Customer Clustering and Sales Area Design

A common problem in local distribution arises when a company, or an agency in the case of city logistics, has to plan recurrent delivery and collection activities over a certain, typically urban territory. Goods are available at one or more warehouses and have to be transported to customers located in the territory, where reverse logistics operations could also be needed. All customers are registered in the customer anagraphic of the company ERP and have issued recurrent orders, to be serviced within the planning period. Visits at the customers must be made on different days, according to feasible, well-spread day combinations. Moreover, attempted sales could be tried by the vehicle driver along his route. The overall objective is the minimization of the transportation costs, as resulting from the sum of travel costs of all routes of the company vehicles during the planning period.