1. Introduction to hospital logistics

In recent years, the cost of healthcare has been rising steadily. Studies have shown that a significant proportion of these costs are related to hospital logistics, and that these hospital logistics costs can be significantly reduced by using best practices and optimization techniques . We are interested in optimizing logistics in a hospital department with a significant activity: laundry. One of the main concerns of this department is the organization of vehicle rounds for the collection of soiled linen and the distribution of clean linen.

In the healthcare sector, the focus has long been on medical techniques and technologies. Over the past few decades, however, healthcare costs have risen sharply, due in particular to an ageing population and increasing patient demands. The rise in costs has not been halted by "technicity". In addition, some...