Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Two-echelon location routing synchronized with production schedules and time windows

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Central European Journal of Operations Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper we study a problem that arose while planning the delivery of perishable goods, such as newspapers or foodstuff, in urban areas. The customers require the delivery of several different products within specified time windows. Given a production schedule, facilities for cross docking and a vehicle fleet, the problem is to create a cost effective delivery plan. We propose a heuristic that maintains product availability, and simultaneously, generates an efficient routing schedule. Product availability is maintained through a preflow-push algorithm performed on a time-space facility network, while the routing is guided by simulated annealing. The heuristic was tested on a set of specifically created test instances and on standard 2E-LRP instances by Prodhon.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. www.routecore.com.

  2. This is done for the sake of simplicity. Loading and unloading times can be accounted in several ways, e.g. by adjusting facility timelines.

References

  • Ahuja RK, Magnati TL, Orlin JB (1993) Network flows. Prentice Hall, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Bent R, Van Hentenryck P (2004) A two-stage hybrid local search for the vehicle routing problem with time windows. Transp Sci 38(4):515–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boccia M, Crainic TG, Sforza A, Sterle C (2010) A metaheuristic for a two echelon location-routing problem. Lect Notes Comput Sci 6049:288–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Z-L (2004) Integrated production and distribution operations: taxonomy, models, and review. In: Simchi-Levi D, Wu SD, Shen Z-J (eds) Handbook of quantitative supply chain analysis: modeling in the E-Business era. Kluwer, Dodridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Crainic TG, Ricciardi N, Storchi G (2004) Advanced freight transportation systems for congested urban areas. Transp Res Part C: Emerg Technol 12(2):119–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crainic TG, Mancini S, Perboli G, Tadei R (2011) Heuristic for the two-echelon vehicle routing problem: a multi-start approach, Technical Report CIRRELT-2011–16, CIRRELT, Montreal

  • Drexl M, Schneider M (2015) A survey of variants and extensions of the location-routing problem. Eur J Oper Res 241:283–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez Feliu J, Perboli G, Tadei R, Vigo D (2008) The two-echelon capacitated vehicle routing problem. Technical Report OR/02/08, Politecnico di Torino

  • Govindan K, Jafarian A, Khodaverdi R, Devika K (2014) Two-echelon multiple-vehicle location-routing problem with time windows for optimization of sustainable supply chain network of perishable food. Int J Prod Econ 152:9–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsen SK, Madsen OBG (1980) A comparative study of heuristics for a two-level routing-location problem. Eur J Oper Res 5:378–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick S, Gelatt CD, Vecchi MP (1983) Optimization by simulated annealing. Science 4598:671–680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen OBG (1983) Methods for solving combined two level location-routing problems of realistic dimensions. Eur J Oper Res 12:295–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen V-P, Prins C, Prodhon C (2012a) Solving the two-echelon location routing problem by a GRASP reinforced by a learning process and path relinking. Eur J Oper Res 216:113–126

  • Nguyen V-P, Prins C, Prodhon C (2012b) A multi-start iterated local search with tabu list and path relinking for the two-echelon location-routing problem. Eng Appl Artif Intell 25:56–71

  • Prodhon C, Prins C (2014) A survey of recent research on location-routing problems. Eur J Oper Res 238:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell R, Chiang WC, Zepeda D (2008) Integrating multi-product production and distribution in newspaper logistics. Comput Oper Res 35:1576–1588

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinzen I, Gintner V, Suhl L, Kliewer N (2010) A time-space network approach for the integrated vehicle and crew-scheduling problem with multiple depots. Transp Sci 44:367–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taniguchi E, Thompson RG (2002) Modeling city logistics. Transp Res Rec 1970:45–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toth P, Vigo D (2002) The vehicle routing problem. SIAM, Philadelphia

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Van Buer MG, Woodroof DL, Olson RT (1999) Solving the medium newspaper production/distribution problem. Eur J Oper Res 115:237–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Dr. Zorana Ðinđića 2, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia

    Karlo Bala

  2. Faculty of Economics Subotica, University of Novi Sad, Segedinski put 9-11, Subotica, 24000, Serbia

    Dejan Brcanov & Nebojša Gvozdenović

Authors
  1. Karlo Bala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dejan Brcanov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nebojša Gvozdenović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dejan Brcanov.

Additional information

The work presented here was supported by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Science (Projects III 44006 and OI 174018).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bala, K., Brcanov, D. & Gvozdenović, N. Two-echelon location routing synchronized with production schedules and time windows. Cent Eur J Oper Res 25, 525–543 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-016-0463-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-016-0463-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation