Solution approaches for combining first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery in an e-commerce logistic network: A systematic literature review

No Thumbnail Available

Date

2021

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka

Abstract

Logistics is one of the primary areas of operation within cutting-edge supply chain operations. In the e-commerce supply chain also logistics operations play a vital part. The logistics operations must be controlled effectively and efficiently since they deal with the high-cost besides environmental impacts. In e-commerce logistics operations, first-mile and last-mile delivery operations are considered as the operations with the highest costs incurred. So, e-commerce service providers are interested in optimizing their first-mile and last-mile delivery operations. Though it is known that the integration of first-mile pickup and last-mile deliveries will minimize the cost of transportation, there are more practical concerns to be taken into account when combining the first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery operations. Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) is discussed in the literature as a solution approach for this kind of problems. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current CVRP related literature, including models, algorithmic solution approaches, objectives, and industrial applications, with a focus of identifying interesting study paths for the future to improve distribution in e-commerce logistics networks by combining first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery operations. The findings of the study have demonstrated that constraints and features of Vehicle Routing Problem with Backhauls are very attractive with today's e-commerce operations, and the majority of the cited publications employed approximation methods rather than precise algorithms to solve these types of models.

Description

Keywords

capacitated vehicle routing problem, e-commerce, first-mile and last-mile delivery

Citation

Ranathunga M. I. D.; Wijayanayake A. N.; Niwunhella D. H. H. (2021), Solution approaches for combining first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery in an e-commerce logistic network: A systematic literature review, International Research Conference on Smart Computing and Systems Engineering (SCSE 2021), Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka. 267-275.

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By