A Branch and Cut Algorithm for Two-Echelon Inventory Routing Problem with End-of-Tour Replenishment Policy

Abstract

This study presents a two-echelon inventory routing problem (2E-IRP) with an end-of-tour replenishment (ETR) policy whose distribution network consists of a supplier, several distribution centers (DCs) and several retailers on a multi-period planning horizon. A formulation of the problem based on vehicle indices is proposed in the form of a mixed integer linear program (MILP). The mathematical model of the problem is solved using a branch and cut (B&C) algorithm. The results of the tests are compared to the results of a branch and price (B&P) algorithm from the literature on 2E-IRP with a classical distribution policy. The results of the tests show that the B&C algorithm solves 197 out of 200 instances (98.5%). The comparison of the B&C and B&P results shows that 185 best solutions are obtained with the B&C algorithm on 197 instances (93.9%). Overall, the B&C algorithm achieves cost reductions ranging from 0.26% to 41.44% compared to the classic 2E-IRP results solved with the B&P algorithm, with an overall average reduction of 18.08%.

Share and Cite:

Kayé, B. , Diako, D. and Trey, Z. (2024) A Branch and Cut Algorithm for Two-Echelon Inventory Routing Problem with End-of-Tour Replenishment Policy. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 14, 3100-3126. doi: 10.4236/ojapps.2024.1411204.

1. Introduction

Since the first studies have shown that it is possible to make savings of 6% to 10% on the cost of operations in the field of gas distribution [1], many researchers are interested in supply chain planning with a view to further reducing the costs associated with the storage and distribution of products in various areas of economic activity. The inventory routing problem (IRP) is a very important class of problem in supply chain planning. It is essentially made up of the vehicle routing problem and the inventory management problem. The vehicle routing problem (VRP) is a special case of the traveling salesman problem (TSP). It focuses on satisfying customer demands while minimizing the cost of product distribution. As far as inventory management is concerned, it is a question of determining the quantities to be delivered to each customer considering its storage capacity. Thus, in an IRP, it is possible to give a customer a quantity of products greater than his request without exceeding his storage capacity. Unlike the problem of vehicle routing, this makes it possible to reduce the number of routes to a customer over a multi-period planning horizon. The problem of inventory and vehicle routing is therefore a generalization of the VRP in which we seek to determine the dates of delivery or collection of products on the one hand and the quantities to be delivered or collected on the other hand. In its basic formulation, the IRP is a multi-period problem [1] [2]. In addition, the work carried out over the last two decades has made it possible to consider new factors giving rise to variants of the IRP more adapted to the real problems of supply chain planning. Among the variants frequently studied in the literature, we have the IRP with the consideration of multi-depots [2]-[6], perishable products [7]-[10], multi-product [11]-[13], backhaul [9] [14]-[16], split delivery [17] [18], multiple tours [19], pick-up and delivery [20]-[22], with time windows [19] [21] [23] [24], heterogeneous fleet of vehicles [25], etc. These problems can be broadly classified into two main families. We have problems at one echelon and multi-echelons problems. A single-echelon IRP model is characterized by a single level of product distribution. Thus, in a one-echelon IRP, products are distributed directly to customers from one or more depots. In contrast, the multi-echelon models are built on a multi-echelon distribution network. In a multi-echelon IRP, products are not delivered directly to customers from the supplier. The products are first collected by vehicles that may have a large capacity for the supply of intermediate depots (central depots or satellite) and then collected in these depots by vehicles that may have a smaller capacity to supply customers. Thus, the transport of products in a multi-level IRP is generally done between one or more suppliers and one or more depots at the beginning of the echelon for the consolidation or storage of products in the first stage and the delivery of products to several customers from one or more depots at the end of the echelon in the second stage. For a better optimization of the costs related to the storage and distribution of products, the implementation of a good procurement or replenishment policy and an inventory management practice adapted to the type of supply chain is necessary. There are several types of procurement policies [26]. Maximum level (ML) is a replenishment policy in which any non-zero quantity can be delivered to a customer provided that this quantity does not exceed its storage capacity [27]. Another relevant policy is order-up-to-level (OU). In this policy, the quantity of products delivered to a customer is the complement of its current stock to reach its maximum storage capacity. Thus, in an OU replenishment policy, a customer’s storage capacity is at its maximum level after a product delivery [28]. These procurement policies are implemented in inventory management practices, such as vendor-managed inventory (VMI) or customer/retailer-managed inventory (CMI or RMI). VMI is an inventory management practice in which the vendor decides when and how much to deliver to a customer over the planning horizon. The ML and the OU are therefore replenishment policies adapted to the context of VMI. In contrast to the VMI, we have the CMI or the RMI. In this practice, only the customer or retailer decides the exact amount of product to be received over each period of the planning horizon. This type of inventory management practice is suitable for VRP, given the fact that the quantity of products delivered to a customer is equal to their demand. The achievements resulting from the work identified here [28] allow for further investigation of the question for comparative studies between VMI and CMI.

To facilitate the reading and understanding of this paper, we organize it as follows: in Section 2, a review of the literature on the variants of the 2E-IRP, as well as their methods of resolution, is presented. Section 3 is devoted to the description and proposal of a mathematical model of the problem. In Section 4, we propose a branch and cut (B&C) algorithm for solving the problem. Sections 5 and 6 present the results and the conclusion of the work, respectively.

