Vehicle routing problems for last mile distribution after major disaster.

This study is dedicated to a complex Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) applied to the response phase after a natural disaster. Raised by the last mile distribution of relief goods after earthquakes, it is modelled as a rich VRP involving a heterogeneous fleet of vehicles, multiple trips, multiple depots, and vehicle-site dependencies. The proposed method is a generic hybrid heuristic that uses a Set Partitioning formulation to add memory to a Multi-Start Iterated Local Search framework. To better fit the requirements of last mile distribution, the algorithm has been developed in partnership with members of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters and has been evaluated on real scenarios from Port-au-Prince earthquake. The heuristic quickly computes efficient routes while determining the number of required vehicles and the subset of depots to be used. Moreover, the computational results show that the proposed method is also competitive compared to the state of the art heuristics on closely related problems found in industrial distribution

Blockchain Technology for Enhancing Supply Chain Performance and Reducing the Threats Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic

A rigorous examination of the most recent advancements in blockchain technology (BCT) and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled supply chain networks is provided in this book. The edited book brings together the perspectives of a number of authors who have presented their most recent views on blockchain technology and its applications in a variety of disciplines. The submitted papers contribute to a better understanding of how blockchain technology can improve the efficacy of human activities during a pandemic, improve traceability and visibility in the automotive supply chain, support food safety and reliability through digitalisation of the food supply chain, and increase the performance of next-generation digital supply chains, among other things. The book attempts to address and prepare a way to address the complicated issues that supply chains are encountering as a result of the global pandemic