Exploring express delivery networks in China based on complex network theory

Based on the complex network theory, we explore an express delivery system in China, which consists of two delivery networks, namely, the air delivery network (ADN) and the ground delivery network (GDN). Systematic structural analysis indicates that both delivery networks exhibit small‐world phenomenon, disassortative mixing behavior, and rich‐club phenomenon. However, there are significant differences between ADN and GDN in terms of degree distribution property and community structure. On the basis of the Barabási‐Albert model, we have proposed a network model incorporating the structural features of the two delivery networks to reveal their evolutionary mechanisms. Lastly, the parcel strength and the distance strength are analyzed, which, respectively, reflect the number of parcels and the long‐haul delivery distance handled by a node city. The strengths are highly heterogeneous in both delivery networks and have intense correlations with topological structures. These works are beneficial for express enterprises to construct or extend their express delivery networks, and provide some useful insights on improving parcel delivery service. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 166–179, 2015     

Option contracts: a solution for overloading problems in the delivery service supply chain

Owing to the limited service capacity of express delivery providers, most online retailers have to reject many orders during hot selling seasons. In this paper, we consider an express delivery service supply chain consisting of an express delivery provider and an online retailer whereby the selling season includes both regular periods and online sales periods. Utilizing a modified newsvendor model, we derive the express delivery provider’s optimal capacity decision and find that the overloading problem cannot be avoided because delivery service cannot be inventoried. To solve such a problem, we introduce an option contract to coordinate the supply chain. By allowing the online retailer to book the capacity, the express delivery provider can rent capacity from a third party in advance. Results show this approach can mitigate the problem significantly. We also extend our model to a supply chain consisting of a delivery provider and two retailers.     

线上商品与多种快递服务的组合优化研究

针对网上销售的商品所捆绑的快递服务无法满足顾客多样化需求,而快递服务商又失去了市场空间的问题,提出一种“线上商品+多种快递服务”的组合销售模式,以扩大电商的市场规模,提高快递服务商的利润和差异化竞争水平。在市场细分和顾客需求调查的基础上,综合考虑电商、快递服务商、网购顾客三方的利益,以快递服务商收益最大为目标,构建基于顾客选择行为的“线上商品+多种快递服务”组合销售模式优化模型。以SP调查为数据基础,优化线上商品与多种快递服务的组合销售模式及确定各组合销售模式的均衡价格。模型的求解结果准确地揭示了顾客在网上购物时的快递服务选择行为、快递服务商的末端利润与组合模式之间的关系。     

轴辐式同城快递网络模式研究

随着快递网点密度的稠密化,网络结构设计优劣直接关系到快递公司的运营成本和服务水平。针对快递公司的同城快递市场,在不改变现有网点规模选址的基础上改变网点的从属,结合轴辐式网络结构模式设计来提升其时效并优化成本和资源投入。以运输成本最小为目标,建立了带分支流向约束的枢纽选址模型,设计了高效的禁忌搜索算法对问题求解并验证了算法的有效性。最后提供相应的集散点选址分配解决方案,有利于整合资源形成规模效应,同时提供了同城快递分区管理依据,避免因网络结构复杂引起管理和运营混乱;从长远来看,有利于节约运营成本,增加其快递网络的柔性,降低运作管理的难度。     

面向云服务的网络参数建模与定量分析

网络作为云服务向终端用户交付的载体,其性能对云服务质量起着至关重要的作用.基于网络微积分理论提出一种面向云服务的网络参数模型,得到云服务交付过程中端到端时延和数据积压上界的定量数学解析式.用于分析云服务类型、网络服务速率、流量分配方式以及路径数对端到端时延和数据积压上界的影响.数值实验结果表明所提出的网络参数建模分析方法在云服务交付时能够为用户提供性能保障,验证了模型和解析式的有效性.     

Modeling congestion and service time in hub location problems

In this paper, we present a modeling framework for hub location problems with a service time limit considering congestion at hubs. Service time is modeled taking the traveling time on the hub network as well as the handling time and the delay caused by congestion at hubs into account. We develop mixed-integer linear programming formulations for the single and multiple allocation versions of this problem. We further extend the multiple allocation model with a possibility of direct shipments. We test our models on the well-known AP data set and analyze the effects of congestion and service time on costs and hub network design. We introduce a measure for the value of modeling congestion and show that not considering the effects of congestion may result in increased costs as well as in building infeasible hub networks.     

快递企业“最后一公里”快件收派优化方案研究

本文以快递公司快件收派服务为背景,对区域收派路线规划问题进行研究,结合A快递公司实际运作情况进行案例分析,综合考虑收派混合、动态性、时间窗和容量约束四个最主要的因素,建立数学模型,设计收派流程,通过改进的禁忌搜索算法在短时间内得到优化的路径结果,并在收派活动进行中动态处理新需求及实时更新收派路径,以提高收派效率。基于该企业实际数据的计算结果表明,本文提出的相应流程和算法比实际操作获得更好的解。     

General network design: A unified view of combined location and network design problems

This paper presents a unified framework for the general network design problem which encompasses several classical problems involving combined location and network design decisions. In some of these problems the service demand relates users and facilities, whereas in other cases the service demand relates pairs of users between them, and facilities are used to consolidate and re-route flows between users. Problems of this type arise in the design of transportation and telecommunication systems and include well-known problems such as location-network design problems, hub location problems, extensive facility location problems, tree-star location problems and cycle-star location problems, among others. Relevant modeling aspects, alternative formulations and possible algorithmic strategies are presented and analyzed.     