2. Literature Reviews

IRP is a class of problems encountered in supply chain planning. It combines both the problem of vehicle routing and the problem of stock management. Its basic formulation concerns a supplier (warehouse, retailer) that delivers a type of product to a set of customers, each with a limited storage capacity over a finite planning horizon of several periods. The delivery of products to customers is carried out thanks to a fleet of vehicles with limited capacities. The aim of an IRP is to simultaneously minimize the cost of vehicle routes and the overall cost of storing products at the supplier and customers. Readings will find an excellent literature review in [10] [29] [30]. A very interesting variant from the perspective of its practicality in the real-world of supply chain planning is the two-echelon inventory routing problem (2E-IRP). The 2E-IRP is a generalization of the classic IRP by extending it to the multi-depots case and considering a third actor playing the role of supplier and a special case of the multi-level IRP by limiting the levels to two (suppliers-depots and deposits-customers). Beyond satisfying deterministic or dynamic customer demands, a 2E-IRP aims to simultaneously minimize the costs related to the storage and transportation of products throughout the supply chain. To achieve this goal, the practice of VMI remains the best alternative in terms of integrated inventory management strategy in distribution centers (central depots), at customers and/or at the supplier. This practice is also accompanied by the implementation of an appropriate procurement or replenishment policy aimed at using storage capacity efficiently. The policies applicable in a VMI context are most often related to inventory management at customers’ sites. While ML and OU are the most used, a good deal of work focuses on policies such as zero-inventory-ordering policy [31] [32] and politics (R, Q) [33]. The zero-inventory-ordering is a policy in which a customer is delivered when their product inventory level is zero. And the (R, Q) policy is a policy in which a customer is delivered when their inventory level reaches a certain threshold R. At this point, a delivery is made to raise the stock level to Q. In addition to policies related to inventory management, policies related to the configuration of vehicle routes such as fixed partitioning (FP) [32] [34] [35], the power of two (POT)) [35] [36] Split delivery [18] [37], multiple tours [38] [39], as well as the cases with time window and pick-ups and deliveries mentioned above, were also studied. In a recent study, researchers looked at a 2E-IRP whose distribution network is made up of several suppliers, several distribution centers (DCs) and several customers [40]. The distribution of products is carried out in a context of VMI practice and the implementation of the ML policy. In this model, where inventory management and vehicle routing decisions are made at suppliers, a homogeneous fleet of high-capacity vehicles is assigned to collect products from suppliers to supply DCs located on the periphery of an urban area at the first level, and a fleet of smaller vehicles is used to satisfy customer demands from DCs at the second level. It is forbidden here to deliver products directly to customers from suppliers. The authors formulated the problem as a Linear Integer Program and proposed a B&P algorithm for its solution. In another study, these authors proposed a matheuristic algorithm for solving the same problem [41]. Some researchers have instead focused their interest on a 2E-IRP in which storage and delivery decisions are centralized in the DCs. In this area of work, others have carried out a study implementing OU and ML replenishment policies in the practice of VMI in the field of gasoline distribution [3]. Their distribution network is made up of several suppliers, several DCs and several customers. A homogeneous fleet of vehicles parked in the DCs is used to collect inputs from suppliers for the supply of the DCs and then these inputs are mixed with refined gasoline to be delivered to customers. They modeled the problem in the form of an integer linear program and proposed B&C algorithm for its solution. They then proposed a matheuristic for the resolution of large instances. A number of authors have proposed a further variation on the previous work in the petrochemical industry [42]. This variant considers the agreements or authorizations for the use of a vehicle depending on its level of contamination. They formulated the problem as a linear integer program and proposed a B&C algorithm for its solution. They also developed a matheuristic and a parallel approach hybridizing matheuristic with exact resolution to solve large instances. Farias, Hadj-Hamou and Yugma have studied a variant of 2E-IRP in which there is a single supplier with limited storage capacity [43]. Stocking and distribution decision-making in this model is the responsibility of the supplier. The distribution network is therefore made up of a supplier, several DCs and several customers. These customers are divided into subsets of customers that are attached to each DC of the distribution network in a predefined way. The objective of this work is to simultaneously optimize the cost of vehicle rounds and the overall cost of storage at the DCs and the customers. The authors formalized the problem into an integer linear program and solved it by a B&C algorithm with the OFQ, OU, and ML policies in VMI practice. Xiao and Rao proposed a distribution network consisting of a supplier, a DC, several depots and several customers in a 2E-IRP [44]. In this multi-product model, the authors considered the time windows and characteristics of the product at different stages of its life cycle in a VMI context. They then proposed an adaptation of the fuzzy genetic algorithm to solve the problem. Daldoul, Boussaa, Nouaouri and Kastouri have studied a 2E-IRP taking into account the financial flow of working capital needs in a distribution network of several suppliers and several depots [45]. In this work, the overall cost to be optimized is therefore the sum of the costs related to inventories, transport and financial costs. The authors then proposed a mathematical model of the problem that they solved with a solver. Several authors have proposed a distribution model with a single DC. Among these models, we have models with several suppliers and models with a single supplier. In the category of models with multiple suppliers, some researchers focused on a multi-product model with a distribution network consisting of multiple suppliers, a DC and multiple warehouses [46]. The goal in this work is to find the most economical way to supply warehouses from DC and DC from suppliers. Their model considers an order cost for each given product, a fixed cost of using each vehicle, inventory costs in the warehouses and the DC and the costs of vehicle routes between the suppliers and the DC on the one hand and between the DC and the warehouses on the other hand. They formulated the problem as an integer linear program and solved it with three variants of a three-phase heuristic CAR (clustering, allocation, routing). They estimate that their heuristics allow to obtain an improvement in results on large instances ranging from 0.94% to 6.08% compared to the upper bound obtained with the CPLEX solver. In the category of work that focuses on distribution models with a supplier and a DC, researchers [35] proposed a model in which a strategy called fixed partition (FP) and power of two (POT) (FP-POT) [36] have been implemented. They used a variable large neighborhood search (VLNS) algorithm to solve the problem. The results of the different simulations were compared to those of a Tabu search algorithm. Li, Chu and Chen have studied a model in which a customer can receive his delivery directly from the supplier without transiting through the warehouse (DC) [47]. They proposed a decomposition of the problem according to the FP policy and considered a genetic algorithm for its solution. Rohmer, Claassen and Laporte submitted a work in the context of last-mile delivery of fresh produce [9]. To solve this problem which considers the perishability of products, the authors suggested an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm. Hu, Toriello and Dessouky proposed a model for perishable products with a deterministic lifespan [8]. In this model, products are collected from farmers over short distances to supply a consolidation center. After the consolidation of the products in the center, they are then transported over long distances to satisfy the demands of the retailers. They formulated the problem into a mixed integer linear program (MILP) and developed an iterative local search algorithm based on a decomposition strategy for its solution.

3. Description of the Problem and Mathematical Formulation

3.1. Description of the Problem

We present a 2E-IRP whose distribution network is made up of a supplier, several DCs and several retailers. Figure 1 gives a graphical representation of the distribution network as well as the different types of routes. In this problem, the transport of a single type of product is ensured by a homogeneous fleet of vehicles parked in the DCs. Retailer procurement is carried out only from the DCs at the second level (DCs-retailer). At the first level (supplier-DCs), the supply of the DCs is carried out by the same fleet of vehicles parked in the DCs. Three types of routes are considered in the route of a vehicle associated with a given DC. We have the supply round, which consists of a vehicle associated with a DC leaving this DC to collect products from the supplier and return to the DC. The second type of round is a delivery round. This tour consists of a vehicle associated with a DC delivering orders from a set of retailers and returning to the DC. The third type of round is a delivery and collection round. In this round, a vehicle first delivers orders from retailers and then goes to the supplier for product collection to supply the DC with which it is associated. The objective of this work is to minimize the overall cost of vehicle routing and inventories in the DCs and at retailers over a finite and discreet planning horizon.

Figure 1. Distribution network graph.

3.2. Mathematical Formulation

G(N, A) is a complete graph in which “N” represents the set of vertices materialized by the supplier, the DCs and the retailers. “A” represents the set of arcs of the graph A( N )={ ( i,j ):i,jN,ij } . The supplier is identified by the index “0”. Retailers and DCs are represented by the sets { 1,,n } and { n+1,,N } respectively where n is the number of retailers. Figure 1 represents a distribution network with a supplier (0), two DCs (16 and 17) and 15 retailers (from 1 to 15).

The sets:

N={ 0,,n,n+1,,| N | } : The set of vertices representing the supplier, the retailers and the DCs.

N R ={ 1,,n } : All retailers.

N D ={ n+1,,| N | } : All DCs.

N 0R ={ 0,,n } : The whole constituted by the supplier and the retailers.

N RD ={ 1,,| N | } : The set made up of retailers and DCs.

T={ 1,,l } : All periods of the planning horizon (in days).

K y ={ 1,, m y } : All the vehicles associated with the DC y.

K= K y .

The indexes:

i and j are the indices of all the vertices of graph G.

y is an index associated with the DC.

t represents the index of the periods of the planning horizon.

k is the index of vehicles.

The settings:

h i is the unit cost of inventories at vertex i.

d it represents the demand of retailer i at period t.

L i is the maximum storage capacity at vertex i.

I i0 is the initial stock level at vertex i.

c ij is the cost of transportation when a vehicle travels directly from vertex i to vertex j.

Q is the maximum load of a vehicle.

M C it =min{ L i ,Q, τ=t l d iτ } is the maximum quantity of products that can be delivered to a retailer i during a period t.

Decision variables:

I it   : level of stocks at vertex i during period t.

q ikt y : quantity delivered to node i by vehicle k associated with DC y during period t.

Z ikt y : binary variable, equal to 1 if vertex i is visited by vehicle k associated with DC y during the period t or 0 otherwise.

x ijkt y : binary variable, equal to 1 if vehicle k associated with DC y travels directly from the vertex i to vertex j or 0 otherwise.

Mathematics formulation:

Z=min i N RD tT h i I i,t + ( i,j )A k K y y N D t x ijkt y (1)

S.T

kK q ykt y + I yt1 = i N R kK q ikt y +  I yt ,y N D ,tT (2)

kK i N R q ikt y I y,t1 ,y N D ,tT (3)

q ykt y Q z 0kt y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (4)

y N D k K y q ikt y + I it1 = d it + I it ,i N R ,tT (5)

i N R q ikt y Q z ykt  y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (6)

q ikt y M C it z ikt y ,i N R ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (7)

I it L i ,i N RD (8)

q 0kt y =0,y N D ,k K y ,tT (9)

i N 0R x iykt y + j N 0R x yjkt y =2 Z ykt y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (10)

i N RD x iakt y + jN x ajkt y =2 Z akt y ,a N R ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (11)

i N RD x i0kt y + x 0ykt y =2 Z 0kt y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (12)

y N D k K y z ikt y 1,i N R ,tT (13)

kK y N D tT Z ikt y 1,i N R (14)

jN x ijkt y = z ikt y ,iN,y N D ,k K y ,tT (15)

iS jS x ijkt y | S |1,S N 0R ,| S |2,y N D ,k K y ,tT (16)

y N D kK Z ykt y m,tT (17)

