Optimizing transport logistics under uncertainty with simheuristics: concepts, review and trends

Background: Uncertainty conditions have been increasingly considered in optimization problems arising in real-life transportation and logistics activities. Generally, the analysis of complex systems in these non-deterministic environments is approached with simulation techniques. However, simulation...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castañeda Jiménez, Juliana, Ghorbani, Elnaz, Ammouriova, Majsa, Panadero Martínez, Javier, Juan, A.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/384547
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/384547
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/logistics6030042
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Business logistics
Simheuristics
Transportation
Logistics
Optimization
Uncertainty
Logística (Indústria)
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Uncertainty conditions have been increasingly considered in optimization problems arising in real-life transportation and logistics activities. Generally, the analysis of complex systems in these non-deterministic environments is approached with simulation techniques. However, simulation is not an optimization tool. Hence, it must be combined with optimization methods when our goal is to: (i) minimize operating costs while guaranteeing a given quality of service; or (ii) maximize system performance using limited resources. When solving NP-hard optimization problems, the use of metaheuristics allows us to deal with large-scale instances in reasonable computation times. By adding a simulation layer to the metaheuristics, the methodology becomes a simheuristic, which allows the optimization element to solve scenarios under uncertainty. Methods: This paper reviews the indexed documents in Elsevier Scopus database of both initial as well as recent applications of simheuristics in the logistics and transportation field. The paper also discusses open research lines in this knowledge area. Results: The simheuristics approaches to solving NP-hard and large-scale combinatorial optimization problems under uncertainty scenarios are discussed, as they frequently appear in real-life applications in logistics and transportation activities. Conclusions: The way in which the different simheuristic components interact puts a special emphasis in the different stages that can contribute to make the approach more efficient from a computational perspective. There are several lines of research that are still open in the field of simheuristics.