a bi-clustering approach. In fact, the MLBM is a filter based learning method that has three stages including customer clustering through a modified bi-clustering method, sub-problems’ modeling and solving the whole model. In addition, for solving the scheduling problem of vehicles in cross-docking system, this paper proposes exact solution as well as genetic algorithm (GA). GA is also adapted for large-scale problems in which exact methods are not efficient. Furthermore, the parameters of the proposed GA are tuned via the Taguchi method. Finally, for validating the proposed model, several benchmark problems from literature are selected and modified according to new introduced assumptions in the base models. Different statistical analysis methods are implemented to assess the performance of the proposed algorithms.     

供应链环境下带越库配送的多配送中心车辆路径问题

从零售业纵向供应链管理入手,考虑由供应商、零售商和多个配送中心构成的城市物流协同配送网络,研究带有越库配送的多配送中心车辆路径问题.分析越库配送的实施要求和操作准则,将配送过程分为集货、送货阶段.应对产品种类多样化需求,设置集货过程车辆协同作业返回配送中心,送货过程需求可拆分的运作机制.以最小化车辆运输成本和操作成本为目标,建立多配送中心车辆路径问题优化模型.针对模型特性设计改进遗传算法进行求解.最后通过仿真实例验证模型的可行性和算法的有效性, 结果表明,越库配送模式能有效服务城市区域零售门店的及时供货,在配送时间和运输成本方面具有显著优势.     

A hybrid simulated annealing algorithm for location and routing scheduling problems with cross-docking in the supply chain

The location and routing scheduling problems with cross-docking can be regarded as new research directions for distribution networks in the supply chain. The aims of these problems are to concurrently design a cross-docking center location and a vehicle routing scheduling model, known as NP-hard problems. This paper presents a two-stage mixed-integer programming (MIP) model for the location of cross-docking centers and vehicle routing scheduling problems with cross-docking due to potential applications in the distribution networks. Then, a new algorithm based on a two-stage hybrid simulated annealing (HSA) with a tabu list taken from tabu search (TS) is proposed to solve the presented model. This proposed HSA not only prevents revisiting the solution but also maintains the stochastic nature. Finally, small and large-scale test problems are randomly generated and solved by the HSA algorithm. The computational results for different problems show that the proposed HSA performs well and converges fast to reasonable solutions.     

Vehicle routing scheduling using an enhanced hybrid optimization approach

Cross docking play an indispensable role in streamlining the efficiency and effectiveness of any supply chain operations. Owing to the need to reduce transportation lead time and increase coordination between other supply chain activities such as just-in-time, make-to-order, or merge-in-transit strategies, shortening the total transfer time at cross docking is increasing important. Thus, in this paper we propose a new hybrid metaheuristic for vehicle routing scheduling in cross-docking systems. This new hybrid algorithm incorporates the elements from Particle Swam Optimization, Simulated Annealing and Variable Neighborhood Search to enhance its search capabilities. On view of the fact that the performance of metaheuristic algorithms are considerably influenced by the proper tuning of their parameters, we take advantage of Taguchi??s robust design method to come up with the best parameters of the before-mentioned algorithms. In order to measure the performance of our proposed algorithm, we compared it with the Tabu Search algorithm presented by Lee et?al. (Comput Ind Eng 51:247?C256, 2006). The computational evaluations clearly support the high performance of our proposed algorithm against other algorithm in the literature.     

供应链环境下带越库配送的车辆路径问题

从零售业纵向供应链整合入手,考虑供应商、零售商和配送中心构成的协同配送网络,研究带越库配送的车辆路径问题。分析越库配送实施要求和操作准则,设置协同到达作业时间,将配送过程分为集货、分拣和送货三个阶段,建立最小化车辆运输成本和固定成本为目标的越库配送路径优化模型。考虑模型的复杂性,设计改进遗传算法进行求解。最后由仿真实例验证模型可行性和算法有效性。结果表明,越库配送模式能有效服务城市区域零售门店的及时供货情况,在配送时间和运输成本方面有着显著优势。     

基于时空聚类求解带容积约束的选址-路径问题

选址-路径问题是供应链管理和物流系统规划中的一个重要问题,对总成本具有十分重要的影响.对考虑配送中心容积约束的带时间窗的选址-路径问题进行研究,建立以总成本最小和客户满意度最大为目标的多目标规划模型,提出两阶段算法对其进行求解.首先,利用k-means聚类算法确定配送中心选址;然后,提出一种基于时间-空间双因素的客户划分方法以确定配送中心所服务客户;最后,利用粒子群算法对各配送中心的配送路径进行规划.数值算例表明,所提出的算法较其他已有算法,均能有效地降低物流运作总成本及总配送路径长度,为解决带容积约束及时间窗的选址-路径问题提供了一种新的解决思路.     

