This paper presents an Optimised Search Heuristic that combines a tabu search method with the verification of violated valid inequalities. The solution delivered by the tabu search is partially destroyed by a randomised greedy procedure, and then the valid inequalities are used to guide the...

Recently hybrid metaheuristics have been design to find solutions for combinatorial optimisation problems. We focus on hybrid procedures that combine local search based metaheuristics with exact algorithms of the operations research field. We present a mapping that outlines the metaheuristic and...

In this work we discuss some ideas and opinions related with teaching Metaheuristics in Business Schools. The main purpose of the work is to initiate a discussion and collaboration about this topic,with the final objective to improve the teaching and publicity of the area. The main topics to be...

In the last two decades, logistics and supply chain has moved to the center stage due the growing recognition that it is through an effective management of the logistics function that the goal of cost reduction and service enhancement can be achieved. The key to success in Supply Chain...

In this paper we present an algorithm to assign proctors to exams. This NP-hard problem is related to the generalized assignment problem with multiple objectives. The problem consists of assigning teaching assistants to proctor final exams at a university. We formulate this problem as a...

The problems arising in commercial distribution are complex and involve several players and decision levels. One important decision is related with the design of the routes to distribute the products, in an efficient and inexpensive way. This article deals with a complex vehicle routing problem...

Iterated Local Search (ILS) has many of the desirable features of a metaheuristic: it is simple, easy to implement, robust, and highly effective. The essential idea of ILS lies in focusing the search not on the full space of solutions but on a smaller subspace defined by the solutions that are...

The Generalized Assignment Problem consists in assigning a set of tasks to a set of agents with minimum cost. Each agent has a limited amount of a single resource and each task must be assigned to one and only one agent, requiring a certain amount of the resource of the agent. We present new...

Nowadays, the Reverse Logistics field is becoming very important. On one hand, laws are imposing companies to be responsible for the contamination made by their products. On the other hand, companies have discovered the profits derived from a good Reverse Logistics process. This paper is the...