I it , q ikt y 0,iN,y N D ,k K y ,tT (18)

x ijkt y , z ikt y { 0,1 },( i,j )A( N ),iN,y N D ,k K y ,tT (19)

Equation (1) is the Objective function. It allows us to simultaneously minimize the overall cost of inventories (DCs and retailers) and the cost of the different vehicle routes associated with each DC. Constraints (2) reflect the conservation of the flow of products in each DC. They state that in each DC, the quantity of products received per period and the stock of products from the previous period allow deliveries to be made to retailers and to build up new stock for the current period. Constraints (3) stipulate that in a DC, deliveries for a given period are made with the previous period’s stock. Constraints (4) indicate that any vehicle that makes a delivery in a DC must first visit the supplier before making its delivery in the DC. Constraints (5) represent the maintenance of product flows at retailers. They express the fact that the quantity of products received during a period t and the quantity of products stored during period t − 1 make it possible to satisfy demand and to constitute the stock of products in period t. Inequalities (6) limit the maximum load of a vehicle leaving a DC to a quantity Q. Constraints (7) are used to limit the quantity of products that can be delivered to a retailer for a given period. Inequalities (8) impose a limit on the level of stocks both in retailers and in DCs. Constraints (9) indicate that the load of a vehicle intended for the collection of products from the supplier is zero. Figure 2 shows the predecessor and successor of each vertex for the formalization of vehicle routing constraints. The constraints associated with vehicle routing are as follows: a vehicle that visits a DC must be directly from the supplier or a retailer, and any vehicle that leaves a DC immediately visits a retailer or the supplier. So, for ease of understanding, we will say that the predecessor of a DC is the supplier or a retailer and the successor of a DC is the supplier or a retailer. This situation is reflected in Constraints (10). Similarly, the predecessor of a retailer is either a DC or a retailer and the successor of a retailer is either a retailer, a supplier or a DC (see Constraint (11)). As far as the supplier is concerned, he accepts a retailer or a DC as his predecessor and is succeeded by a DC (Constraint (12)). Constraints (13) indicate that each retailer must be visited no more than once per period. Constraints (14) require that each retailer be visited at least once over the planning horizon. Constraints (15) indicate the activation of a path to the successor of an i-vertex if that vertex is visited by a vehicle during a given period. Inequalities (16) are the subtours elimination constraints (SECs) on the vehicle paths. Constraints (17) limit the total number of vehicles assigned to distribute products in the supply chain. Constraints (18) indicate that the variables representing stock levels in the DCs and at retailers as well as the quantities of products transported by the vehicles must have positive values. And Constraints (19) represent the constraints for defining the binary variables of the mathematical model. In the rest of this work, we present a Branch and Cut (B&C) algorithm to solve the MILP defined in this session.

Figure 2. Vehicle routing graph.

4. B&C Algorithm for Solving 2E-IRP with ETR Policy

To carry out our B&C algorithm, we start by defining the following valid inequalities.

4.1. Valid Inequalities

  • x 0,y,kt y q ykt y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (20)

These inequalities prevent a vehicle from returning empty to the DC after visiting the supplier.

  • tT k K y x 0,y,kt y tT k K y i N R z ikt y , y N D (21)

Under these constraints, any DC that has been supplied at least once over the planning horizon is bound to make product deliveries to retailers.

  • x ijkt y + x jikt y 1,i N RD ,j N RD ,y N D ,k K y ,tT, N RD N RD (22)

These constraints state that the path of a vehicle between two vertices i and j is an arc. Thus, if a vehicle travels directly from vertex i to vertex j then it can no longer travel directly from vertex j to vertex i.

  • z y,k+1,t y z ykt y ,y N D ,k K y ,tT (23)

These constraints make it possible to ensure that the use of vehicle k + 1 is conditional on the use of vehicle k, so that vehicle k + 1 can be used only after the use of vehicle k.

  • i N D Z ikyt 1,tT,y N D ,kK (24)

These constraints prevent a vehicle associated with a DC from visiting another DC.

  • d it Z ikyt   q ikyt ,iT,kK,y N D eti N R (25)

These constraints make it possible to ensure that a vehicle visiting a retailer delivers a quantity of products at least equal to its demand.

4.2. B&C Algorithm

To implement our B&C algorithm, we add the valid inequalities expressed by Constraints (20)-(25) in the initial model expressed by the objective function (1) and the constraints ranging from (2) to (19) and we subtract the SECs expressed by Constraints (16). Next, the new linear program (LP) is solved. If the LP solution contains a subtour in the path of a vehicle k associated with a DC for a given period t, then all the subtours in the path of this vehicle are identified and each SEC relative to the vertices concerned by each subtour is generated and added to the PL for a new reoptimization. Table 1 gives the details of our B&C algorithm. In this algorithm, the star symbol (*) represents a component of the PL solution at a node in the B&C search tree. Our B&C algorithm is an improvement of the algorithm developed by [48] for a 2E-PRP with a supplier, a depot and several customers. In this work, the authors attempt to separate all the vertices visited by a vehicle k at a time t given in two partitions. The first partition consists of the subset of vertices forming a Hamiltonian circuit with the depot, and the second partition is the complement of this first partition in the set of vertices visited by the vehicle k at the same time t. Thus, when the second partition is empty then the vehicle k does not contain any subtour in its period path t. However, if the second partition is non-empty then a subtour is detected in the path of vehicle k at the period t. In the latter case, SECs are generated and added to the model for reoptimization. In the algorithm developed in our work, we exhaustively determine all the subsets of vertices forming a Hamiltonian circuit in the path of vehicle k associated with the depot y during the period t. If the number of subsets of vertices forming a Hamiltonian circuit is greater than 1, then a SEC is generated and added to the model for each vertex subset.

Table 1. Branch-and-cut (B&C) algorithm.

Initialize the upper bound U * and the incumbent solution.

Initialize the node pool N with the root node.

Generate and insert all known valid inequalities into the program at root node of the search tree.

Repeat

Selection: Select the next node in N to evaluate and remove it from N

Lower bound: Solve the LP relaxation at the current node,

let be the obtained lower bound U l of the current node:

if current solution is feasible then

if U l > then U *

Go to the termination check.

Else

U * U l .

Update the incumbent solution.

Prune nodes with lower bound U> U *

End

end

Cut generation:

foreach t in T

foreach y in N D

Foreach k in K y

if the current solution of the LP relaxation contains subtours, then

Generate and add SEC for each subtour.

Endif

endfor

endfor

Endfor

Branching: if U l > U * ,

go to the termination check.

until N= or time limit is met (termination check).

Stop with the optimal solution and the corresponding cost U * .

5. Experiments and Results

5.1. Experiments

We use the Concert Technology library from IBM ILOG CPLEX Optimization Studio and the C++ programming language to implement the B&C algorithm exposed in Session 4. The tests are conducted on an AMD Athlon Silver 3050U LAPTOP with Radeon Graphics 2.30 GHz and 8.00 GB of installed RAM. The dataset used for the tests is drawn from the work of [40]. From this work, we have retained the dataset for which the instances are composed of a single supplier. Table 2 gives a description of the dataset used to perform the tests with our B&C algorithm. In this table, the first column indicates the typology of inventory costs. In this typology, we have instances with high unit inventory costs over a 3-period planning horizon (H3) and instances with low unit inventory costs over a 3-period planning horizon (L3). The second column shows the different instance classes from abs1 to abs5. Similarly, going from the third column to the last column, we have respectively the supplier, the DCs, the customers and the homogeneous vehicles used to make the deliveries of the products on the planning horizon. The charge of each Q vehicle in our tests is equal to the average of the charge of a vehicle in the first echelon ( Q 1 ) and a vehicle in the

Table 2. Description of instances.

Typology of inventory costs

Class of instances

supplier

DC

Retailers

(customers)

Vehicles

{H3; L3}

abs {1; 2; 3; 4; 5}

{1S}

{2M}

{5; 10; 15; 20; 25} C

{2; 3; 4; 5} V

second echelon ( Q 2 ). So, Q= ( Q 1 + Q 2 )/2 . By multiplying the cardinal of each instance parameter, we obtain a total of 2 * 5 * 1 * 1 * 5 * 4 = 200 instances (see Table 2).

