Tweaker: An Ant Colony Algorithm for solving the Time Window Assignment Vehicle Routing Problem with Uncertain Demand

This thesis considers the Time Window Assignment Vehicle Routing Problem (TWAVRP) with uncertain demand. This problem extends the well known Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) by including demand scenarios and by requiring the placement of an additional time window within the ordinary time windows. A demand scenario speci_es for each customer a realization of demand. The additional time window must be placed such that expected costs across demand scenarios are minimized. An Ant Colony algorithm is developed that can solve this problem for medium to large instances within a reasonable computation time.