Re-design of Express Transportation Route Based on Hybrid Hub-and-Spoke Network
LI Yue
QIN Wei
Abstract：In order to cope with the highly decentralized and fluctuating distribution of express transportation volume,a hybrid hub-and-spoke transportation network combining a hub-and-spoke network and direct-connected routes is proposed.On the premise of making full use of the established express service nodes,direct routes are established between non-hub cities to effectively reduce transportation cost.A mixed integer linear programming(MILP)model for the hybrid hub-and-spoke express transportation network is built,with a cost function comprised of transportation cost,loading and unloading cost and holding cost as the optimization objective.A modified genetic simulated annealing algorithm is developed to solve the model:genetic algorithm determines the locations of hubs and the allocations of non-hub nodes,while simulated annealing algorithm solves the direct connections between non-hub nodes.The proposed model and algorithm are applied to a test case with 30 nodes based on real express data in China.Compared with the traditional hub-and-spoke mode,the average cost is reduced by 32.2%,and the gap between the heuristic solution and the optimal solution is less than 5%.In addition,sensitivity analysis shows that trucks with a capacity of 1 000 kg are the optimal transportation modes for rede-signing transportation plans,which provides theoretical basis and practical reference for express companies that currently use hub-and-spoke networks to improve transportation routes.
Keywords：logistics engineeringhybrid hub-and-spoke networkgenetic-simulated annealing algorithmexpress transportationdistribution centersdirect-connected network
Publication Date：2023-12-28
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 93-100 )