IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orijoc/v36y2024i4p956-965.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

VRPSolverEasy: A Python Library for the Exact Solution of a Rich Vehicle Routing Problem

Author

Listed:
  • Najib Errami

    (Inria Centre of the University of Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest, 33405 Talence, France)

  • Eduardo Queiroga

    (Inria Centre of the University of Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest, 33405 Talence, France)

  • Ruslan Sadykov

    (Inria Centre of the University of Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest, 33405 Talence, France)

  • Eduardo Uchoa

    (Inria Centre of the University of Bordeaux–Sud-Ouest, 33405 Talence, France; Universidade Federal Fluminense–Engenharia de Produção, Niterói 24210-240, Brazil)

Abstract

The optimization community has made significant progress in solving vehicle routing problems (VRPs) to optimality using sophisticated branch-cut-and-price (BCP) algorithms. VRPSolver is a BCP algorithm with excellent performance in many VRP variants. However, its complex underlying mathematical model makes it hardly accessible to routing practitioners. To address this, VRPSolverEasy provides a Python interface to VRPSolver that does not require any knowledge of mixed integer programming modeling. Instead, routing problems are defined in terms of familiar elements, such as depots, customers, links, and vehicle types. VRPSolverEasy can handle several popular VRP variants and arbitrary combinations of them.

