Heuristic approach for balanced allocation problem in logistics: a comparative study

The core issue of this paper is efficient balancing of allocation of customers among multiple distribution centres. Allocation involves clustering of customers in such a way that the associated resources in terms of cost and time are minimal. Ready solution to this problem could be through non‐deterministic polynomial (NP)‐hard type model. But NP‐hard type model is inherently time consuming in arriving at an optimal solution. This paper compares the meta‐heuristic genetic algorithm with an improvised heuristic scheme developed from the 2‐opt heuristic model. Possible solutions for efficient clustering of customers are then proposed.