Vehicle Routing Optimization System with Smart Geopositioning Updates

Solving the vehicle routing problem (VRP) is one of the best-known optimization issues in the TLS (transport, logistic, spedition) branch market. Various variants of the VRP problem have been presented and discussed in the literature for many years. In most cases, batch versions of the problem are considered, wherein the complete data, including customers’ geographical distribution, is well known. In real-life situations, the data change dynamically, which influences the decisions made by optimization systems. The article focuses on the aspect of geopositioning updates and their impact on the effectiveness of optimization algorithms. Such updates affect the distance matrix, one of the critical datasets used to optimize the VRP problem. A demonstration version of the optimization system was developed, wherein updates are carried out in integration with both open source routing machine and GPS tracking services. In the case of a dynamically changing list of destinations, continuous and effective updates are required. Firstly, temporary values of the distance matrix based on the correction of the quasi-Euclidean distance were generated. Next, the impact of update progress on the proposed optimization algorithms was investigated. The simulation results were compared with the results obtained “manually” by experienced planners. It was found that the upload level of the distance matrix influences the optimization effectiveness in a non-deterministic way. It was concluded that updating data should start from the smallest values in the distance matrix.

Vehicle Routing Problem for Collaborative Multidepot Petrol Replenishment under Emergency Conditions

In recent years, emergency events have affected urban distribution with increasing frequency. For example, the 2019 novel coronavirus has caused a considerable impact on the supply guarantee of important urban production and living materials, such as petrol and daily necessities. On this basis, this study establishes a dual-objective mixed-integer linear programming model to formulate and solve the cooperative multidepot petrol emergency distribution vehicle routing optimization problem with multicompartment vehicle sharing and time window coordination. As a method to solve the model, genetic variation of multiobjective particle swarm optimization algorithm is considered. The effectiveness of the proposed method is analyzed and verified by first using a small-scale example and then investigating a regional multidepot petrol distribution network in Chongqing, China. Cooperation between petrol depots in the distribution network, customer clustering, multicompartment vehicle sharing, time window coordination, and vehicle routing optimization under partial road blocking conditions can significantly reduce the total operation cost and shorten the total delivery time. Meanwhile, usage of distribution trucks is optimized in the distribution network, that is, usage of single- and double-compartment trucks is reduced while that of three-compartment trucks is increased. This approach provides theoretical support for relevant government departments to improve the guarantee capability of important materials in emergencies and for relevant enterprises to improve the efficiency of emergency distribution.

Use of artificial intelligence in last mile delivery

Research background: Artificial intelligence is a term that is now known to almost everyone and is among the trends and innovations of Industry 4.0 for 2020. It is a much-discussed topic in the field of technology. Artificial intelligence and machine training are the driving forces across different industries. In many cases, artificial intelligence helps people in their work and simplifies it or even completely replaces the human workforce. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article is to state how artificial intelligence can affect and solve existing problems in last mile delivery. For example, inefficiency is a major problem with last mile delivery because the last section of delivery usually involves a number of short-distance stops. However, a long waiting time for the customer to deliver the goods or incorrect allocation of resources and vehicles to the required areas can also be a problem. And it is artificial intelligence that should help solve such problems. Methods: Comparison, Empirical and retrospective analysis are used within the analysis of different modes of last-mile delivery. Findings & Value added: The research results shows the ways in which artificial intelligence can help solve problems in last mile delivery. Examples include The Vehicle Routing optimization (VRO), which aims to calculate the most optimal delivery route or artificial intelligence technology, which is used to interpret various events, manage data, and apply predictive intelligence.

Vehicle Routing Optimization of Instant Distribution Routing Based on Customer Satisfaction

Since the actual factors in the instant distribution service scenario are not considered enough in the existing distribution route optimization, a route optimization model of the instant distribution system based on customer time satisfaction is proposed. The actual factors in instant distribution, such as the soft time window, the pay-to-order mechanism, the time for the merchant to prepare goods before delivery, and the deliveryman’s order combining, were incorporated in the model. A multi-objective optimization framework based on the total cost function and time satisfaction of the customer was established. Dual-layer chromosome coding based on the deliveryman-to-node mapping and the access order was conducted, and the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm version II (NSGA-II) was used to solve the problem. According to the numerical results, when time satisfaction of the customer was considered in the instant distribution routing problem, the customer satisfaction increased effectively and the balance between customer satisfaction and delivery cost in the means of Pareto optimization were obtained, with a minor increase in the delivery cost, while the number of deliverymen slightly increased to meet the on-time delivery needs of customers.