Coordination of production and interstage batch delivery with outsourced distribution

In this paper, we consider coordinated production and interstage batch delivery scheduling problems, where a third-party logistics provider (3PP) delivers semi-finished products in batches from one production location to another production location belonging to the same manufacturer. A batch cannot be delivered until all jobs of the batch are completed at the upstream stage. The 3PP is required to deliver each product within a time T from its release at the upstream stage. We consider two transportation modes: regular transportation, for which delivery departure times are fixed at the beginning, and express transportation, for which delivery departure times are flexible. We analyze the problems faced by the 3PP when either the manufacturer dominates or the 3PP dominates. In this context, we investigate the complexity of several problems, providing polynomiality and NP-completeness results.     

A review of open queueing network models of manufacturing systems

In this paper we review open queueing network models of manufacturing systems. The paper consists of two parts. In the first part we discuss design and planning problems arising in manufacturing. In doing so we focus on those problems that are best addressed by queueing network models. In the second part of the paper we describe developments in queueing network methodology. We are primarily concerned with features such as general service times, deterministic product routings, and machine failures — features that are prevalent in manufacturing settings. Since these features have eluded exact analysis, approximation procedures have been proposed. In the second part of this paper we review the developments in approximation procedures and highlight the assumptions that underlie these approaches.     

A new formulation and an exact approach for the many-to-many hub location-routing problem

An important problem of the freight industry is the parcel delivery network design, where several facilities are responsible for assembling flows from several origins, re-routing them to other facilities where the flows are disassembled and the packages delivered to their final destinations. In order to provide this service, local tours are established for the vehicles assigned to each of the processing facilities, which are then responsible for the pickup and delivery tasks. This application gives rise to the many-to-many hub location routing problem that is the combination of two well known problems: the vehicle routing problem and the single assignment hub location problem. In this work, a new formulation for this important problem is proposed and solved by a specially tailored Benders decomposition algorithm. The proposed method is robust enough to solve instances up to 100 nodes having 4 million integer variables.     

Planning and approximation models for delivery route based services with price-sensitive demands

Classical vehicle routing problems typically do not consider the impact of delivery price on the demand for delivery services. Existing models seek the minimum sum of tour lengths in order to serve the demands of a given set of customers. This paper proposes approximation models to estimate the impacts of price on delivery services when demand for delivery service is price dependent. Such models can serve as useful tools in the planning phase for delivery service providers and can assist in understanding the economics of delivery services. These models seek to maximize profit from delivery service, where price determines demand for deliveries as well as the total revenue generated by satisfying demand. We consider a variant of the model in which each customer’s delivery volume is price sensitive, as well as the case in which customer delivery volumes are fixed, but the total number of customers who select the delivery service provider is price sensitive. A third model variant allows the delivery service provider to select a subset of delivery requests at the offered price in order to maximize profit.     

Real-time split-delivery pickup and delivery time window problems with transfers

In this research we present the design and implementation of heuristics for solving split-delivery pickup and delivery time window problems with transfer (SDPDTWP) of shipments between vehicles for both static and real-time data sets. In the SDPDTWP each shipment is constrained with the earliest possible pickup time from the origin and the latest acceptable delivery time to a destination. Split-deliveries occur when two or more vehicles service the same origin or destination. The proposed heuristics were applied to both static and real-time data sets. The heuristics computed a solution, in a few seconds, for a static problem from the literature, achieving an improvement of 60% in distance in comparison to the published solution. In the real-time SDPDTWP problems, requests for pickup and delivery of a package, breakdown of a truck or insertion of a truck can occur after the vehicle has left the origin and is enroute to service the customers. Thirty data sets, each consisting of one to seven real-time customer or truck events, were used to test the efficiency of the heuristics. The heuristics obtained solutions to real-time data sets in under five seconds of CPU time.      

区块链驱动下快递“最后一公里”共同配送的博弈分析

站在政府角度,分析在区块链驱动下快递企业是否共同配送的策略选择问题。分析政府补偿机制在解决区块链驱动下快递“最后一公里”共同配送的效用,通过演化博弈分析政府对于快递物流企业、社区的补贴的合理范围。通过分析可知:在无政府补偿机制下,单靠快递企业和社区的努力,较难彻底解决快递物流“最后一公里”发展的困境;政府需要对快递企业以及社区给予一定的政策支持,并且保证补贴有一定的力度,这样才能保证快递企业、社区有足够的动力构建基于区块链的最后一公里共同配送网络。     