考虑随机旅行时间与二维装载约束的越库配送车辆路径优化

面向越库配送模式下二维装载和车辆路径联合优化,考虑现实配送过程的不确定性因素,提出考虑随机旅行时间和二维装载约束的越库配送车辆路径问题.基于蒙特卡洛模拟与场景分析方法,建立以运输成本、车辆固定成本以及时间窗期望惩罚成本之和最小化为目标的带修正随机规划模型.继而根据问题特征,设计改进的自适应禁忌搜索算法和基于禁忌搜索的多重排序最佳适应装箱算法进行求解.其中,改进的自适应禁忌搜索算法在禁忌搜索算法的基础上引入自适应机制,对不同邻域算子进行动态选择,并提出基于移除-修复策略的多样性机制以增强算法的寻优能力.数值实验表明,所提出的模型与方法能够有效求解考虑随机旅行时间和二维装载约束的越库配送车辆路径问题,自适应与多样性机制能一定程度上增强算法的全局搜索能力.     

A memetic algorithm for the capacitated location-routing problem with mixed backhauls

The design of distribution networks is one of the most important problems in supply chain and logistics management. The main elements in designing a distribution network are location and routing decisions. As these elements are interdependent in many distribution networks, the overall system cost can decrease if location and routing decisions are simultaneously tackled. In this paper, we consider a Capacitated Location-Routing Problem with Mixed Backhauls (CLRPMB) which is a general case of the capacitated location-routing problem. CLRPMB is defined as finding locations of the depots and designing vehicle routes in such a way that pickup and delivery demands of each customer must be performed with the same vehicle and the overall cost is minimized. Since CLRPMB is an NP-hard problem, we propose a memetic algorithm to solve the problem. To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, we conduct an experimental study and compare its results with the lower bounds obtained by the branch-and-cut algorithm on a set of instances derived from the literature. Computational results indicate that the proposed approach is able to find optimal or very good quality solutions in a reasonable computation time.     

A novel dynamic genetic algorithm-based method for vehicle scheduling in cross docking systems with frequent unloading operation

An important factor for efficiently managing the supply chain is to efficiently control the physical flow of the supply chain. For this purpose, many companies try to use efficient methods to increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs. Cross docking is a good method to reduce the warehouse space requirements, inventory management costs, and turnaround times for customer orders. This paper proposes a novel dynamic genetic algorithm-based method for scheduling vehicles in cross docking systems such that the total operation time is minimized. In this paper, it is assumed that a temporary storage is placed at the shipping dock and inbound vehicles are allowed to repeatedly enter and leave the dock to unload their products. In the proposed method of this paper two different kinds of chromosome for inbound and outbound trucks are proposed. In addition, some algorithms are proposed including initialization, operational time calculation, crossover and mutation for inbound and outbound trucks, independently. Moreover a dynamic approach is proposed for performing crossover and mutation operation in genetic algorithm. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm of this paper, various examples are provided and analyzed. The computational results reveal that the proposed algorithm of this paper performs better than two well-known works of literature in providing solutions with shorter operation time.     

Variable neighborhood search for the inventory routing and scheduling problem in a supply chain

The inventory, routing and scheduling decisions are three major driving factors for supply chain performance. Since they are related to one another in a supply chain, they should be determined simultaneously to improve the decision quality. In the past, the inventory policy, vehicle routing and vehicle scheduling are determined sequentially and separately. Hence, the total cost (inventory, routing and vehicle costs) would increase. In this paper, an integrated model for the inventory routing and scheduling problem (IRSP) is proposed. Since searching for the optimal solution for this model is a non-polynomial (NP) problem, a metaheuristic, variable neighborhood search (VNS), is proposed. The proposed method was compared with other existing methods. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is better than other methods in terms of average cost per day.     

