Inventory Routing Problem with Time Windows: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The integration of inventory management, vehicle routing, and scheduling decisions is known as Inventory Routing Problem (IRP). In this problem, the main objective is to determine: (i) the quantity of products to be delivered based on customer's demand; (ii) the delivery periods and (iii) the route of vehicles. IRPs that include time window service constraints are found in real scenarios and the attendance of this type of constraints brings benefits to both the supplier and the customer. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify trends in the area that studies Inventory Routing Problems with time windows. We identify and analyze the proposed approaches, the characteristics of the solved problems and the type of experiments performed in 9 primary studies.