Magline Discusses Model and Algorithm for Courier Delivery Uncertainty in Delivering Excellence

Standish, MI, May 06, 2015 --(PR.com)-- This week’s Delivering Excellence, sponsored by Magline reported that academics are attempting to solve a problem. "A Model and Algorithm for the Courier Delivery Problem with Uncertainty" was the work of Sungura, Rena Ord´o˜neza, Dessoukya, and Zhongb, part of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California.

In their academic paper they considered the courier delivery problem, a variant of the vehicle routing problem with time windows in which customers appear probabilistically and their service times are uncertain. They used scenario-based stochastic programming, with recourse to model the uncertainty in customers and robust optimization for the uncertainty in service times. The proposed model generates a master plan and daily schedules by maximizing the coverage of customers and the similarity of routes in each scenario while minimizing the total time spent by the couriers and the total earliness and lateness penalty.

The computational results show that their heuristic improves the similarity of routes and the lateness penalty at the expense of increased total time spent when compared to a solution by independently scheduling each day. Experimental results also show improvements over current industry practice on two real world data sets. While interesting, the operational pragmatism of ergonomic factor, route delivery safety, and other considerations were not examined.

To read the full newsletter, go to: http://www.magliner.com/tools-resources/delivering-excellence-e-newsletter

Delivering Excellence details programs which enable companies to design innovative route distribution solutions that enhance safety and productivity. Delivery routes with a variety of lightweight and ergonomically-designed solutions, allow companies to move more loads with less physical stress delivering workplace safety and productivity. Leaders are looking for a competitive advantage, have dynamic and experienced sales forces, and have a corporate culture which is customer-focused and intent on building long-term relationships with satisfied customers.

About Magline
Magline, Inc. (www.magliner.com) manufactures a complete line of innovative lightweight route distribution solutions under the Magliner brand. Named one of the Great Supply Chain Projects according to Supply & Demand Chain Executive, Magliner solutions are used in the beer, soft drink, food service, parcel delivery, home healthcare, and other distribution industries. Magline also offers implementation consulting and solutions for reducing service times and eliminating waste during deliveries. Magline is at the forefront of developing products that address the unique material handling requirements from distribution centers to delivery. Magline is the leader in hand trucks worldwide and has a strong dealer base in various regions domestically, as well as internationally. Magline was named a finalist in the MHI Innovation Award. Follow Magline on Twitter at @MaglineInc. Contact Magline at 1-800-624-5463.

Magline, Inc.
www.magliner.com
Andrea Horner
Vice President of Marketing
PR@magliner.com
800-344-3646 x 209