A robust optimization approach to closed-loop supply chain network design under uncertainty

The concern about significant changes in the business environment (such as customer demands and transportation costs) has spurred an interest in designing scalable and robust supply chains. This paper proposes a robust optimization model for handling the inherent uncertainty of input data in a closed-loop supply chain network design problem. First, a deterministic mixed-integer linear programming model is developed for designing a closed-loop supply chain network. Then, the robust counterpart of the proposed mixed-integer linear programming model is presented by using the recent extensions in robust optimization theory. Finally, to assess the robustness of the solutions obtained by the novel robust optimization model, they are compared to those generated by the deterministic mixed-integer linear programming model in a number of realizations under different test problems. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.