A Cold Chain Vehicle Routing Problem Embedded with Manufacturing, Re-manufacturing and Product Quality Under Multiple Constraints

This study considers the quality of produced and delivered products, routing, and customer satisfaction in a quality-driven cold chain vehicle routing problem coupled with manufacturing re-manufacturing decisions (QDCCVRP-MR). The manufacturing and re-manufacturing aspects are analyzed in the presence of disruptive performance of a set of capacitated machines. The vehicle routing and customer satisfaction are analyzed in the presence of imperfect refrigeration, deterioration, and failure of products during transit. A bi-objective model is proposed which considers the objectives of the total cost and the quality of manufactured and distributed products. The model is implemented by using a heuristic combined with the modified version of the Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) approach. Finally, conclusions are drawn.