A branch-and-cut method for a blood inventory-routing problem: A case study

In this paper, for the first time, blood inventory-routing problem (IRP) is defined and a mixed integer linear programming formulation is presented. To do so, the concepts of assigned inventory, transfusion to crossmatch ratio, crossmatch release period, older-first policy and order-up-to level inventory policy along with perishability considerations are incorporated into the latest inventory-routing problem formulations. The proposed model is solved to optimality using a new branch-and-cut (B&C) scheme. A new subtour identification process has been developed and incorporated into the body of the B&C approach. Moreover, a real case study for Sari community blood center (CBC) is taken into consideration. Furthermore, the superiority of the proposed model over the existent literature is indicated using numerical results. Finally, conclusion is provided and future research directions are discussed.