This paper introduces a covering model for collaborative bidirectional multi-period vehicle routing problems under profit-sharing agreements (CB-VRPPA) in bulk transportation (BT) networks involving one control tower and multiple shippers and carriers. The objective is to maximize the total profits of all parties subject to profit allocation constraints among carriers, terminal capability limitations, transport capability limitations and time-window constraints. The proposed method includes three stages: (a) generate all feasible routes of each carrier, (b) eliminate unattractive feasible routes via a proposed screening technique to reduce the initial problem size, and (c) solve the reduced problem using a branch-and-bound algorithm. Computational experiments are performed for real-life, medium- and large-scale instances. The proposed method provides satisfactory results when applied to solve the CB-VRPPA. We also conduct a sensitivity analysis on a critical parameter of the profit-sharing agreement to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Cross-docking is a logistics strategy that consolidates the products of different inbound trucks according to their destinations in order to reduce the inventory, order picking, and transportation costs. It requires a high level of collaboration between inbound trucks, internal operations, and outbound trucks. This article addresses the truck-to-door sequencing problem. Truck-to-door sequencing has been studied by some researchers in different titles such as scheduling and sequencing of inbound and outbound trucks of the cross-dock center. However, previous studies have not considered repeat truck holding pattern. Therefore, it is important to determine the doors and the sequence of the inbound and outbound trucks that should be assigned in a cross-dock center. This paper focuses on optimizing truck-to-door sequencing with consideration of repeat truck holding pattern in inbound trucks in order to minimize makespan. Two methods are considered to solve this problem, including mathematical modeling and a heuristic algorithm. In the first method, a mixed integer-programming model is developed to minimize the makespan. Then, GAMS software is used to solve small-scale problems. In the second approach, a heuristic algorithm is developed to find near-optimal solutions within the shortest time possible and the algorithm is used to solve large-scale problems. The results of the mathematical model and the heuristic algorithm are slightly different and show the good quality of the presented heuristic algorithm.

Nowadays, oil companies have to deal with an increasingly competitive environment. In this sense, the optimization of operational processes to enhance efficiency is crucial. This article addresses the design of a decision support tool for the inland upstream transport logistics in the oil industry based on a case of study in Argentina. This problem is traditionally difficult to solve for managers due to the large number of demand facilities scattered on a large geographic area that have to be served and the consideration of several operational requirements, such as maximum allowable travel times for vehicles, availability of a limited fleet size with a small number of drivers, plus the usual demand constraints as well as those arising from security risks derived from the incompatibility of chemical products. A novel mathematical formulation and a constructive heuristic are proposed in order to address this problem. The results allow to reduce the time that the company spends for obtaining a feasible distribution plan that minimizes the time horizon of the distribution schedule provided to the clients and enhances customer satisfaction.

Distribution-free (or nonparametric) monitoring schemes are needed in industrial, chemical and biochemical processes or any other analytical non-industrial process when the assumption of normality fails to hold. The Mann-Whitney (MW) test is one of the most powerful tests used in the design of these types of monitoring schemes. This test is equivalent to the Wilcoxon rank-sum (WRS) test. In this paper, we propose a new distribution-free generally weighted moving average (GWMA) monitoring scheme based on the WRS statistic. The performance of the proposed scheme is investigated using the average run-length, the standard deviation of the run-length, percentile of the run-length and some characteristics of the quality loss function through extensive simulation. The proposed scheme is compared with the existing parametric and nonparametric GWMA monitoring schemes and other well-known control schemes. The effect of the estimated design parameters as well as the effect of the Phase I sample size on the Phase II performance of the new monitoring scheme are also investigated. The results show that the proposed scheme presents better and attractive mean shifts detection properties, and therefore outperforms the existing monitoring schemes in many situations. Moreover, it requires a reasonable number of Phase I observations to guarantee stability and accuracy in the Phase II performance.