5.2. Results

Considering that a solution is optimal when its integrality gap is less than 0.05% [40], our algorithm resolved 168 instances to the optimal (83%), 29 instances to non-optimal (14.5%) and 3 unresolved instances (1.5%). Table 3 illustrates the distribution of the solutions obtained in relation to their integrality gap. To show the effectiveness of the results of our B&C algorithm on the 2E-IRP with ETR policy, we present the details of the result obtained on the H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_2V-M instance. The instance designates a set of data with a high inventory cost over a planning horizon of three days (H3) in the abs1 type instance register. The instance considers one supplier (1S), two DCs (2M) and two medium-sized vehicles (2V-M). According to the details of the results contained in Table A1, the cost of inventories is equal to 222.32 and the cost of vehicle routes is equal to 2187. This gives a total cost of 2411.32. To verify these costs, we start by presenting the vehicle route file for the H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_2V-M instance represented in Figure 3. The Readers will find the file for Table A1 and the rest of the files for Figure 3 in link A of Appendix. In this figure, the vehicle k = 1 associated with the DC of index 7 (second DC) leaves the DC in the first period and successively visits retailers (customers) 5 and 2, giving them respectively the quantities of products 22 and 35. After the visit to the last retailer (2), the vehicle goes to the supplier (0) and collects a quantity of products equal to 194 for the supply of the DC. In period two, the vehicle k = 1 leaves the second DC of index 7 and then successively visits retailers 3, 4, 1 delivering them respectively quantities 116, 24, 65 before returning empty to the DC. In the third period, there is no delivery of products. Let’s start with the determination of the cost of inventory over the three periods of the planning horizon. Tables 4-6 summarize the calculations of inventory costs over these three periods.

Table 3. Distribution of solutions according to the completeness.

Solutions

Number

Rate_%

Optimal

168

84

Non-optimal

29

14.5

Infinite

3

1.5

Total

200

100

Figure 3. Vehicle routes over three periods.

By postponing vehicle routes and the quantities received in Figure 3 represented respectively by line (i) and line (qi) of Table 4, we determine the level of inventories at the end of the period (Ii) as follows: at vertex i, we have Ii = level of inventories of the previous period + quantity of products received during the current period − quantity of products consumed for the same period. And we determine the costs of inventories by multiplying the inventory level of the period by the unit cost of storage.

Table 4. Summary of inventory cost calculation in period 1 (t1).

t1

Retailers not visited

i

7

5

2

0

7

6

1

3

4

qi

0

22

35

0

194

0

0

0

0

of

0

11

35

0

0

0

65

58

24

Ii (t = 0)

68

11

70

ND

68

68

130

58

48

hi

0.3

0.18

0.32

0

0.3

0.3

0.23

0.33

0.23

Li

703

22

105

ND

703

703

195

116

72

Ii (t = 1)

22

70

205

68

65

0

24

ICi

3.96

22.4

61.5

20.4

14.95

0

5.52

128.73

Table 5. Summary of inventory cost calculation in period 2 (t2).

t2

Retailers not visited

i

7

3

4

1

7

6

0

2

5

qi

0

116

24

65

0

0

0

0

0

of

0

58

24

65

0

0

0

35

11

Ii (t = 1)

205

0

24

65

205

68

ND

70

22

hi

0.3

0.33

0.23

0.23

0.3

0.3

0

0.32

0.18

Li

703

116

72

195

703

703

ND

105

22

Ii (t = 2)

58

24

65

0

68

35

11

ICi

19.14

5.52

14.95

0

20.4

11.2

1.98

73.19

This is translated by the equation ICi = Ii * hi. Let’s calculate these values for DC 7, visited customer 5, and unvisited customer 1 for period t = 1. We have I7 = 68 + 194 − (22 + 35) = 205 and IC7 = 205 * 0.3 = 61.5. For retailer 5, we have I5 = 11 + 22 – 11 = 22 and IC5 = 22 * 0.18 = 3.96. for the unvisited retailer (1), we have I1 = 130 + 0 – 65 = 65 and IC1 = 65 * 0.23 = 14.95. Similarly, we calculate the inventory costs for each DC and each retailer over the three periods of the planning horizon. The total cost of inventory is therefore equal to the sum of the periodic inventory costs, i.e. IC = 128.73 + 73.19 + 20.4 = 222.32. For determination of the overall cost of vehicle routes, we organize the calculations in Table 7. In this table, 7 → 5 indicates that the vehicle travels directly from vertex 7 to vertex 5. Vertex 7 has coordinates (1, 360) and vertex 5 has coordinates (38, 152). This allows us to calculate the distance from vertex 7 to vertex 5 (d(7, 5)). Thus, d( 7,5 )=int( ( 138 ) 2 + ( 360152 ) 2 +0.5 )= ( 138 ) 2 + ( 360152 ) 2 +0.5 , so d(7, 5) = 211. We can therefore determine the overall cost of vehicle routes by summing the costs of routes per period. Hence the overall cost of vehicle rounds Trans_Cost = 1431 + 758 = 2189. Finally, the overall cost is equal to the sum of the cost of transportation and the cost of inventory. Thus, we have Total_Cost = Inv_Cost + Trans_Cost = 222.32 + 2189 = 2411.32 monetary unit. In the continuation of this work, we compare the results of our B&C algorithm with the results of the branch and price (B&P) developed by [40]. In both jobs, it is forbidden to deliver to a customer (or retailer) from the supplier. However, the two models differ in the strategy adopted in the procurement of DCs (or Satellites). In the procurement strategy of these authors, the vehicle dedicated to the supply of DCs starts its run at the supplier and visits one or more DCs before ending its run at the supplier. Whereas in our model, the same fleet of vehicles based at the DC is used to make the delivery to the customers and if necessary, one or more vehicles from this fleet go directly to the supplier or after the last retailer’s visit to collect products that will be used to supply the DC (ETR policy). In Tables 8-12, the rows represent the average of the results obtained with the two, three, four and five vehicle instances. The time (B&P) and time (B&C) columns represent the time taken by the B&P algorithm and the B&C algorithm to find the respective upper bounds (UB) respectively. The Time Gap % column determines the rate of increase (positive value) or rate of reduction (negative value) of the time associated with the execution of the B&C algorithm relative to the B&P algorithm. The values in this column are calculated as follows: Time GAP % = (time (B&C) − time (B&P))/time (B&P). Similarly, UB GAP % = (UB (B&C) − UB (B&P))/UB(B&P). In Table 8 representing instances of 5 retailers, we see that the average B&C GAP % for each line is equal to 0. This means that each different fleet instance associated with each instance line of five retailers is resolved to the optimum. This is also reflected in the average of the average GAPs of the B&C at the AVERAGE line. In addition, the values of the numbers in the UB GAP % column are all negative. This means that cost reductions are made in favor of the B&C algorithm. For example, we have a discount of 23.93% on average on type H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C instances (4 instances) and overall, we get an average discount of 16.69% on instances of 5 retailers (AVERAGE line). As far as the calculation time is concerned, we also get an overall average decrease of 15.55% (Time GAP%) in favor of the B&C algorithm. Similarly, Table 9 shows that all instances of ten retailers were resolved to the optimal (GAP B&C % column) with an overall average cost (UB) decrease of 23.45% (AVERAGE UB GAP%) and an overall decrease in computation time of 90.06%. Table 10 summarizes the results for the instances of fifteen retailers. This table also shows the same trends as Table 8 and Table 9. It also shows that all instances of fifteen retailers are resolved to the optimal with a decrease in average overall cost by 20.66%. We also see an overall average decrease in computation time of 67.90%. Table 11 shows the results obtained on the instances of 20 retailers. Unlike the previous tables, this table has a non-zero overall average of the GAP B&C % (2.76%). This implies that some instances of twenty retailers have not been resolved to the optimal level. Table A1 of the details in Appendix does show that the instances for twenty retailers H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_3V, H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_5V, H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_5V, and instance H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C _5V were not resolved to the optimal level. However, we achieve a 19.87% reduction in average overall cost in favor of the B&C algorithm compared to the B&P algorithm. We also have a decrease in computation time of 85.59%. Table 12 highlights the results obtained on the instances of twenty-five retailers with an average overall B&C GAP % of 15.46%, we can say that several instances have not been resolved to the optimal. The UB GAP % column shows that the B&C algorithm allows for an average overall cost reduction of 9.13% across instances of 25 retailers. It should be noted that for instances with twenty-five retailers, our B&C algorithm resulted in a cost increase of 12.31, 4.86 and 4.47 respectively over the average of the H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C, H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C and H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C instances. This represents a total of 9 instances of twenty-five retailers. In addition, we also see an overall average decrease in calculation time of 63.96%. Overall, our ETR policy and B&C algorithm resulted in 185 (93.9%) best solutions out of the 197 instances for which we were able to obtain a solution.

