Optimizing the Distribution of Dairy Products by Heuristic Algorithms and Geographic Information System: A Case Study of FARS PEGAH DAIRY COMPANY

Abstract

The problem of the distribution of dairy products, which is classified as a combinatorial optimization problem, cannot be solved in polynomial time. In this paper, an algorithm based on Ant Colony Hybrid meta-heuristic system and Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to find a near-optimal solution to this problem. Using the for-mer method, the nearest neighbor heuristic algorithm was used to find an initial solution, and then, Campbell insertion algorithm having O(n3 ) complexity was applied in order to find a feasible solution. Furthermore, cross exchange local search algorithm was utilized to reduce the time of finding a near-optimal solution. Using the latter method, with regard to geographic features of the problem, the distribution network was opti-mized by GIS. Besides, we attempted to optimize the distribution network of dairy products using multi-objective mathematical model.