Integrated Models of Facility Location and Network Design

现代制造业和供应链网络的日益复杂引起了人们对物流和运输在工程中的重要性的关注。物流处理的是商品从生产点到消费点的高效流动。它涉及到库存、运输、仓储和材料搬运等多项活动的集成。在这些活动中，交通运输的成本是最重要的，在一国的社会、政治和经济活动中发挥着至关重要的作用。例如，在加拿大，运输业在2009年占国内生产总值的4.7%，从而为经济贡献了558亿美元(见加拿大统计局)。因此，许多公司都将注意力转向物流和运输网络的优化，以确保产品在正确的时间、正确的地点和尽可能低的成本交付。这项研究计划的目的是进一步研究和开发设施选址和网络设计的集成模型，这是运输系统(即航空和卡车运输行业)战略设计规划的核心。鉴于现代计算机和语音通信网络的爆炸性增长，这种类型的决策模型对电信公司也是至关重要的。该计划的一个重要部分将侧重于研究新的网络枢纽选址模型，该模型纳入了实际应用的额外功能，如拥堵和可靠性问题，需求和运输成本的不确定性的影响，以及放宽经典假设。这些枢纽网络被国际和国内航空公司广泛使用，如加拿大航空公司、航空运输公司和WestJet。网络枢纽位置也是许多快递和邮政运营商公司的核心问题，如联邦快递、UPS和加拿大邮政公司。这一研究计划有可能为解决具有高度现实意义的复杂问题做出实质性贡献。它还将有助于发展运筹学和优化等一般领域的创新方法。

The increased complexity of modern manufacturing and supply chain networks has drawn attention to the importance of logistics and transportation in engineering. Logistics deals with the efficient flow of goods from their points of production to their points of consumption. It involves the integration of several activities such as inventory, transportation, warehousing, and material handling. Among these activities, transportation is the most important in terms of costs and plays a crucial role in the social, political and economic activities of a country. For instance, in Canada the transportation industry accounted for 4.7 % of the GDP in 2009 and thus, contributed $55.8 billion to the economy (see Statistics Canada). Many companies are thus turning their attention to the optimization of their logistics and transportation networks to ensure that the products are delivered at the right time, in the right place, and at the least possible cost. The aim of this research program is to further the study and development of integrated models of facility location and network design, which lie at the heart of strategic design planning in transportation systems, namely in the airline and trucking industries. This type of decision models are also of vital interest to telecommunication firms, given the explosive growth of modern computer and voice communication networks. An important part of this program will focus on the study of new network hub location models that incorporate additional features of real applications such as congestion and reliability issues, the effects of uncertainty of demands and transportation costs, and the relaxation of classical assumptions. These hub networks are widespread used by international and national airline companies such as Air Canada, Air Transat, and WestJet. Network hub location is also a central problem for many express delivery and post operator companies such as FedEx, UPS, and Canada Post Corporation. This research program has the potential to make substantial contributions to the solution of complex problems of high practical relevance. It will also contribute to the development of innovating methodologies in the general fields of operations research and optimization.