A design science approach for a hub and spoke transportation network considering hub failure

In recent years, due to rapid economic growth and factors such as pandemics, the risk of hub failure in logistics networks has increased, hindering the normal operation of logistics networks. This paper starts from the perspective of logistics enterprises, considering the impact of hub failure on the normal operational activities and logistics costs, with the aim to improve the globality, long-term sustainability, and to reduce logistics costs. It studies the optimization design of hub-and-spoke logistics networks. Taking the logistics industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as the research background, 13 cities in the region are selected as research examples to form a hub-and-spoke logistics distribution network for the urban agglomeration. The paper constructs and analyzes the hub-and-spoke distribution network under different parameter conditions when hub failure occurs. The problem model is solved using the particle swarm optimization algorithm, and the results verify the feasibility of the model and algorithm proposed in this paper. The research has profound implications for the further development of the management system and the perfection of the hub-and-spoke logistics distribution network under hub failure.