Multi-type products collaborative vehicle routing problem with time windows under consideration of transshipment

This paper addresses the multi-type products collaborative vehicle routing problem with time windows by ways of transshipment (CoVRPTWT). This problem is mainly to solve the cooperation between small and medium-sized logistics enterprises. On the basis of meeting the requirements of customer service time and request, the logistics enterprises cooperate through transshipment to reduce the total cost. A mixed integer linear programming model with constraints of time and request is established to minimize the total cost. Cplex is used to solve the problem. Finally, the computational results indicate that transshipment can efficiently reduce cost and the addition of time windows will increase the cost.