Inventory management and vehicle routing problems are logistic challenges that can significantly influence the efficiency and effectiveness of supply chain operations. Handling both jointly is even more challenging when considering the number of customers to be served and the length of the time horizon. This problem was introduced in 1983 by Bell et al. and is known as the Inventory Routing Problem (IRP) and aims to find a minimum-cost solution that address both inventory and transportation problems simultaneously. This thesis tackles the IRP and introduces a new variant that is closer to a real logistic scenario by incorporating a heterogeneous vehicle fleet and batch delivery, among others. For that, three approaches are considered: a mathematical formulation, an iterative decomposition algorithm over periods and a metaheuristic embedding a Split algorithm adapted to the IRP as well as a post-optimization step.

Jury members
- Marie-Ange Manier, Rapporteure, Professeure des Universités, Université de Technologie de Belfort Montbéliard, France
- Caroline Prodhon, Rapporteure, Professeure des Universités, Université de Technologie de Troyes, France
- Alexandre Xavier Martins, Examiner, Profesor Associado, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil
- Laurent Deroussi, Invited member, Maître de Conférences HDR, Université Clermont Auvergne, France
- Philippe Lacomme, Supervisor, Professeur des Universités, Université Clermont Auvergne, France
- Katyanne Farias, Co-supervisor, Maîtresse de Conférences, Université Clermont Auvergne, France
- Manuel Iori, Co-supervisor, Professore Ordinario, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy.