Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6895978 | European Journal of Operational Research | 2016 | 15 Pages |
Abstract
The inventory routing problem (IRP) is a very challenging optimization task that couples two of the most important components of supply chain management, i.e., inventory control and transportation. Routes of vehicles are to be determined to repeatedly resupply multiple customers with constant demand rates from a single depot. We alter this basic IRP setting by two aspects: (i) only cyclic tours are allowed, i.e., each vehicle continuously tours its dedicated route, and (ii) all customers are located along a line. Both characteristics occur, for instance, in liner shipping (when feeder ships service inland ports along a stream) and in facility logistics (when tow trains deliver part bins to the stations of an assembly line). We formalize the resulting problem setting, identify NP-hard as well as polynomially solvable cases, and develop suited solution procedures.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Science (General)
Authors
Michael Zenker, Simon Emde, Nils Boysen,