Multi-echelon multi-product distribution network considering heterogeneous capacitated vehicles

The current and expected growing number of people living and working in cities, as well as the limited space available inside city centres, implies an always greater exchange of inbound and outbound freight ows between city centres and their surrounding regions. Urban freight transports provide economic bene ts to society but are also responsible for negative externalities such as congestion, air and water pollution, climate change, accidents and noise. They are more polluting than long-distance freight transports because of the increasing consumption of fuel due to the frequent stops on their delivery route. Moreover, due to tra c congestion, most of the transport vehicles are using alternative routes which are associated with a longer transport time, higher transport costs and negative impact on society and the quality of life. Regulatory measures are rules made by the city or further governmental authorities. Access restrictions are one of the most applied measures to control urban tra cs in speci c areas of the city. There are several types of access restrictions from time windows, emissions and noise limits to vehicle weight and size. Policy measures can be of various types such as the implementation of low emission zones, the introduction of cleaner vehicles or the encouragement to use non-motorized transport such as bikes. Measures related to land use planning and infrastructure are usually very costintensive and thus include long time planning and long implementations periods. These measures range from on-street as well as o -street loading zones to speci c delivery zones and collecting points. Also, Urban Consolidation Centers (UCCs), inside and outside the city, are part of these measures related to land use planning. Over the last years, the idea of consolidation of goods has been downscaled ; this idea is associated with micro-depots. The objective of this paper is to determine how to e ciently distribute various products made by small and medium rms to customers from di erent cities. Some of these rms have delivery vehicles. Besides, some delivery companies are available for collecting or picking up goods from di erent rms. These