Abstract

This paper proposes discrete spider monkey optimization with dynamic multiple populations for a vending machine column optimization problem. For beverage vending machines, there is a need to reduce the number of vending machine restocking trips in order to tackle challenges of increasing fuel costs and decreasing the number of drivers. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the sell-out period of products in the vending machines to achieve the extension. It is possible to extend the period by selecting an appropriate product to each column in vending machines. The vending machine column optimization problem is a combinatorial optimization problem aimed at finding the optimal combination of columns for selling products. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed through a comparison with conventional methods.