Title: A meta-heuristic-based framework for sustainable P-hub network design of perishable items under fuzzy time uncertainty

Authors: Saeed Zameni; Seyed Esmaeil Najafi; Seyed Mohammad Haji Molana; Seyed Mojtaba Sajadi

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ' Operations and Service Management Department, Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham, B4, 7ET, UK

Abstract: In this paper, a novel mathematical model is presented for designing a sustainable hub network for perishable commodity transportation, taking into account social responsibility, environmental impact, and economic viability. As many real world problems have non-deterministic parameters, the time parameters are considered fuzzy numbers in the model. To validate the model, the model is solved on a small scale using GAMS software after linearisation. However, due to the non-deterministic polynomial time nature of the problem, an efficient meta-heuristic algorithm is proposed using MATLAB software. The algorithm has been validated on small and medium scale instances using the AP and CAB datasets. The results show that the proposed NSGA-II algorithm achieves an average solution gap of 0.017% while significantly reducing computational time compared to exact methods. The proposed model and algorithm can assist decision makers in designing sustainable and efficient supply chain networks for perishable products. [Submitted 30 September 2024; Accepted 1 July 2025]

Keywords: p-hub location; hub location problem; sustainable supply chains; food logistics; fuzzy optimisation; multi-objective optimisation; nonlinear programming; perishable goods.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMR.2025.150042

International Journal of Manufacturing Research, 2025 Vol.20 No.1, pp.66 - 89

Received: 30 Sep 2024
Accepted: 01 Jul 2025
Published online: 23 Nov 2025 *

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