Suggested Citation

  • Najib Errami & Eduardo Queiroga & Ruslan Sadykov & Eduardo Uchoa, 2024. "VRPSolverEasy: A Python Library for the Exact Solution of a Rich Vehicle Routing Problem," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 36(4), pages 956-965, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orijoc:v:36:y:2024:i:4:p:956-965
    DOI: 10.1287/ijoc.2023.0103
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2023.0103
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/ijoc.2023.0103?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Caio Marinho Damião & João Marcos Pereira Silva & Eduardo Uchoa, 2023. "A branch-cut-and-price algorithm for the cumulative capacitated vehicle routing problem," 4OR, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 47-71, March.
    2. Polten, Lukas & Emde, Simon, 2022. "Multi-shuttle crane scheduling in automated storage and retrieval systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 302(3), pages 892-908.
    3. Queiroga, Eduardo & Frota, Yuri & Sadykov, Ruslan & Subramanian, Anand & Uchoa, Eduardo & Vidal, Thibaut, 2020. "On the exact solution of vehicle routing problems with backhauls," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(1), pages 76-89.
    4. Mads Jepsen & Bjørn Petersen & Simon Spoorendonk & David Pisinger, 2008. "Subset-Row Inequalities Applied to the Vehicle-Routing Problem with Time Windows," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 497-511, April.
    5. Marius M. Solomon, 1987. "Algorithms for the Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Problems with Time Window Constraints," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 254-265, April.
    6. Roberto Baldacci & Aristide Mingozzi & Roberto Roberti, 2011. "New Route Relaxation and Pricing Strategies for the Vehicle Routing Problem," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 59(5), pages 1269-1283, October.
    7. Pessoa, Artur & Sadykov, Ruslan & Uchoa, Eduardo, 2018. "Enhanced Branch-Cut-and-Price algorithm for heterogeneous fleet vehicle routing problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 270(2), pages 530-543.
    8. Luciano Costa & Claudio Contardo & Guy Desaulniers, 2019. "Exact Branch-Price-and-Cut Algorithms for Vehicle Routing," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(4), pages 946-985, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gschwind, Timo & Bianchessi, Nicola & Irnich, Stefan, 2019. "Stabilized branch-price-and-cut for the commodity-constrained split delivery vehicle routing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 278(1), pages 91-104.
    2. Yin, Yunqiang & Yang, Yongjian & Yu, Yugang & Wang, Dujuan & Cheng, T.C.E., 2023. "Robust vehicle routing with drones under uncertain demands and truck travel times in humanitarian logistics," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    3. Nikolaus Furian & Michael O’Sullivan & Cameron Walker & Eranda Çela, 2021. "A machine learning-based branch and price algorithm for a sampled vehicle routing problem," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 43(3), pages 693-732, September.
    4. Miao Yu & Viswanath Nagarajan & Siqian Shen, 2022. "Improving Column Generation for Vehicle Routing Problems via Random Coloring and Parallelization," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 34(2), pages 953-973, March.
    5. Guy Desaulniers & Timo Gschwind & Stefan Irnich, 2020. "Variable Fixing for Two-Arc Sequences in Branch-Price-and-Cut Algorithms on Path-Based Models," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(5), pages 1526-5447, September.
    6. Stefan Faldum & Sarah Machate & Timo Gschwind & Stefan Irnich, 2024. "Partial dominance in branch-price-and-cut algorithms for vehicle routing and scheduling problems with a single-segment tradeoff," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 46(4), pages 1063-1097, December.
    7. Yiming Liu & Yang Yu & Yu Zhang & Roberto Baldacci & Jiafu Tang & Xinggang Luo & Wei Sun, 2023. "Branch-Cut-and-Price for the Time-Dependent Green Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 14-30, January.
    8. Ann-Kathrin Rothenbächer & Michael Drexl & Stefan Irnich, 2018. "Branch-and-Price-and-Cut for the Truck-and-Trailer Routing Problem with Time Windows," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(5), pages 1174-1190, October.
    9. Yin, Yunqiang & Li, Dongwei & Wang, Dujuan & Ignatius, Joshua & Cheng, T.C.E. & Wang, Sutong, 2023. "A branch-and-price-and-cut algorithm for the truck-based drone delivery routing problem with time windows," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(3), pages 1125-1144.
    10. Luciano Costa & Claudio Contardo & Guy Desaulniers, 2019. "Exact Branch-Price-and-Cut Algorithms for Vehicle Routing," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(4), pages 946-985, July.
    11. Qie He & Stefan Irnich & Yongjia Song, 2018. "Branch-Cut-and-Price for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Convex Node Costs," Working Papers 1804, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    12. Tilk, Christian & Goel, Asvin, 2020. "Bidirectional labeling for solving vehicle routing and truck driver scheduling problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 283(1), pages 108-124.
    13. Bhusiri, Narath & Qureshi, Ali Gul & Taniguchi, Eiichi, 2014. "The trade-off between fixed vehicle costs and time-dependent arrival penalties in a routing problem," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-22.
    14. Henriette Koch & Andreas Bortfeldt & Gerhard Wäscher, 2018. "A hybrid algorithm for the vehicle routing problem with backhauls, time windows and three-dimensional loading constraints," OR Spectrum: Quantitative Approaches in Management, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research e.V., vol. 40(4), pages 1029-1075, October.
    15. Ann-Kathrin Rothenbächer & Michael Drexl & Stefan Irnich, 2016. "Branch-and-Price-and-Cut for the Truck-andTrailer Routing Problem with Time Windows," Working Papers 1617, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    16. Qie He & Stefan Irnich & Yongjia Song, 2019. "Branch-and-Cut-and-Price for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows and Convex Node Costs," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(5), pages 1409-1426, September.
    17. Asvin Goel & Thibaut Vidal, 2014. "Hours of Service Regulations in Road Freight Transport: An Optimization-Based International Assessment," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(3), pages 391-412, August.
    18. Diego Pecin & Claudio Contardo & Guy Desaulniers & Eduardo Uchoa, 2017. "New Enhancements for the Exact Solution of the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 489-502, August.
    19. Errico, F. & Desaulniers, G. & Gendreau, M. & Rei, W. & Rousseau, L.-M., 2016. "A priori optimization with recourse for the vehicle routing problem with hard time windows and stochastic service times," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(1), pages 55-66.
    20. Liu, Yiming & Roberto, Baldacci & Zhou, Jianwen & Yu, Yang & Zhang, Yu & Sun, Wei, 2023. "Efficient feasibility checks and an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm for the time-dependent green vehicle routing problem with time windows," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(1), pages 133-155.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orijoc:v:36:y:2024:i:4:p:956-965. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.