Chapter 5: Optimisation, Planning and Decision Support

Title: Simultaneous operative transportation planning a heuristic approach for the integration of self-fulfilment and subcontraction

Author(s): Hans-Dietrich Haasis, Ingrid Rügge, Simon Holdorf

Address: Chair in Maritime Business and Logistics, University of Bremen, Wilhelm-Herbst-Strasse 12, 28359 Bremen, Germany | International Graduate School for Dynamics in Logistics (IGS), BIBA, University of Bremen, Hochschulring 20, 28359 Bremen, Germany | Chair in Maritime Business and Logistics, University of Bremen, Wilhelm-Herbst-Strasse 12, 28359 Bremen, Germany

Reference: Software, Knowledge, Information Management and Applications (SKIMA 2013) pp. 197 - 212

Abstract/Summary: The integrated planning of transportation tasks offers new possibilities for companies to make optimal decisions whether customer requests should be fulfilled by an own fleet or through subcontractors or by a combination of both options. In this paper, four different fulfillment modes are presented and formulated mathematically. As this so called integrated transportation planning problem (ITPP) is NP-hard, we propose a heuristic approach based on the theory of biological evolution. For this purpose, a hybrid genetic algorithm is presented which uses the principles of evolution in combination with operators for local search heuristics. The algorithm is also provided with strategies for heuristic based openings, adjusted mechanisms for reproduction based on the actual problem as well as an adaptive control of the overall process. The mechanism is further tested on common scenarios from literature. Based on computational results, advantages and limitations are discussed and an outlook for future research is given.

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