In this paper we propose an ACO approach, where two colonies of ants aim to optimize total costs in a transportation network. This main objective consists of two sub goals, namely fleet size minimization and minimization of the vehicle movement costs, which are conflicting for some regions of...

In this paper we propose an ACO algorithm to optimize the total costs associated with the pickup and delivery of full truckloads under time window constraints in a hub network.(...)

Ant Colony Optimization is a relatively new meta-heuristic that has proven its quality and versatility on various combinatorial optimization problems such as the traveling salesman problem, the vehicle routing problem and the job shop scheduling problem.(...)

The ant system is a new meta-heuristic for hard combinatorial optimization problems. It is a population-based approach that uses exploitation of positive feedback as well as greedy search. It was first proposed for tackling the well known Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), but has been also...

In this paper we present and analyze the application of an Ant System to the Vehicle Routing Problem with Backhauls and Time Windows (VRPBTW). At the core of the algorithm we use an Insertion procedure to construct solutions. We provide results on the learning and runtime behavior of the...

When optimal parcel delivery plans have to be made, a logistic system with locker boxes as alternative delivery locations can greatly increase efficiency. An important decision in such a system is where to locate the locker box stations. Hence, we extend the vehicle routing problem with locker...

Empirical studies stress the significance of financing constraints in business investment. Especially high tech investment is likely to be affected by capital market imperfections. The reason is that their returns are highly uncertain so that it is difficult to get outside finance for this kind...

Since the end of the seventies Skiba points have been studied in infinite time optimal control problems with multiple steady states. At such a Skiba point the decision maker is indifferent between choosing trajectories that approach different steady states. This paper extends this theory towards...

Software can be distributed closed source (proprietary) or open source (developed collaboratively). While a firm cannot sell open source software, and so loses potential sales revenue, the open source software development process can have a substantial positive impact on the quality of a...