Table 6. Summary of inventory cost calculation in period 3 (t3).

t3

i

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

qi

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

of

65

35

58

24

11

0

0

Ii (t = 2)

65

35

58

24

11

68

0

hi

0.23

0.32

0.33

0.23

0.18

0.3

0.3

Li

195

105

116

72

22

703

703

Ii (t = 3)

0

0

0

0

0

68

0

ICi

0

0

0

0

0

20.4

0

20.4

Table 7. Summary of the calculation of travel costs over the three periods.

x1

y1

x2

y2

d

7 → 5

1

360

38

152

211

t1

5 → 2

38

152

267

87

238

2 → 0

267

87

−124

−150

457

0 → 7

−124

−150

1

360

525

Total

1431

7 → 3

1

360

148

433

164

t2

3→ 4

148

433

355

444

207

4 → 1

355

444

172

334

214

1 → 7

172

334

1

360

173

Total

758

Table 8. Comparison of average results for five retailers’ instances.

Instance name

Time (B&P)

Time (B&C)

Time

GAP

%

UB

(B&P)

UB

(B&C)

UB

GAP

%

Gap

B&P

%

Gap

B&C

%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C

5.93

1.72

−72.02

3196.45

2413.57

−23.93

0.03

0.00

L3_abs1_1S_2M_5C

6.69

1.72

−73.49

3091.73

2239.01

−26.99

0.03

0.00

H3_abs2_1S_2M_5C

5.47

2.33

−47.56

2482.54

2095.44

−15.09

0.03

0.00

L3_abs2_1S_2M_5C

5.89

2.06

−54.86

2429.20

1971.73

−18.34

0.04

0.00

H3_abs3_1S_2M_5C

11.22

4.02

106.68

3923.50

3709.04

−4.50

0.04

0.00

L3_abs3_1S_2M_5C

13.90

5.04

12.72

3794.28

3460.87

−8.17

0.03

0.00

H3_abs4_1S_2M_5C

5.21

5.90

27.54

3241.76

2569.25

−19.69

0.03

0.00

L3_abs4_1S_2M_5C

6.22

4.70

12.16

3145.41

2372.06

−23.58

0.03

0.00

H3_abs5_1S_2M_5C

4.64

1.68

2.15

1941.14

1774.43

−7.75

0.03

0.00

L3_abs5_1S_2M_5C

11.86

1.55

−68.82

1836.04

1476.96

−18.87

0.04

0.00

AVERAGE

7.70

3.07

−15.55

2908.20

2408.24

−16.69

0.03

0.00

Table 9. Comparison of average results for ten retailers’ instances.

Instance name

Time (B&P)

Time (B&C)

Time

GAP

%

UB

(B&P)

UB

(B&C)

UB

GAP

%

Gap

B&P

%

Gap

B&C

%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_10C

6490.83

53.14

−98.11

3784.92

3173.25

−15.59

0.95

0.00

L3_abs1_1S_2M_10C

1310.97

25.41

−98.00

3418.07

2579.45

−23.96

0.14

0.00

H3_abs2_1S_2M_10C

3709.20

21.81

−95.96

4823.68

3782.26

−21.03

0.98

0.00

L3_abs2_1S_2M_10C

2518.85

43.98

−85.93

4539.82

3287.41

−26.97

0.78

0.00

H3_abs3_1S_2M_10C

9930.84

20.25

−99.79

4379.41

3352.36

−22.48

2.70

0.00

L3_abs3_1S_2M_10C

10800.00

15.16

−99.86

4207.36

2878.99

−30.54

3.61

0.00

H3_abs4_1S_2M_10C

3069.89

14.01

−98.05

4820.91

3622.75

−23.83

0.77

0.00

L3_abs4_1S_2M_10C

3713.52

15.65

−97.93

4571.12

3242.71

−27.79

1.08

0.00

H3_abs5_1S_2M_10C

679.08

19.78

−67.11

3658.15

3025.20

−16.53

0.05

0.00

L3_abs5_1S_2M_10C

540.46

12.82

−59.86

3303.37

2395.03

−26.68

0.03

0.00

AVERAGE

4276.36

24.20

−90.06

4150.68

3133.94

−23.54

1.11

0.00

Table 10. Comparison of average results for fifteen retailers’ instances.

Instance name

Time (B&P)

Time (B&C)

Time

GAP

%

UB

(B&P)

UB

(B&C)

UB

GAP

%

Gap

B&P

%

Gap

B&C

%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_15C

10800.00

743.69

−93.11

5100.68

4141.68

−18.02

5.43

0.00

L3_abs1_1S_2M_15C

10800.00

94.45

−99.13

4608.87

3334.53

−26.78

3.95

0.00

H3_abs2_1S_2M_15C

9162.41

340.72

−95.33

5215.97

4236.95

−18.39

5.27

0.00

L3_abs2_1S_2M_15C

10800.00

462.59

−95.72

4750.71

3485.49

−26.02

3.91

0.00

H3_abs3_1S_2M_15C

8169.43

631.81

22.92

5187.01

4566.16

−11.73

1.49

0.00

L3_abs3_1S_2M_15C

8126.19

478.71

62.96

4753.56

3710.44

−21.75

1.53

0.00

H3_abs4_1S_2M_15C

10800.00

359.35

−96.67

4435.20

3721.89

−15.88

3.95

0.00

L3_abs4_1S_2M_15C

8050.84

171.35

−95.19

4071.25

3129.83

−22.88

3.91

0.00

H3_abs5_1S_2M_15C

7529.75

361.82

−91.82

4520.81

3703.06

−17.58

1.31

0.00

L3_abs5_1S_2M_15C

8913.36

172.09

−97.92

4131.39

2976.96

−27.57

2.44

0.00

AVERAGE

9315.20

381.66

−67.90

4677.54

3700.70

−20.66

3.32

0.00

Table 11. Comparison of average results for twenty retailers’ instances.

Instance name

Time (B&P)

Time (B&C)

Time

GAP

%

UB

(B&P)

UB

(B&C)

UB

GAP

%

Gap

B&P

%

Gap

B&C

%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

1538.25

−85.76

4846.34

4673.53

−3.26

5.68

12.84

L3_abs1_1S_2M_20C

3263.55

2270.15

−30.44

4550.77

3323.05

−26.98

0.05

0.00

H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

2925.79

−72.91

5551.36

5209.41

−6.28

7.21

10.00

L3_abs2_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

895.56

−91.71

4950.17

3819.65

−22.21

5.68

0.00

H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

838.51

−92.24

5682.87

4856.27

−14.48

11.54

4.73

L3_abs3_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

373.51

−96.54

4880.60

3625.03

−25.04

7.04

0.00

H3_abs4_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

372.71

−96.55

6101.01

4599.73

−24.44

8.54

0.00

L3_abs4_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

186.88

−98.27

5598.72

3727.31

−33.11

8.46

0.00

H3_abs5_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

593.14

−94.51

5212.44

4395.94

−15.37

5.67

0.00

L3_abs5_1S_2M_20C

10800.00

325.97

−96.98

4576.28

3295.61

−27.54

5.68

0.00

AVERAGE

10046.36

1032.05

−85.59

5195.06

4152.55

−19.87

6.55

2.76

Table 12. Comparison of average results for twenty-five retailers’ instances.

