Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique

<i>Background:</i> This study aimed to identify the most widespread performance objectives for the vehicle routing problem, the degree of comparative importance attributed to each of these performance objectives in the opinion of professionals in the logistics area working in Brazil and...

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Main Authors: Alice Vasconcelos Nobre, Caio Cézar Rodrigues Oliveira, Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes, André Cristiano Silva Melo, Gil Eduardo Guimarães, Rosley Anholon, Vitor William Batista Martins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Logistics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/2/32
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author Alice Vasconcelos Nobre
Caio Cézar Rodrigues Oliveira
Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes
André Cristiano Silva Melo
Gil Eduardo Guimarães
Rosley Anholon
Vitor William Batista Martins
author_facet Alice Vasconcelos Nobre
Caio Cézar Rodrigues Oliveira
Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes
André Cristiano Silva Melo
Gil Eduardo Guimarães
Rosley Anholon
Vitor William Batista Martins
author_sort Alice Vasconcelos Nobre
collection DOAJ
description <i>Background:</i> This study aimed to identify the most widespread performance objectives for the vehicle routing problem, the degree of comparative importance attributed to each of these performance objectives in the opinion of professionals in the logistics area working in Brazil and also relate them to aspects of sustainability considering environmental, economic and social issues. <i>Methods:</i> To this end, a literature review was carried out in the area and a survey was developed with professionals through a structured questionnaire. The collected data were treated using the TOPSIS multi-criteria technique. <i>Results:</i> The results indicate that the performance objectives in route plans “level of service”, “total number of vehicles” and “total distance travelled” are the ones that, in the opinion of the professionals participating in the research, have greater importance in the planning and elaboration of plan routes and that such objectives directly impact the sustainable results of a given organization. <i>Conclusions:</i> The results can serve as a basis for researchers in the area who aim to broaden the debates on this topic and for logistics operations managers who work directly with planning and elaboration of route plans and who aim to make their operations more sustainable. Therefore, this research addresses the literature gap by identifying which performance objectives should be considered in the elaboration of route plans and how they relate to sustainability guidelines. It is noteworthy that no other study with a similar objective was identified in the literature.
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issn 2305-6290
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spelling doaj-art-c707563b1ced447883a8545d7bbfe4732025-08-20T03:57:47ZengMDPI AGLogistics2305-62902022-05-01623210.3390/logistics6020032Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS TechniqueAlice Vasconcelos Nobre0Caio Cézar Rodrigues Oliveira1Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes2André Cristiano Silva Melo3Gil Eduardo Guimarães4Rosley Anholon5Vitor William Batista Martins6Production Engineering Course, State University of Pará, Castanhal 68745-000, BrazilProduction Engineering Course, State University of Pará, Castanhal 68745-000, BrazilDepartment of Production Engineering, State University of Pará, Castanhal 68745-000, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Technology, Natural Resources and Sustainability in the Amazon (PPGTEC/CCNT/UEPA), Department of Production Engineering, State University of Pará, Belém 66095-015, BrazilProduction Engineering Course, Universidade de Cruz Alta, Cruz Alta 98005-972, BrazilFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-860, BrazilPostgraduate Program in Technology, Natural Resources and Sustainability in the Amazon (PPGTEC/CCNT/UEPA), Department of Production Engineering, State University of Pará, Belém 66095-015, Brazil<i>Background:</i> This study aimed to identify the most widespread performance objectives for the vehicle routing problem, the degree of comparative importance attributed to each of these performance objectives in the opinion of professionals in the logistics area working in Brazil and also relate them to aspects of sustainability considering environmental, economic and social issues. <i>Methods:</i> To this end, a literature review was carried out in the area and a survey was developed with professionals through a structured questionnaire. The collected data were treated using the TOPSIS multi-criteria technique. <i>Results:</i> The results indicate that the performance objectives in route plans “level of service”, “total number of vehicles” and “total distance travelled” are the ones that, in the opinion of the professionals participating in the research, have greater importance in the planning and elaboration of plan routes and that such objectives directly impact the sustainable results of a given organization. <i>Conclusions:</i> The results can serve as a basis for researchers in the area who aim to broaden the debates on this topic and for logistics operations managers who work directly with planning and elaboration of route plans and who aim to make their operations more sustainable. Therefore, this research addresses the literature gap by identifying which performance objectives should be considered in the elaboration of route plans and how they relate to sustainability guidelines. It is noteworthy that no other study with a similar objective was identified in the literature.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/2/32vehicle routing problemsustainabilityTOPSIS
spellingShingle Alice Vasconcelos Nobre
Caio Cézar Rodrigues Oliveira
Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes
André Cristiano Silva Melo
Gil Eduardo Guimarães
Rosley Anholon
Vitor William Batista Martins
Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
Logistics
vehicle routing problem
sustainability
TOPSIS
title Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
title_full Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
title_fullStr Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
title_short Analysis of Decision Parameters for Route Plans and Their Importance for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study Using the TOPSIS Technique
title_sort analysis of decision parameters for route plans and their importance for sustainability an exploratory study using the topsis technique
topic vehicle routing problem
sustainability
TOPSIS
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/2/32
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