Practical inventory routing: A problem definition and an optimization method

TL;DR

This paper introduces practical optimization methods for inventory routing problems, considering real-world data and operational constraints, aiming to help companies adopt stable, efficient routing plans.

Contribution

It defines a new inventory routing problem and proposes an optimization method tailored for practical, real-world application with data considerations.

Findings

Effective optimization approach for inventory routing

Supports stable, regular routing plans

Addresses real-world data integration

Abstract

The global objective of this work is to provide practical optimization methods to companies involved in inventory routing problems, taking into account this new type of data. Also, companies are sometimes not able to deal with changing plans every period and would like to adopt regular structures for serving customers.