时间依赖型车辆路径问题的一种改进蚁群算法

时间依赖型车辆路径规划问题(TDVRP),是研究路段行程时间随出发时刻变化的路网环境下的车辆路径优化.传统车辆路径问题(VRP)已被证明是NP-hard问题,因此,考虑交通状况时变特征的TDVRP问题求解更为困难.本文设计了一种TDVRP问题的改进蚁群算法,采用基于最小成本的最邻近法(NNC算法)生成蚁群算法的初始可行解,通过局部搜索操作提高可行解的质量,采用最大--最小蚂蚁系统信息素更新策略.测试结果表明,与最邻近算法和遗传算法相比,改进蚁群算法具有更高的效率,能够得到更优的结果;对于大规模TDVRP问题,改进蚁群算法也表现出良好的性能,即使客户节点数量达到1000,算法的优化时间依然在可接受的范围内.     

需求可拆分车辆路径问题的聚类求解算法

针对传统的车辆路径问题通常假设客户的需求不能拆分,即客户的需求由一辆车满足,而实际上通过需求的拆分可使需要的车辆数更少,从而降低配送成本的问题,分析了需求可拆分的车辆路径问题的解的特征,证明了客户需求不宜拆分应满足的条件,设计了符合解的特征的聚类算法,并对其求解.通过实验仿真,将所提出的聚类算法与蚁群算法和禁忌搜索算法进行比较,所得结果表明了所提出的算法可以更有效地求得需求可拆分车辆路径问题的优化解,是解决需求可拆分车辆路径问题的有效方法.     

供应链中车辆路径问题的改进模拟退火算法

车辆路径的优化是供应链优化中的重要环节。设计了一种改进的模拟退火算法用于求解有客户需求、车辆最大载重量和最大行驶距离三个约束条件的车辆路径问题。主要改进在于：编码方案采用客户编号的顺序编码,并设计专门的解码方法能够把三种约束全都纳入考虑,再综合运用三种邻域生成算子提高局部搜索能力,采用基本的线性降温方式控制降温过程。运用此算法针对同一算例,采用三种不同的降温系数进行了仿真实验,得到了更好的配送方案。实验结果表明该算法不仅求解速度快,而且寻优能力也有显著增强。     

Routing with time-windows for multiple environmental vehicle types

With the goal of reducing cost, improving customer satisfaction and controlling the environmental pollution, a environmental routing optimization problem with time windows and multiple vehicle types is proposed by considering the concept of low-carbon logistics. A multi-objective vehicle routing problem (VRP) model with soft time-windows for multiple environmental vehicle types is presented, and a hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) is designed. Based on the experiments, the effectiveness of the algorithm is examined. With Pareto analysis, the relationship among the three objectives (distribution cost, customer satisfaction and environmental pollution) is examined. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to identify the influence of different type vehicle on the environmental performance. The results shows that the vehicle speed has strong correlation with the operation cost and environmental pollution, while the load capacity affects the operation cost, customer satisfaction and environmental pollution.     

生鲜电商配送的开放式时变车辆路径问题研究

针对生鲜电商配送的"最后一公里"难题,考虑到生鲜农产品的易腐易损性与生鲜电商通常采用普通车辆配送等现实情况,引入常温条件下生鲜农产品的鲜活度度量函数;分析城市路网的时变特性,设计时变路网条件下的车辆行驶时间计算方法;综合考虑客户需求量、时间窗、生鲜农产品送达客户时的鲜活度、开放式车辆路径与车辆灵活出发时间等因素,以总配...     

