Notation and classification for logistic network design models

This paper presents a notation and a classification system for the design models of logistic network. Our notation consists of three fields (analogous to Graham’s α | β | γ notation for scheduling problems). The proposed notation is applied for several articles from the literature. We focus on multi-period models with deterministic and stochastic demands. The proposed notation is based on three criteria corresponding to the main characteristics of the logistic networks: the structure (field α ), the management rules (field β ) and the performance criteria (field γ ). A description of solution methods, datasets and results is also provided. Most articles deal with deterministic, multi-level models and only few of them include the international aspect of logistics, lead-times or subcontracting. Datasets used to test the methods are randomly generated by the authors and have different sizes. The heuristic methods are most commonly used.