Instance name

Time (B&P)

Time (B&C)

Time

GAP

%

UB

(B&P)

UB

(B&C)

UB

GAP

%

Gap

B&P

%

Gap

B&C

%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

3538.72

−67.23

5236.87

5088.98

−2.88

6.68

16.60

L3_abs1_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

1415.67

−86.89

4749.41

4213.51

−12.37

4.72

13.73

H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

1107.44

−89.75

6007.65

6746.27

12.31

9.33

32.83

L3_abs2_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

1179.37

−89.08

5380.83

4601.30

−14.86

11.31

20.61

H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

1820.35

−83.14

5730.06

6012.04

4.86

8.48

26.58

L3_abs3_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

3038.45

−71.87

4806.68

4178.90

−13.31

4.71

13.15

H3_abs4_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

6000.90

−44.44

6579.31

5344.12

−18.67

16.57

4.94

L3_abs4_1S_2M_25C

10800.00

1373.48

−87.28

5931.97

4109.20

−30.06

12.90

1.93

H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C

7427.83

2743.54

−14.09

5267.78

5505.96

4.47

5.19

14.55

L3_abs5_1S_2M_25C

8160.68

2957.85

−5.81

4693.13

3695.26

−20.78

5.96

9.64

AVERAGE

10198.85

2517.58

−63.96

5438.37

4949.55

−9.13

8.58

15.46

6. Conclusions

In this paper, we present a B&C algorithm for the resolution of a 2E-IRP with a policy of sourcing DCs at the end of the vehicle journey to reduce transport costs (ETR policy). Thus, we have contributed to the proposal of a review of recent literature, a mathematical model in the form of a mixed integer linear program based on the vehicle index and a B&C algorithm for the resolution of the 2E-IRP-ETR. Testing on 200 instances yielded results on 197 instances. This gives a resolution rate of 98.5%. Comparison of the results obtained with those of a B&P algorithm in the literature yielded better results on 185 instances for a total of 197 resolved instances. Hence, the best solution rate is 93.9%. In addition, our B&C algorithm resulted in cost reductions ranging from 0.26% to 41.44% across the 197 resolved instances and an overall average cost reduction of 18.08%.

Interestingly, our work can be enriched by considering new parameters, such as multiple suppliers, time windows, split deliveries and multiple deliveries. For large instances, the implementation of a metaheuristic such as a genetic algorithm or a memetic algorithm would be wise, given that our algorithm struggles to obtain good quality integrity gaps for these instances.

Appendix

Link A:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1J2Y8Qt_Acr_d0Q5xtfc_-fV2q_D0711x?usp=sharing

Table A1. Details of results for each instance.

