The elaboration of an efficient distribution strategy involves steps like determination of warehouse number and its location, the strategy of inventory products allocation in each warehouse and elaboration of routes for products distribution, from warehouses to points of sale. Due the complexity involving each one these steps, decisions have been done in a hierarchical and sequential way. This traditional approach conduces to sub-optimal solutions, since the problem is divided in sub-problems and each sub-problem solution affect the others. This paper proposes a single model for solve the warehouse location and centralization of inventories problems in a simultaneous mode and proposes a heuristic algorithm for the problem based on evolutionary approach. Proposed model was applied on a real problem involving the re-planning of a drugstore network, showing its technical viability.
Logistics; warehouse location; centralization of inventories; modeling
