Title: Metaheuristic for solving routing problem in logistics management

Authors: M. Rajmohan, P. Shahabudeen

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: Multi Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (MDVRPTW) is one of the major logistics problems In this paper a two phase heuristics is proposed in which the customers are assigned to the depot in the first phase The routes are constructed with modified ant colony optimisation procedure and are improved using 2-Opt procedure in phase two The proposed heuristic has been applied to Cordeau MDVRPTW benchmark problems It is found that the proposed heuristic gives promising and better results, on an average, as compared to those solutions given by the existing heuristic for the MDVRPTW.

Keywords: ant colony optimisation; ACO; heuristics; logistics management; vehicle routing problem; time windows; multi-depot vehicle routing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2009.026536

International Journal of Operational Research, 2009 Vol.6 No.2, pp.223 - 246

Published online: 19 Jun 2009 *

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