Analysis of the Multi-Objective Optimisation Techniques in Solving a Complex Vehicle Routing Problem
The Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is a common logistics problem. The problem was first published in 1959 as the Truck Dispatching Problem. In the basic problem, vehicles deliver the products from a given depot and then return to the depot. The objective function is to minimise the distance travelled by the vehicles. Since the first published paper, a number of variants have been developed that adapt to real logistics demands. This article investigates the optimisation of a complex Vehicle Routing Problem. The following multi-objective optimisation techniques are investigated in the article: weighted-sum method, weighted-exponential sum method, weighted global criterion method, exponentially weighted criterion, weighted product method, bounded objective function method, pareto ranking, Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II, Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm, Niched Pareto Genetic Algorithm. The article provides a detailed analysis with the following heuristic algorithms: Ant Colony System, Genetic Algorithm, Tabu Search, Firefly Algorithm, Simulated Annealing.