Returnable Transport Item (RTI); pickups and deliveries; durability constraints; closed-loop supply chain; inventory routing problem
Abstract :
[en] Reducing environmental nuisances, related regulations and the pursuit of economic advantages are the main reasons why companies share their returnable transport items (RTIs) among the different partners of a closed-loop supply chain. However RTIs have a finite lifetime, which means that they can be used only a limited number of times. Moreover, the company has to dispose of these items and one interesting way to proceed is to resell them, hence the resale aspect which is strongly linked to the durability feature. Finally, the loss of RTIs is a frequent problem faced by companies. Both durability and losses generate the need to purchase more RTIs.