A methodology for routing material flows in logistics under node load constraints and differentiated cargo value

This article examines approaches to developing an effective universal methodology for operational route planning and material flow processing in various logistics networks with limited node processing capacity, enabling economically justified rejection of low-profitability cargo shipments when bottlenecks occur. A mathematical model is proposed in the form of an integer optimization problem with an objective function that includes costs of accumulating transport batches, node processing costs (with a nonlinear penalty for exceeding capacity), savings from transit without processing, as well as the opportunity cost of rejecting transportation. An iterative heuristic algorithm (dynamic stabilization method) is used for solution, fixing load coefficients at each step and redistributing flows until convergence. The model developed by the author uniquely combines a nonlinear penalty for node overloading (incorporated directly into the objective function) with the possibility of selectively excluding low-profitability shipments. The methodology is invariant to the mode of transport and can be used for planning operations at classification yards, warehouses, ports, and terminals, as well as for justifying investments in expanding infrastructure processing capacity. In contrast to the current regulatory documents of Russian Railways, where the overload penalty is introduced only as a temporary computational device and excluded from the final assessment, while all flows are considered mandatory for handling, the proposed methodology allows ranking cargo flows by value and making economically justified decisions to reject transportation under resource scarcity conditions, which is particularly relevant during peak periods.

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