Optimization Research on Vehicle Routing for Fresh Agricultural Products Based on the Investment of Freshness-Keeping Cost in the Distribution Process

Abstract

In cold chain logistics, fresh agricultural products are susceptible to deteriorate due to the passage of time in the distribution process. To reduce the loss of cargo, this research integrates the traditional refrigeration cost into the freshness-keeping cost invested in the process of transportation and unloading goods. We rely on the investment of freshness-keeping cost to reduce the cargo damage cost caused by the distribution process and then propose a new vehicle routing problem (VRP). According to all relevant costs, this research builds a mathematical model with the goal of minimizing the total distribution cost. A hybrid ant colony optimization is designed to solve the problem, and the effectiveness of the model and algorithm are verified through two sets of comparative experiments. To determine which products should be invested in freshness-keeping cost to reduce the total distribution cost, we perform numerical analysis on the relevant parameters in the model. Results provide decision-making references for cold chain logistics distribution enterprises in the design of distribution routes.

Geo-Economic Analysis Based on an Improved Ant Colony Optimization

“…Concerning the parameter optimization of the ant colony algorithm, Zhang [35] developed a 3D-ACA algorithm and implemented it into an ice routing model to make decisions on a ship's passing waypoints and sailing speeds along each waypoint. Zhu [36] introduced a hybrid ant colony optimization algorithm, which uses distance, demand, and time as heuristic factors to improve its applicability in various domains. Regarding the application of fused ant colony algorithms, Sui et al [37] have proposed an ACO + PSO + A* algorithm model for multi-task path planning, which produces optimal collision-free path planning with shorter generation length and higher safety.…”