In this paper, we investigate a decision support system (DSS) for the resolution of real-life vehicle routing and scheduling problem (VRSP). Scheduling the deliveries from a regional distribution centre (RDC) to large stores of a major fmcg retailer includes every possible vehicle routing complexity. Usual constraints that are seen are: size of the vehicle and the length of the driving day, loading feasibility of products in different parts of the vehicle, and also with various time windows. More importantly, in this scheduling decision-making is customer oriented, in which, Customer's value for the company is considered as one of the most important factors. The algorithms for the resolution of the distribution problems constitute a very important part of DSS. Therefore, a simulated annealing based algorithm has been developed to speed up the process by circumventing the need for the skeletal schedule.

Keywords: Decision support system (DSS), Vehicle routing and scheduling problem (VRSP), simulated Annealing (SA)

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