Models and Methods for Merge-In-Transit Operations
Name
OR-351-00.pdf
Size
2.91 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b6352f5af10853ab378c932a2f5cbec1
Author(s)
Croxton, Keely L.
Gendon, Bernard
Magnanti, Thomas L.
Date Issued
September 2001
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Operations Research Center
Series/Report no.
Operations Research Center Working Paper;OR 351-01
Abstract
We develop integer programming formulations and solution methods for addressing operational issues in merge-in-transit distribution systems. The models account for various complex problem features including the integration of inventory and transportation decisions, the dynamic and multimodal components of the application, and the non-convex piecewise linear structure of the cost functions. To accurately model the cost functions, we introduce disaggregation techniques that allow us to derive a hierarchy of linear programming relaxations. To solve these relaxations, we propose a cutting-plane procedure that combines constraint and variable generation with rounding and branch-and-bound heuristics. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach on a large set of test problems with instances with up to almost 500,000 integer variables derived from actual data from the computer industry. Key words : Merge-in-transit distribution systems, logistics, transportation, integer programming, disaggregation, cutting-plane method.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Operations Research Center
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