OR Practice—Computerized Vehicle Routing in the Soft Drink Industry

Bruce L. Golden and Edward A. Wasil
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Bruce L. Golden: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Edward A. Wasil: American University, Washington, D.C.

Operations Research, 1987, vol. 35, issue 1, 6-17

Abstract: This paper examines the use of microcomputer-based vehicle routing software in the soft drink industry. In general, the construction of vehicle routes is a complicated task due to the size of the fleet, the number of customers, difficult real-world constraints, and the fact that such routes must be constructed in a relatively short period of time. In the past several years, microcomputers have become more powerful and less expensive, thus enhancing their attractiveness to potential users. Not surprisingly, the marketplace has witnessed rapid growth in the number of vehicle routing packages that are commercially available. In this paper, we review some of the critical vehicle routing issues in the soft drink industry and present several case studies that highlight the ways in which software packages have been able to cope with these concerns and other industry-related problems. The case studies focus on the interfacility transfer of soft drink products, the delivery of products that have been ordered in advance by customers, and the delivery of soft drink products that are sold by drivers to customers.

Keywords: 482 soft drink industry; 837 vehicle routing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1987
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