This research project will extend the research on the cyclic inventory routing problem of the applicant. This challenging optimization problem in distribution logistics considers the replenishment of a set of customers from one or more supplier locations and combines the vehicle route planning with inventory control. Extensions that will be investigated include (i) elaborating the concept of 'nested' routes, in which not every customer is being visited in every iteration of a route, and (ii) considering operational costs and constraints (related to production and inventory) at the supplier location(s) from which the customers are being replenished.

For solving this integrated planning problem, metaheuristic search algorithms will be developed that are based on local search operators, especially focusing on (i) an efficient implementation, and (ii) limiting the search space being explored, with the objective of obtaining high-quality solutions for large-scale instances with hundreds of customers in limited computation times of no more than a few minutes.