A deterministic model and algorithm for joint replenishment problems

This paper analyzed deterministic inventory control systems where a number of items were replenished jointly. In deterministic joint replenishment inventory systems the primary problem was to determine joint replenishment cycle time and replenishment frequency of each item. For the problem a deterministic model of joint replenishment systems was set up and a number of heuristic algorithms available in the literature of the joint replenishment problem were tested. To overcome some limitations in traditional algorithms a new efficient heuristic algorithm was developed. The heuristic algorithm generated a near-optimal replenishment policy. The heuristic algorithm was illustrated with some examples and compared with traditional algorithms. The results indicate that the heuristic algorithm can effectively solve the problem.