Vehicle Routing; Stochastic Optimization; Postal Services; Workload balance
Abstract :
[en] Postal delivery services are an essential part of our lives. We use them whether to send Christmas cards or to receive everyday products directly to our doorstep. This service is assured by couriers who perform daily rounds in fixed geographic areas called districts. Districts are typically defined for a long period of time based on the expected demand. However, normal demand variation can negatively impact the couriers' workload, either by exceeding their shift duration, or by creating a largely unfair workload distribution among couriers on certain days. We address the problem of designing robust districts so that the workload of couriers remains balanced under stochastic demand and service times. The problem is modeled and solved as a two-stage stochastic program: the districting decisions are made in the first stage, and the robust workload balanced is estimated in the second stage. In order to include realistic distribution network features, the underlying problem is treated as a node, edge, and arc routing problem with stochastic customers and service times. This research is carried out in collaboration with bpost, the Belgian postal service company.
Research Center/Unit :
HEC Recherche. Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics - ULiège
Disciplines :
Production, distribution & supply chain management
Author, co-author :
Tellez Sanchez, Oscar Augusto ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Recherche > HEC Recherche: Business Analytics & Supply Chain Management
François, Véronique ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Recherche > HEC Recherche: Business Analytics & Supply Chain Management
Arda, Yasemin ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Recherche > HEC Recherche: Business Analytics & Supply Chain Management
Language :
English
Title :
Robust Workload Balance in Postal Delivery Services
Publication date :
11 May 2021
Event name :
EURO 2021 - 31st European Conference on Operational Research
Event place :
Athens, Greece
Event date :
11-14 July 2020
Audience :
International
Peer reviewed :
Editorial reviewed
Tags :
CÉCI : Consortium des Équipements de Calcul Intensif
Development Goals :
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Name of the research project :
Combinatorial Optimization for Postal Services (COPS)