Minimizing total resource consumption and total tardiness penalty in a resource allocation supply chain scheduling and vehicle routing problem

The increase in the consumption of resources in the past decade has caused an increase in the interest of the international academic community in the challenges to reduce such rapid consumption of resources. Every year, many researchers propose different methods by which resource consumption can be reduced. Material, equipment, and process refinement are vivid examples of such efforts. While these innovations can be very helpful, in several cases, however, they can be very costly and greatly time-consuming. In addition, decision-makers tend to tackle the problem of resource consumption, while maintaining the proper level of service. Thus, in this paper, we propose a new bi-objective mathematical model by which we can reduce the consumption of resources and energy, as well as decrease the tardiness penalty in a supply chain scheduling and vehicle routing problem. The model demonstrates that finding the proper production (assembly) sequence, assignment of orders to vehicles and vehicle routing, will enable us to reduce resource consumption. A new Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm based on shaking and local search strategies of Variable Neighborhood Search algorithm is also developed to solve the proposed problem. Several criteria are introduced and defined to assess the performance of the proposed algorithm. Results demonstrate the out-performance of the proposed algorithm compared with the classic non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II. We also propose a method that allows decision makers to make an informed decision to choose a proper sequence of jobs and routes that create a trade-off between resource consumption and the tardiness penalty.     

Multi-depot vehicle routing problem: a one-stage approach

This paper introduces multi-depot vehicle routing problem with fixed distribution of vehicles (MDVRPFD) which is one important and useful variant of the traditional multi-depot vehicle routing problem (MDVRP) in the supply chain management and transportation studies. After modeling the MDVRPFD as a binary programming problem, we propose two solution methodologies: two-stage and one-stage approaches. The two-stage approach decomposes the MDVRPFD into two independent subproblems, assignment and routing, and solves them separately. In contrast, the one-stage approach integrates the assignment with the routing where there are two kinds of routing methods-draft routing and detail routing. Experimental results show that our new one-stage algorithm outperforms the published methods. Note to Practitioners-This work is based on several consultancy work that we have done for transportation companies in Hong Kong. The multi-depot vehicle routing problem (MDVRP) is one of the core optimization problems in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management, which minimizes the total travel distance (the major factor of total transportation cost) among a number of given depots. However, in real practice, the MDVRP is not reliable because of the assumption that there have unlimited number of vehicles available in each depot. In this paper, we propose a new useful variant of the MDVRP, namely multi-depot vehicle routing problem with fixed distribution of vehicles (MDVRPFD), to model the practicable cases in applications. Two-stage and one-stage solution algorithms are also proposed. The industry participators can apply our new one-stage algorithm to solve the MDVRPFD directly and efficiently. Moreover, our one-stage solution framework allows users to smoothly add new specified constraints or variants.     

考虑交通拥堵的冷链物流城市配送的GVRP研究

针对目前研究冷链物流车辆路径问题多未考虑交通拥堵对运营成本的影响,将道路拥堵因素融入到冷链物流绿色车辆路径（Green Vehicle Routing Problem）优化数学模型中。兼顾经济成本和环境成本,在时变网络下综合考虑冷链物流中车辆管理成本、运输能耗成本、货损成本、制冷成本以及客户需求时间窗的惩罚成本,同时引入运输和制冷过程中产生的碳排放成本,统筹安排车辆路径,使得物流企业整体运营成本最低,更绿色环保。在此基础上根据模型特点设计改进蚁群算法进行求解,用实例对模型和算法进行仿真,验证该模型和方法可以有效地规避拥堵时段,降低配送成本,促进物流企业的节能减排,可以为物流企业冷链配送路径决策提供良好的参考依据。     

A hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm for the vehicle routing problem

This paper introduces a new hybrid algorithmic nature inspired approach based on particle swarm optimization, for successfully solving one of the most popular supply chain management problems, the vehicle routing problem. The vehicle routing problem is considered one of the most well studied problems in operations research. The proposed algorithm for the solution of the vehicle routing problem, the hybrid particle swarm optimization (HybPSO), combines a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the multiple phase neighborhood search–greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (MPNS–GRASP) algorithm, the expanding neighborhood search (ENS) strategy and a path relinking (PR) strategy. The algorithm is suitable for solving very large-scale vehicle routing problems as well as other, more difficult combinatorial optimization problems, within short computational time. It is tested on a set of benchmark instances and produced very satisfactory results. The algorithm is ranked in the fifth place among the 39 most known and effective algorithms in the literature and in the first place among all nature inspired methods that have ever been used for this set of instances.     

基于顾客聚类的车辆路径规划

论文针对当前顾客需求响应快速性和高效性的要求,将模糊聚类和蚁群优化算法引入其中,提出基于顾客需求聚类的车辆路径规划方法。