Multi-objective optimization of a transportation network of a HMSC

In this paper, we investigated a transportation network of a tri-layer Halal meat supply chain (HMSC) in which Halal meat transportation process was monitored by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication system to ensure safety and integrity of Halal meats. This monitoring system is subject to an extra cost in investment that needs to be taken into account. Thus, a multi-objective linear programming model (MOLPM) was developed aiming to minimize the total cost in transportation and number of transportation vehicles and maximize the service level in product quantity as requested by abattoirs and retailers. The facility location-allocation problem in farms, abattoirs and retailers needs also to be addressed in relevance to the quantity flow of products from farms to abattoirs and from abattoirs to retailers. The utility function method was employed to obtain Pareto-optimal solutions and the global criterion method was used for searching the most suitable Pareto solution by minimizing the distance to its ideal objective value. The research work shows that the developed model can be useful for supply chains design through a case study based on numerical results.