Instance name

Vehicle load

time

Inv_Cost

Trans_Cost

Total_Cost

GAP_%

H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

265

0.786

222.32

2189

2411.32

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

241

1.291

222.32

2198

2420.32

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

229

1.639

222.32

2189

2411.32

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

222

3.163

222.32

2189

2411.32

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

873

8.015

644.77

2504

3148.77

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

794

76.213

639.73

2566

3205.73

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

754

51.728

639.73

2550

3189.73

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

730

76.608

644.77

2504

3148.77

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1136

79.205

755.81

3397

4152.81

1.4353E−08

H3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

1033

764.298

722.49

3420

4142.49

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

981

217.375

722.49

3420

4142.49

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

950

1913.89

731.93

3397

4128.93

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1466

500.674

922

3340

4262

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1333

1950.14

726.54

4886

5612.54

32.9795

H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1266

2236.32

951.39

3295

4246.39

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1226

1465.88

949.18

3624

4573.18

18.3888

H3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1728

7941.07

1040.56

3610

4650.56

0

H3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1571

1645.78

1050.8

3876

4926.8

17.1084

H3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1493

1029.3

1102.58

4587

5689.58

32.697

H3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

##

##

##

##

##

##

H3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

217

1.119

164.04

2004

2168.04

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

198

1.501

165.24

1906

2071.24

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

188

2.56

165.24

1906

2071.24

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

182

4.132

165.24

1906

2071.24

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

749

3.992

509.95

3199

3708.95

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

681

28.638

513.7

3293

3806.7

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

647

16.523

513.7

3293

3806.7

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

627

38.092

513.7

3293

3806.7

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1086

55.12

725.18

3500

4225.18

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

988

306.551

736.79

3501

4237.79

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

938

576.167

736.79

3501

4237.79

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

909

425.057

760.03

3487

4247.03

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1434

988.44

946.22

3905

4851.22

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1304

1782.38

945.06

3877

4822.06

0

H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1239

8096.3

945.06

3877

4822.06

1.885E−08

H3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1199

836.024

700.31

5642

6342.31

40.0167

H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1896

926.238

1479.8

5019

6498.8

27.3589

H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1724

1000.21

1276.02

5678

6954.02

37.1666

H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1638

1260.94

1243.19

4802

6045.19

26.1597

H3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1586

1242.36

1311.07

6176

7487.07

40.624

H3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

418

1.379

313.02

3343

3656.02

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

380

2.727

338.75

3343

3681.75

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

361

4.571

313.02

3343

3656.02

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

350

7.384

368.38

3474

3842.38

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

630

10.653

510.55

2848

3358.55

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

573

16.7

510.55

2848

3358.55

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

544

31.012

504.79

2907

3411.79

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

527

22.641

510.55

2770

3280.55

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1162

29.762

1084.92

3437

4521.92

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

1056

745.356

827.52

3704

4531.52

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

1003

417.167

850.63

3709

4559.63

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

972

1334.94

804.56

3847

4651.56

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1408

373.11

1075.99

3730

4805.99

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1280

726.323

1075.99

3730

4805.99

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1216

1232.09

1075.99

3730

4805.99

0

H3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1178

1022.52

1085.11

3922

5007.11

18.9219

H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1943

3442.55

1337.11

3808

5145.11

6.33908

H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1766

1126.15

1290.92

4331

5621.92

25.8087

H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1678

884.148

979.48

6125

7104.48

41.4356

H3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1625

1828.56

1281.64

4895

6176.64

32.7405

H3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

246

1.45

166.95

2251

2417.95

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

224

5.266

145.95

2489

2634.95

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

213

9.605

150.05

2462

2612.05

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

206

7.284

150.05

2462

2612.05

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

754

2.959

484.75

3138

3622.75

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

685

10.07

484.75

3138

3622.75

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

651

19.853

484.75

3138

3622.75

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

630

23.167

484.75

3138

3622.75

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

987

78.527

669.84

3112

3781.84

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

898

279.363

644.78

3126

3770.78

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

853

331.328

586.22

3099

3685.22

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

826

748.174

672.7

2977

3649.7

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1374

82.15

878.95

3656

4534.95

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1249

510.84

855.73

3805

4660.73

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1186

545.631

864.43

3805

4669.43

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1149

352.21

877.81

3656

4533.81

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1860

10803.9

1209.74

4039

5248.74

1.42904

H3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1691

6186.96

1219.05

4037

5256.05

0

H3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1607

1011.85

1151.57

4376

5527.57

13.385

H3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

##

##

##

##

##

##

H3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

322

0.857

336.36

1452

1788.36

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

293

1.281

335.79

1434

1769.79

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

278

2.346

335.79

1434

1769.79

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

269

2.219

335.79

1434

1769.79

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

880

7.181

708.69

2378

3086.69

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

800

17.297

677.76

2315

2992.76

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

760

21.34

677.76

2315

2992.76

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

736

33.288

676.59

2352

3028.59

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

936

266.066

711.78

2972

3683.78

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

851

142.929

751.26

2953

3704.26

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

809

315.911

723.22

2994

3717.22

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

783

722.368

780.98

2926

3706.98

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1590

94.89

1202.8

3194

4396.8

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1445

344.688

1143.86

3243

4386.86

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1373

457.15

1143.86

3243

4386.86

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1329

1475.83

1224.24

3189

4413.24

0

H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

2153

4651.96

1538.74

3555

5093.74

2.55929

H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1958

2254.2

1474.66

3964

5438.66

13.6585

H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1860

1324.45

1634.48

4351

5985.48

27.4198

H3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

##

##

##

##

##

##

L3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

265

0.891

21.2

2198

2219.2

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

241

1.816

21.2

2189

2210.2

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

229

1.548

15.44

2301

2316.44

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

222

2.611

21.2

2189

2210.2

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

873

11.005

77.39

2543

2620.39

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

794

18.219

61.52

2504

2565.52

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

754

30.608

61.95

2504

2565.95

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

730

41.814

61.95

2504

2565.95

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1136

20.261

98.14

3191

3289.14

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

1033

45.049

98.14

3191

3289.14

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

981

120.466

98.14

3277

3375.14

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

950

192.015

97.71

3287

3384.71

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1466

155.404

130.57

3132

3262.57

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1333

467.822

126.81

3164

3290.81

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1266

1919.85

126.81

3164

3290.81

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1226

2270.15

93.05

3230

3323.05

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1728

381.576

145.15

3351

3496.15

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1571

1168.64

145.37

3347

3492.37

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1493

3188.73

107.59

3391

3498.59

0

L3_abs1_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1446

923.747

119.92

6247

6366.92

54.9397

L3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

217

0.823

16.73

1906

1922.73

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

198

1.753

16.73

2004

2020.73

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

188

2.259

16.73

2004

2020.73

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

182

3.389

16.73

1906

1922.73

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

749

6.416

70.04

3229

3299.04

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

681

16.78

53.21

3200

3253.21

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

647

36.599

52.31

3199

3251.31

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

627

116.126

53.06

3293

3346.06

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1086

34.393

100.38

3330

3430.38

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

988

176.031

100.14

3383

3483.14

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

938

1209.57

100.14

3383

3483.14

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

909

430.373

74.28

3471

3545.28

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1434

186.335

130.59

3698

3828.59

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1304

662.313

130.81

3686

3816.81

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1239

778.481

130.59

3686

3816.59

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1199

1955.11

130.59

3686

3816.59

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1896

219.055

173.4

3628

3801.4

0

L3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1724

2476.12

143.77

4033

4176.77

13.2897

L3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1638

795.592

170.23

4706

4876.23

32.0972

L3_abs2_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1586

1226.71

140.81

5410

5550.81

37.0594

L3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

418

2.099

46.27

3251

3297.27

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

380

5.413

39.04

3470

3509.04

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

361

6.078

36.94

3473

3509.94

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

350

6.588

33.21

3494

3527.21

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

630

7.501

50.55

2770

2820.55

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

573

11.286

59.4

2828

2887.4

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

544

19.006

59.01

2845

2904.01

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

527

22.85

59.01

2845

2904.01

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

1162

17.561

107.45

3437

3544.45

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

1056

420.46

107.48

3649

3756.48

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

1003

806.156

96.74

3669

3765.74

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

972

670.666

108.08

3667

3775.08

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1408

78.376

134.35

3511

3645.35

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1280

508.324

135.64

3537

3672.64

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1216

85.788

134.46

3371

3505.46

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1178

821.532

133.68

3543

3676.68

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1943

1947.06

173.38

3638

3811.38

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1766

3903.35

173.38

3638

3811.38

0

L3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1678

5312.98

137.17

3737

3874.17

11.4085

L3_abs3_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1625

990.414

157.67

5061

5218.67

41.2094

L3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

246

2.969

15.98

2251

2266.98

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

224

1.667

15.98

2251

2266.98

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

213

6.048

15.14

2462

2477.14

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

206

8.124

15.14

2462

2477.14

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

754

6.376

49.17

3138

3187.17

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

685

30.416

50.42

3357

3407.42

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

651

15.602

49.17

3138

3187.17

