Improving the service of urban logistics through a web-platform solution: efficiency strategies from operative analysis

Urban logistics is an inefficient sector whose externalities directly impact city residents. A significant portion of this inefficiency stems from the lack of comprehensive IT systems capable of managing logistics services at all stages, leading to suboptimal transportation management. This study proposes an innovative web-app platform designed to address the needs of logistics companies, aiming to enhance operational efficiency through a high degree of customization and flexibility. The platform was introduced to logistics companies, allowing their specific needs and requirements for such tool to emerge. Real-world case studies allowed for the identification of two main optimization approaches: single-day route optimization and multi-day delivery strategies. These approaches address two critical levels of service improvement: enhancing daily operations to maximize efficiency in customer service and implementing multi-day strategies for broader logistical optimization. The single-day optimization aligns with the extensive literature on vehicle routing problems, where heuristic algorithms were analyzed for their stability and practicality in real-world scenarios. A hybrid approach combining constructive and improvement heuristics demonstrated the ability to reduce route cost increases by up to 5\% in certain cases. On the other hand, multi-day delivery strategies proved essential for optimizing resource allocation over extended time periods. By abstracting and replicating key characteristics of logistics companies—varying in size and demand intensity (from low to high)—synthetic models were developed to simulate diverse operational contexts. The findings were framed within a multi-criteria decision-making framework, emphasizing their relevance for implementing sustainable logistics solutions.