MINIMIZING THE TOTAL DISTANCE FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN PROBLEM USING DHOUIBMATRIX-TSP2 METHOD

In this paper, we are looking for minimizing the total distance for supply chain management problems through the application of our new column-row methods: the deterministic Dhouib-Matrix-TSP1 and the stochastic Dhouib-Matrix-TSP2. Although these methods are composed of four simple steps, they find quickly the optimal or near optimal solution. Note that the Dhouib-Matrix-TSP1 is characterized by its rapidity, whereas, the Dhouib-Matrix-TSP2 is distinguish by its quality. Stepwise application of the newest algorithm Dhouib-Matrix-TSP1 on the Milk-Run Delivery problem, which looks for finding the shortest route like in the well-known Travelling Salesman Problem, demonstrates the rapidity of the proposed method. Furthermore, the solution found is very competitive: deviation of 1.19% from the optimal solution. By enriching this method Dhouib-Matrix-TSP1 with a stochastic process, the Dhouib-Matrix-TSP2, the optimal solution is easily found. In addition, some instances from the literature are used to prove the efficiency of our methods