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

630

10.208

51.07

3138

3189.07

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

987

76.664

74.47

3077

3151.47

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

898

135.815

85.03

3076

3161.03

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

853

321.218

64.07

3126

3190.07

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

826

151.712

74.73

2942

3016.73

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1374

39.787

125.38

3538

3663.38

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1249

81.265

110.44

3579

3689.44

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1186

233.908

105.22

3589

3694.22

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1149

392.559

110.18

3752

3862.18

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

1860

210.093

164.61

3826

3990.61

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1691

868.754

162.61

3830

3992.61

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1607

2756.42

120.35

4028

4148.35

0

L3_abs4_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1556

1658.64

135.24

4170

4305.24

7.7053

L3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_2V-M

322

0.787

33.96

1434

1467.96

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_3V-M

293

1.361

33.96

1452

1485.96

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_4V-M

278

1.715

33.96

1434

1467.96

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_5C_5V-M

269

2.324

33.96

1452

1485.96

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_2V-M

880

2.531

68.61

2352

2420.61

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_3V-M

800

3.943

68.61

2315

2383.61

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_4V-M

760

13.862

72.94

2315

2387.94

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_10C_5V-M

736

30.952

72.94

2315

2387.94

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_2V-M

936

31.37

74.01

2862

2936.01

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_3V-M

851

90.196

83.95

2919

3002.95

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_4V-M

809

285.016

78.81

2871

2949.81

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_15C_5V-M

783

281.772

79.05

2940

3019.05

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_2V-M

1590

76.93

155.17

3035

3190.17

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_3V-M

1445

432.428

154.17

3235

3389.17

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_4V-M

1373

356.08

132.92

3169

3301.92

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_20C_5V-M

1329

438.449

132.16

3169

3301.16

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_2V-M

2153

6018.89

200.63

3432

3632.63

7.54988

L3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_3V-M

1958

2399.58

202.65

3431

3633.65

0

L3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_4V-M

1860

663.448

151.14

3703

3854.14

19.1093

L3_abs5_1S_2M_25C_5V-M

1801

2749.5

199.62

3461

3660.62

11.9093

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

References

[1] Bell, W.J., Dalberto, L.M., Fisher, M.L., Greenfield, A.J., Jaikumar, R., Kedia, P., et al. (1983) Improving the Distribution of Industrial Gases with an On-Line Computerized Routing and Scheduling Optimizer. Interfaces, 13, 4-23.
https://doi.org/10.1287/inte.13.6.4
[2] Archetti, C., Bertazzi, L., Laporte, G. and Speranza, M.G. (2007) A Branch-and-Cut Algorithm for a Vendor-Managed Inventory-Routing Problem. Transportation Science, 41, 382-391.
https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.1060.0188
[3] Guimarães, A.T., Coelho, C.L., Schenekemberg, M.C. and Scarpin, T.C. (2019) The Two-Echelon Multi-Depot Inventory-Routing Problem. Computers & Operations Research, 101, 220-233.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2018.07.024
[4] Phuaksaman, C. and Penpakkol, P. (2019) Heuristics for Multi-Depot Inventory Routing Problem. 2019 Research, Invention, and Innovation Congress (RI2C), Bangkok, 11-13 December 2019, 1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ri2c48728.2019.8999895
[5] Bertazzi, L., Coelho, L.C., De Maio, A. and Laganà, D. (2019) A Matheuristic Algorithm for the Multi-Depot Inventory Routing Problem. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 122, 524-544.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2019.01.005
[6] Bertazzi, L., De Maio, A. and Laganà, D. (2017) The Impact of a Clustering Approach on Solving the Multi-Depot IRP. In: Sforza, A. and Sterle, C., Eds., Optimization and Decision Science: Methodologies and Applications, Springer International Publishing, 507-515.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67308-0_51
[7] Crama, Y., Rezaei, M., Savelsbergh, M. and Woensel, T.V. (2018) Stochastic Inventory Routing for Perishable Products. Transportation Science, 52, 526-546.
https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2017.0799
[8] Hu, W., Toriello, A. and Dessouky, M. (2018) Integrated Inventory Routing and Freight Consolidation for Perishable Goods. European Journal of Operational Research, 271, 548-560.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.05.034
[9] Rohmer, S.U.K., Claassen, G.D.H. and Laporte, G. (2019) A Two-Echelon Inventory Routing Problem for Perishable Products. Computers & Operations Research, 107, 156-172.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2019.03.015
[10] Shaabani, H. (2022) A Literature Review of the Perishable Inventory Routing Problem. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 38, 143-161.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajsl.2022.05.002
[11] Coelho, L.C. and Laporte, G. (2013) A Branch-and-Cut Algorithm for the Multi-Product Multi-Vehicle Inventory-Routing Problem. International Journal of Production Research, 51, 7156-7169.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2012.757668
[12] Cordeau, J., Laganà, D., Musmanno, R. and Vocaturo, F. (2015) A Decomposition-Based Heuristic for the Multiple-Product Inventory-Routing Problem. Computers & Operations Research, 55, 153-166.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2014.06.007
[13] Coelho, L.C., De Maio, A. and Laganà, D. (2020) A Variable MIP Neighborhood Descent for the Multi-Attribute Inventory Routing Problem. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 144, Article ID: 102137.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2020.102137
[14] Arab, R., Ghaderi, S.F. and Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, R. (2018) Bi-Objective Inventory Routing Problem with Backhauls under Transportation Risks: Two Meta-Heuristics. Transportation Letters, 12, 113-129.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19427867.2018.1533624
[15] Londoño, J.C., Bastidas, J.J.B., González, P.M. and Escobar, J.W. (2023) Inventory Routing Problem with Backhaul Considering Returnable Transport Items Collection. International Journal of Industrial Engineering Computations, 14, 837-862.
https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijiec.2023.6.001
[16] Arab, R., Ghaderi, S.F. and Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, R. (2020) Two Efficient Meta-Heuristic Algorithms for the Robust Inventory Routing Problem with Backhaul. Tehnički Vjesnik, 27, 793-802.
https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20180814091028
[17] Archetti, C., Speranza, M.G. and Hertz, A. (2006) A Tabu Search Algorithm for the Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem. Transportation Science, 40, 64-73.
https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.1040.0103
[18] Dinh, N.M., Archetti, C. and Bertazzi, L. (2023) The Inventory Routing Problem with Split Deliveries. Networks, 82, 400-413.
https://doi.org/10.1002/net.22175
[19] Karoonsoontawong, A., Kobkiattawin, O. and Xie, C. (2017) Efficient Insertion Heuristic Algorithms for Multi-Trip Inventory Routing Problem with Time Windows, Shift Time Limits and Variable Delivery Time. Networks and Spatial Economics, 19, 331-379.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-017-9369-7
[20] Archetti, C., Christiansen, M. and Grazia Speranza, M. (2018) Inventory Routing with Pickups and Deliveries. European Journal of Operational Research, 268, 314-324.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.01.010
[21] Iassinovskaia, G., Limbourg, S. and Riane, F. (2017) The Inventory-Routing Problem of Returnable Transport Items with Time Windows and Simultaneous Pickup and Delivery in Closed-Loop Supply Chains. International Journal of Production Economics, 183, 570-582.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.06.024
[22] van Anholt, R.G., Coelho, L.C., Laporte, G. and Vis, I.F.A. (2016) An Inventory-Routing Problem with Pickups and Deliveries Arising in the Replenishment of Automated Teller Machines. Transportation Science, 50, 1077-1091.
https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2015.0637
[23] Alinaghian, M., Tirkolaee, E.B., Dezaki, Z.K., Hejazi, S.R. and Ding, W. (2021) An Augmented Tabu Search Algorithm for the Green Inventory-Routing Problem with Time Windows. Swarm and Evolutionary Computation, 60, Article ID: 100802.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.swevo.2020.100802
[24] Tiniç, G.Ö., Koca, E. and Yaman, H. (2021) An Exact Solution Approach for the Inventory Routing Problem with Time Windows. Computers & Operations Research, 134, Article ID: 105371.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2021.105371
[25] Cheng, C., Yang, P., Qi, M. and Rousseau, L. (2017) Modeling a Green Inventory Routing Problem with a Heterogeneous Fleet. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 97, 97-112.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2016.11.001
[26] Bertazzi, L. and Speranza, M.G. (2012) Inventory Routing Problems: An Introduction. EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, 1, 307-326.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13676-012-0016-7
[27] Kayé, B.K.B., Diaby, M., Koivogui, M. and Oumtanaga, S. (2021) A Memetic Algorithm for an External Depot Production Routing Problem. Algorithms, 14, Article 27.
https://doi.org/10.3390/a14010027
[28] Archetti, C. and Speranza, M.G. (2015) The Inventory Routing Problem: The Value of Integration. International Transactions in Operational Research, 23, 393-407.
https://doi.org/10.1111/itor.12226
[29] Coelho, L.C., Cordeau, J. and Laporte, G. (2014) Thirty Years of Inventory Routing. Transportation Science, 48, 1-19.
https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2013.0472
[30] Soysal, M., Çimen, M., Belbağ, S. and Toğrul, E. (2019) A Review on Sustainable Inventory Routing. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 132, 395-411.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2019.04.026
[31] Diabat, A., Bianchessi, N. and Archetti, C. (2024) On the Zero-Inventory-Ordering Policy in the Inventory Routing Problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 312, 1024-1038.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2023.07.013
[32] Chan, L.M.A. and Simchi-Levi, D. (1998) Probabilistic Analyses and Algorithms for Three-Level Distribution Systems. Management Science, 44, 1562-1576.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.44.11.1562
[33] Johansen, S.G. and Hill, R.M. (2000) The (r, Q) Control of a Periodic-Review Inventory System with Continuous Demand and Lost Sales. International Journal of Production Economics, 68, 279-286.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0925-5273(00)00051-7
[34] Anily, S. and Federgruen, A. (1993) Two-Echelon Distribution Systems with Vehicle Routing Costs and Central Inventories. Operations Research, 41, 37-47.
https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.41.1.37
[35] Zhao, Q., Chen, S. and Zang, C. (2008) Model and Algorithm for Inventory/Routing Decision in a Three-Echelon Logistics System. European Journal of Operational Research, 191, 623-635.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2006.12.056
[36] Roundy, R. (1985) 98%-Effective Integer-Ratio Lot-Sizing for One-Warehouse Multi-Retailer Systems. Management Science, 31, 1416-1430.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.31.11.1416
[37] Bertazzi, L., Chua, G.A., Laganà, D. and Paradiso, R. (2022) Analysis of Effective Sets of Routes for the Split-Delivery Periodic Inventory Routing Problem. European Journal of Operational Research, 298, 463-477.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.05.029
[38] Widyadana, G.A. and Irohara, T. (2018) Modelling Multi-Tour Inventory Routing Problem for Deteriorating Items with Time Windows. Scientia Iranica, 26, 932-941.
https://doi.org/10.24200/sci.2018.20178
[39] Aghezzaf, E., Raa, B. and Van Landeghem, H. (2006) Modeling Inventory Routing Problems in Supply Chains of High Consumption Products. European Journal of Operational Research, 169, 1048-1063.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2005.02.008
[40] Charaf, S., Taş, D., Flapper, S.D.P. and Van Woensel, T. (2024) A Branch-and-Price Algorithm for the Two-Echelon Inventory-Routing Problem. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 196, Article ID: 110463.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2024.110463
[41] Charaf, S., Taş, D., Flapper, S.D.P. and Van Woensel, T. (2024) A Matheuristic for the Two-Echelon Inventory-Routing Problem. Computers & Operations Research, 171, Article ID: 106778.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2024.106778
[42] Schenekemberg, C.M., Scarpin, C.T., Pécora, J.E., Guimarães, T.A. and Coelho, L.C. (2020) The Two-Echelon Inventory-Routing Problem with Fleet Management. Computers & Operations Research, 121, Article ID: 104944.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2020.104944
[43] Farias, K., Hadj-Hamou, K. and Yugma, C. (2020) Model and Exact Solution for a Two-Echelon Inventory Routing Problem. International Journal of Production Research, 59, 3109-3132.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2020.1746428
[44] Xiao, N. and Rao, Y.L. (2016) Multi-Product Multi-Period Inventory Routing Optimization with Time Window Constrains. International Journal of Simulation Modelling, 15, 352-364.
https://doi.org/10.2507/ijsimm15(2)co8
[45] Daldoul, D., Boussaa, N., Nouaouri, I. and Kastouri, Y. (2024) An Integrated Inventory-Routing and Working Capital Requirement Model for a Two-Echelon Supply Chain. Journal Européen des Systèmes Automatisés, 57, 533-540.
https://doi.org/10.18280/jesa.570222
[46] Nambirajan, R., Mendoza, A., Pazhani, S., Narendran, T.T. and Ganesh, K. (2016) CARE: Heuristics for Two-Stage Multi-Product Inventory Routing Problems with Replenishments. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 97, 41-57.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2016.04.004
[47] Li, J., Chu, F. and Chen, H. (2011) A Solution Approach to the Inventory Routing Problem in a Three-Level Distribution System. European Journal of Operational Research, 210, 736-744.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2010.10.020
[48] Kayé, B.K.B., Diaby, M., N’Takpé, T. and Oumtanaga, S. (2020) Managing an External Depot in a Production Routing Problem. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11, 321-330.
https://doi.org/10.14569/ijacsa.2020.0110242

Copyright © 2025 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.