Hi there,
As you might have read: with version 1.19.0 of the Route Optimization Optiflow we now offer the possibility to define both Start and End location of a vehicle open (no longer mandatory).
| Api | VarVersion | Type | Date | Description |
|---|
| Route Optimization OptiFlow API | 1.11.0 | FEATURE | 27.01.2025 | The end location of a vehicle is no longer required. The route of a vehicle without an end location ends at the location of the last stop. |
| Route Optimization OptiFlow API | 1.19.0 | FEATURE | 02.09.2025 | The start location of a vehicle is no longer required. The route of a vehicle without a start location starts at the location of the first stop. |
These scenarios are helpful in various stories, e.g.
- Parcel Delivery: often the drivers return back to the depot / home should not be part of the optimization as this leg does not contribute with real costs (DeliveryOrders combined with PickupOrders) .
- Students transport : when picking students in the morning and dropping them of at multiple schools (PickupDelivery orders) the drivers way from the home location to the 1st pickup task shouldn't be considered (therefore vehicle.Start.LocationId=null) and also the leg from the final school to the homebase (vehicle.End.LocationId=null). In the afternoon the scenario is flipped when the trips start at a school and end at the last student.
 - Roundtrip : vehicle.Start.LocationId=depot.locationId, vehicle.End.locationId=depot.locationId
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 - Open Start : vehicle.Start.LocationId=NULL, vehicle.End.locationId=depot.locationId
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 - OpenEnd : vehicle.Start.LocationId=depot.Id, vehicle.End.locationId=NULL
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 - Completely open : vehicle.Start.LocationId=NULL, vehicle.End.locationId=NULL
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With these 4 scenarios I gathered the following results (left to right: roundtrip, openEnd, openStart, open both):
- The utilization : you can see that the completely open structure allows the engine to schedule all the orders within the given timeframe as neither tour from a fixed start nor end limits the sky.
- The total costs of the 4 results : in this example the total costs are extremely high compared to the others as not all orders haven't been scheduled and therefor contribute with high outsourcing costs.
