A survey on the inventory-routing problem with stochastic lead times and demands

The integration of the different processes and players that compose the supply chain (SC) is essential to obtain a better coordination level. Inventory control and distribution management are the two processes that researchers have identified as the key to gain or lose in efficiency and effectiveness in the field of logistics, with a direct effect on the synchronization and overall performance of SCs. In practical situations demand is often not deterministic, and lead times are also variable, yielding a complex stochastic problem. In order to analyze the recent developments in the integration of these processes, this paper analyzes the state of the art of the information management in the SC, the relationship between inventory policies and available demand information, and the use of optimization methods to provide good solutions for the problem in single and multi depot versions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.