How This Workflow Works
This workflow calculates the shortest possible route that starts at a selected production facility, visits each warehouse exactly once, and returns to the starting point. It computes all relevant distances and travel times, allows users to choose between two different optimization strategies to solve the Travelling Salesman Problem, and presents the optimal route and locations in an interactive dashboard with geospatial maps and network graphs.
Key Features:
- Calculate precise travel distances and times between all facility and warehouse pairs
- Choose between fast heuristic (Nearest Neighbor) and exact (Mixed-Integer Linear Programming) optimization methods
- Visualize optimal routes and location networks on interactive geospatial maps and graphs
- Estimate route-related costs, such as fuel expenses, for informed decision-making
Step-by-step:
1. Compute Distances and Travel Times:
The workflow calculates the distance and estimated travel time between every production facility and warehouse pair. It converts these results into user-friendly units like kilometers and hours, ensuring the data is practical for planning and review.
2. Select Optimization Strategy and Solve for Optimal Route:
Users can select their preferred optimization approach—either a fast, locally optimal heuristic or a globally optimal mathematical solver. The workflow then determines the shortest possible route that visits each warehouse once and returns to the starting point, addressing the Travelling Salesman Problem.
3. Estimate Route Costs:
The workflow uses route distance and truck information to estimate fuel costs for the optimal route. This provides a practical cost perspective for logistics planning.
4. Visualize and Share Insights:
The resulting optimal route and network of locations are displayed in an interactive dashboard. Users can explore the route on a map and review the network structure, making it easier to communicate findings and support decision-making.