Implementing an insert-node heuristic travelling salesman problem: a case study to reduce the travelling cost of a medical representative

摘要

This paper develops an insert-node heuristic for solving a case study involving the travelling salesman problem (TSP), a new infants' formula company that is entering the US market. The company established one head office in each state that has some medical representatives. One representative in the state of Kansas office who is in charge of visiting maternity hospitals or clinics in 48 cities in Kansas (USA) is selected. The objective of this research paper is to find the optimal route between the 48 cities for the representative, to minimise the travelling time and cost. The contribution of this paper to the literature is that the insert-node heuristic approach is applied to the medicine and infants' formula distribution in the state of Kansas.