A novel hybrid artificial intelligence-based decision support framework to predict lead time

Inventory and routing are the two most important elements to company's survival in supply chain environments. Hence, solution approaches of inventory routing problem (IRP) should assure adequate inventory level and also provide an efficient route. In this case, hybrid approaches can empower researchers to solve the IRP. The aim of this study is to develop a new hybrid methodology that includes two phases to provide a generic framework for IRP. In Phase I, genetic algorithm-based simulation optimisation is used to dynamically perform inventory control and routing decisions. In Phase II, artificial intelligence (AI)-based simulation in which the lead time of supply chain members is predicted is employed to extend the functionality of the method in Phase I. The proposed hybrid methodology gives insights into the cross-fertilisation of AI, simulation, and optimisation for researchers. Therefore, this integration can be applied to different supply chain problems by using similar methods.