Two-echelon vehicle routing problem with satellite bi-synchronization

In considering route optimization at a series of express stages from pickup to delivery via the intercity linehaul, we introduce the two-echelon vehicle routing problem with satellite bi-synchronization (2E-VRP-SBS) from the perspective of modeling the routing problems of two-echelon networks. The 2E-VRP-SBS involves the inter-satellite linehaul on the first echelon, and the pickups from senders to origin satellites (i.e., satellites for cargo collection) and deliveries from destination satellites (i.e., satellites for cargo deliveries) to receivers on the second echelon. The 2E-VRP-SBS integrates satellite bi-synchronization constraints, multiple vehicles, and time window constraints on the two-echelon network and aims to find cost-minimizing routes for various types of trucks. Satellite bi-synchronization constraints, which synchronously guarantee the synchronization at origin satellites and the synchronization at destination satellites, provide an innovative method to formulate the two-echelon routing problem. In this study, we develop a mixed-integer programming model for the 2E-VRP-SBS. An exact method using CPLEX solver is presented and a modified adaptive large neighborhood search is conducted. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the 2E-VRP-SBS formulation and the applicability of the heuristic for various instances are experimentally evaluated.     

A multi-stage supply chain network design problem with in-house production and partial product outsourcing

We propose a mixed-integer linear programming model for a novel multi-stage supply chain network design problem. Our model integrates location and capacity choices for plants and warehouses with supplier and transportation mode selection, and the distribution of multiple products through the network. The aim is to identify the network configuration with the least total cost subject to side constraints related to resource availability, technological conditions, and customer service level requirements. In addition to in-house manufacturing, end products may also be purchased from external sources and consolidated in warehouses. Therefore, our model identifies the best mix between in-house production and product outsourcing. To measure the impact of this strategy, we further present two additional formulations for alternative network design approaches that do not include partial product outsourcing. Several classes of valid inequalities tailored to the problems at hand are also proposed. We test our models on randomly generated instances and analyze the trade-offs achieved by integrating partial outsourcing into the design of a supply chain network against a pure in-house manufacturing strategy, and the extent to which it may not be economically attractive to provide full demand coverage.     

Deterministic flow-demand location problems

In flow-covering (interception) models the focus is on the demand for service that originates from customers travelling in the network (not for the purpose of obtaining the service). In contrast, in traditional location models a central assumption is that the demand for service comes from customers residing at nodes of the network. In this paper we combine these two types of models. The paper presents four new problems. Two of the four deal with the problem of locating m facilities so as to maximize the total number of potential customers covered by the facilities (where coverage does not necessarily imply the actual consumption of service). In the two other problems the attention is directed to the consumption of service and thus the criteria is to maximize (minimize) the number of actual users (distance travelled). It is shown in the paper that all four problems have similar structure to other known location problems.     

Stochastic optimization on social networks with application to service pricing

In this paper we develop a combined simulation and optimization approach for solving difficult decision problems on complex dynamic networks. For a specific reference problem we consider a telecommunication service provider who offers a telecommunication service to a market with network effects. More particularly, the service consumption of an individual user depends on both idiosyncratic characteristics and the popularity of this service among the customer’s immediate neighborhood. Both the social network and the individual user preferences are largely heterogeneous and changing over time. In addition the service provider’s decisions are made in absence of perfect knowledge about user preferences. The service provider pursues the strategy of stimulating the demand by offering differentiated prices to the customers. For finding the optimal pricing we apply a stochastic quasi-gradient algorithm that is integrated with a simulation model that drives the evolution of the network and user preferences over time. We show that exploiting the social network structure and implementing differentiated pricing can substantially increase the revenues of a service provider operating on a social network. More generally, we show that stochastic gradient methods represent a powerful methodology for the optimization of decisions in social networks.     

环形路网上带有服务时长的在线TSP问题

为了提高快递揽件的时效性,需要对快递车辆进行有效调度。针对环形路网上服务时长以及需求无法预知的揽件问题,本文提出了以服务总时间尽可能短为目标的环形路网上带有服务时长的在线旅行商问题。用在线算法分析了此问题竞争比的下界,设计了两个在线算法并分析了各自的竞争比,结果表明服务时长可以改善在线车的性能。最后通过简单算例对两个算法进行说明,本文研究结论可以为环形路网上的快递车辆实时调度提供指导。     

Budget constrained minimum cost connected medians

Several practical instances of network design and location theory problems require the network to satisfy multiple constraints. In this paper, we study a graph-theoretic problem that aims to simultaneously address a network design task and a location-theoretic constraint. The Budget Constrained Connected Median Problem is the following: We are given an undirected graph G=(V,E) with two different edge-weight functions c (modeling the construction or communication cost) and d (modeling the service distance), and a bound B on the total service distance. The goal is to find a subtree T of G with minimum c-cost c(T) subject to the constraint that the sum ∑_vVTdist_d(v,T) of the service distances of all the remaining nodes vVT does not exceed the specified budget B. Here, the service distance dist_d(v,T) denotes the shortest path distance of v to a vertex in T with respect to d. This problem has applications in optical network design and the efficient maintenance of distributed databases.

We formulate this problem as a bicriteria network design problem, and present bicriteria approximation algorithms. We also prove lower bounds on the approximability of the problem which demonstrate that our performance ratios are close to best possible.