The inventory-routing problem of returnable transport items with time windows and simultaneous pickup and delivery in closed-loop supply chains

Galina Iassinovskaia, Sabine Limbourg and Fouad Riane

International Journal of Production Economics, 2017, vol. 183, issue PB, 570-582

Abstract: Reducing environmental impact, related regulations and potential for operational benefits are the main reasons why companies share their returnable transport items (RTIs) among the different partners of a closed-loop supply chain. In this paper, we consider a producer, located at a depot, who has to distribute his products packed in RTIs to a set of customers. Customers define a time window wherein the service can begin. The producer is also in charge of the collection of empty RTIs for reuse in the next production cycle. Each partner has a storage area composed of both empty and loaded RTI stock, as characterized by initial levels and maximum storage capacity. As deliveries and returns are performed by a homogeneous fleet of vehicles that can carry simultaneously empty and loaded RTIs, this research addresses a pickup and delivery inventory-routing problem within time windows (PDIRPTW) over a planning horizon. A mixed-integer linear program is developed and tested on small-scale instances. To handle more realistic large-scale problems, a cluster first-route second matheuristic is proposed.

Keywords: Returnable transport item; Closed-loop supply chain; Inventory routing problem; Pickups and deliveries; Time windows (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:proeco:v:183:y:2017:i:pb:p:570-582

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.06.024

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