An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.

Customer returns are an unavoidable and increasingly costly challenge in business operations, especially in online marketplaces. This study addresses this issue by introducing a practical multi-supplier closed-loop location-inventory problem (CLLIP) that incorporates customer returns. The objective...

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Main Authors: Hao Guo, Xiaomei Lai, Ju Guo, Ge You, Ibrahim Alnafrah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324343
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author Hao Guo
Xiaomei Lai
Ju Guo
Ge You
Ibrahim Alnafrah
author_facet Hao Guo
Xiaomei Lai
Ju Guo
Ge You
Ibrahim Alnafrah
author_sort Hao Guo
collection DOAJ
description Customer returns are an unavoidable and increasingly costly challenge in business operations, especially in online marketplaces. This study addresses this issue by introducing a practical multi-supplier closed-loop location-inventory problem (CLLIP) that incorporates customer returns. The objective of the CLLIP is to minimize overall supply chain costs by optimizing facility location and inventory management strategies. To solve this complex problem, an improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm (IHABC) is proposed, which integrates two novel search equations to generate candidate solutions during the employed bee and onlooker bee phases, effectively balancing exploration and exploitation. The performance of IHABC is evaluated against various artificial bee colony variants as well as the commercial solver Lingo. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that IHABC consistently outperforms competing methods, achieving superior solutions with the lowest mean values and optimal total cost results, while also requiring less computation time. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that IHABC consistently outperforms competing methods, achieving up to 29.97% improvement in solution quality over the standard ABC algorithm. These findings confirm that IHABC is a highly effective and efficient tool for solving the proposed CLLIP. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to provide actionable insights, enabling managers to make informed and strategic decisions in real-world supply chain operations.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-db02ea3c5cb848ef863e131c33586ec32025-08-20T03:48:27ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032434310.1371/journal.pone.0324343An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.Hao GuoXiaomei LaiJu GuoGe YouIbrahim AlnafrahCustomer returns are an unavoidable and increasingly costly challenge in business operations, especially in online marketplaces. This study addresses this issue by introducing a practical multi-supplier closed-loop location-inventory problem (CLLIP) that incorporates customer returns. The objective of the CLLIP is to minimize overall supply chain costs by optimizing facility location and inventory management strategies. To solve this complex problem, an improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm (IHABC) is proposed, which integrates two novel search equations to generate candidate solutions during the employed bee and onlooker bee phases, effectively balancing exploration and exploitation. The performance of IHABC is evaluated against various artificial bee colony variants as well as the commercial solver Lingo. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that IHABC consistently outperforms competing methods, achieving superior solutions with the lowest mean values and optimal total cost results, while also requiring less computation time. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that IHABC consistently outperforms competing methods, achieving up to 29.97% improvement in solution quality over the standard ABC algorithm. These findings confirm that IHABC is a highly effective and efficient tool for solving the proposed CLLIP. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to provide actionable insights, enabling managers to make informed and strategic decisions in real-world supply chain operations.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324343
spellingShingle Hao Guo
Xiaomei Lai
Ju Guo
Ge You
Ibrahim Alnafrah
An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
PLoS ONE
title An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
title_full An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
title_fullStr An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
title_full_unstemmed An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
title_short An improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi-supplier closed-loop location inventory problem with customer returns.
title_sort improved hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm for a multi supplier closed loop location inventory problem with customer returns
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324343
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