The Vehicle Routing Problem with Loading Constraints (VRPLC) is strongly related to real life applications in distribution logistics. It addresses the simultaneous loading and routing of vehicles, which are two crucial activities in transportation. Since treating these operations separately may result in impractical solutions, the development of applications for VRPLCs has gained the attention of researchers in recent years. Several heuristic methods have been proposed, but they consider only a limited group of practical characteristics that arise in real world situations. This study proposes a hybrid heuristic method based on the Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) metaheuristic and the Clarke and Wright Savings algorithm, to solve a VRPLC with several loading and routing constraints that have not been considered simultaneously before. Experimental results show that the proposed procedure produces competitive solutions in short processing times. Lastly, the impact of the added operational constraints is also analyzed.

The literature on flow shop scheduling has extensively analyzed two classes of problems: permutation and non-permutation ones (PFS and NPFS). Most of the papers in this field have been just devoted on comparing the solutions obtained in both approaches. Our contribution consists of analyzing the structure of the critical paths determining the makespan of both kinds of schedules for the case of 2 jobs and m machines. We introduce a new characterization of the critical paths of PFS solutions as well as a decomposition procedure, yielding a representation of NPFS solutions as sequences of partial PFS ones. In structural comparisons we find cases in which NPFS solutions are dominated by PFS solutions. Numerical comparisons indicate that a wider dispersion of processing times improves the chances of obtaining optimal non-permutation schedules, in particular when this dispersion affects only a few machines.

This paper is interested in pharmaceuticals distribution which is one of the most important activities and ensures the availability of drug products to a set of customers (pharmacies). The study introduces the Disrupted Vehicle Routing problem with Soft Time Windows since pharmaceutical distributors should respond to increased demands for products to ensure timely and efficient delivery to dynamic demands. We also propose an improved multiobjective local search (IMOLS), which uses methods of neighborhood search such as large neighborhood search (LNS) and variable neighborhood search (VNS) based on a hybrid approach in the optimization of vehicle routes. The algorithm is expected to achieve competitive results compared with previously published studies.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the vehicle routing problem with hard time windows where the main challenges is to include both sources of uncertainties, namely the travel and the service time that can arise due to multiple causes. We propose a new approach for the robust problem based on the implementation of an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm and the use of efficient mechanisms to derive the best robust solution that responds to all uncertainties with reduced running times. The computational experiments are performed and improve the objective function of a set of instances with different levels of the uncertainty polytope to obtain the best robust solutions that protect from the violation of time windows for different scenarios.

In this paper, the focus is on mechanical systems that, like a ship or a submarine, perform risky missions and that must remain operating for the whole mission time. Missions take place far from the operational base and so, in case of failures, although repairs are possible, spares parts cannot be resupplied. Hence, given space constraints, the problem is to define the optimal set of spare parts that should be taken aboard, to maximize the probability to complete the mission. To solve this problem, we propose a constructive algorithm that generates the Pareto Optimal Frontier of all the non-dominated solutions, in terms of the system’s reliability and of required space. At first, the algorithm is formulated in a generic way; next, it is contextualized to the common case of Weibull distributed failure times. In this condition, the underlying equations of the model cannot be solved in closed form and an approximated procedure is proposed and validated through extensive numerical simulation.

When operating in highly competitive business environments, contemporary manufacturing firms must persistently find ways to fulfill timely orders with quality ensured merchandise, manage the unanticipated fabrication disruptions, and minimize total operating expenses. To address the aforementioned concerns, this study explores the optimal runtime decision for a manufacturing system featuring an expedited fabrication rate, random equipment failures, and scrap. Specifically, the proposed study considers an expedited rate that is linked to higher setup and unit costs. The fabrication process is subject to random failure and scrap rates. The failure instance follows a Poisson distribution, is repaired right away, and the fabrication of interrupted batch resumes when the equipment is restored. The defective goods are identified and scrapped. Mathematical modeling and optimization method are used to find the total system cost and the optimal runtime of the problem. The applicability and sensitivity analyses of research outcome are illustrated through a numerical example. Diverse critical information regarding the individual/joint impacts of variations in stochastic time-to-failure, expedited rate, and random scrap on the optimal runtime decision, total system expenses, different cost components, and machine utilization, can now be revealed to assist in in-depth problem analyses and decision makings.