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...

This paper analyses the interaction of two topics: Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Internet. Merging these two fields is a key area of concern for contemporary managers and researchers. They have realized that Internet can enhance SCM by making real time information available and enabling...

In this paper we develop two models for an inventory system in which the distributor manages the inventory at the retailers location. These type of systems correspond to the Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) systems described ib the literature. These systems are very common in many different types...

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...

The set covering problem is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem that arises in applications ranging from crew scheduling in airlines to driver scheduling in public mass transport. In this paper we analyze search space characteristics of a widely used set of benchmark instances through...

PRECON S.A is a manufacturing company dedicated to produce prefabricated concrete parts to several industries as rail transportation and agricultural industries.Recently, PRECON signed a contract with RENFE, the Spanish National Rail Transportation Company to manufacture pre-stressed concrete...

The need for integration in the supply chain management leads us to consider the coordination of two logistic planning functions: transportation and inventory. The coordination of these activities can be an extremely important source of competitive advantage in the supply chain management. The...

The problems arising in the logistics of 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 explores three different...