Optimizing Meilink Borculo B.V.'s Transportation Planning : Cost-Effective Logistics through Vehicle Routing

This thesis investigates the optimization of transportation planning at Meilink Borculo B.V., a leading industrial packaging company in the Netherlands. The aim is to reduce transportation costs by exploring optimization techniques for a Vehicle Routing Problem and developing a solution approach tailored to Meilink's specific needs. A Multi-Trip Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Divisible Delivery and Pickup, Time Windows, Private Fleet, and Common Carriers (MTCVRPDDPTWPFCC) is formulated in the form of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model. A Variable Neighbourhood Search metaheuristic is proposed to tackle the challenges. Experimental results showed that the VNS approach could improve current costs by up to 64%, outperforming the MILP model.