1,720,976 research outputs found
Sustainable Operations Management for Perishable Products along Global Supply Chains
Full text linkIn the last years, together with the proliferation of quality and safety standards, the global trade of perishable products has dealt with the increasing concern of costumers on credence attributes (e.g. quality, safety, sustainability, fair trade, etc.). Consequently, supply chain actors claim for a higher compliance with such standards, as well as, for a major information disclosure on the products’ journey. From their side, researchers are called to develop sustainable solutions to handle products perishability, in order to support managers during the daily operations. Quality and safety of perishable products are affected both by the logistics operations and by the environmental conditions experienced along the supply chain. Due to the seasonality in the weather conditions, the realization of effective temperature-controlled storage and distribution operations is the most important driver to control the quality degradation and the safety decay of perishable products. However, the realization of cold chains is highly energy-intensive, negatively affecting the environmental impact of perishable products supply chains (PPSC). The new advance in IT and in traceability systems represent an opportunity for companies to implement effective cold chains, while addressing to the customer’s demand for transparency. However, although the recognized importance of information sharing for the supply chain coordination and integration, the openness toward always more global markets and the distrust of companies to share strategic information limit the collaboration among supply chain actors. Moreover, always more often companies decide to entrust the transportation and storage processes to 3PL providers, which deal with several clients and a high variety of products.
Aim of this dissertation is proposing innovative methods, models and tools aided to improve the overall performance along the supply chains for perishables products. Beyond the efficiency of the supply chain operations, the definition of ‘performance’ assumes other three dimensions: quality, safety and sustainability. The research elaborates on two research questions that narrow down the set of potential approaches to the problem to the improvement of the overall performance of perishable products distribution network and of storage operations. The research activity is developed according to a research framework, where the research questions are addressed by research levers, that are explored according to research topics. Each topic requires a specific methodology, however the overarching methodological approach presented in this dissertation includes four fundamental aspects: the minimization of the level of approximation of data in input, the use of case-study deriving from real-world instances, the use of simulation to study complex systems through their model and the role of data visualization.
Initially, this dissertation depicts the state-of-the-art of the current industrial practice in PPSC and identifies the main research trends over the last decade. The following two chapters illustrate the research activity. The first focus on the development of logistics solutions for the management of the flows of goods among the supply chain actors, and the second narrow down the research focus to the warehousing systems located within PPSC and particularly to the warehouse operations. The explored research topics lead to theoretical, methodological and practical contributions
Warehouse management system customization and information availability in 3pl companies: A decision-support tool
No full textPurpose
This paper illustrates an original decision-support tool that aids 3PL managers to decide on the proper Warehouse Management System (WMS) customization. Aim of this tool is to address to the three main issues affecting such decision: the cost of the information sharing, the scarce visibility of the client’s data, and the uncertainty of quantifying the return from investing into a WMS feature.
Methodology
The tool behaves as a digital twin of a WMS. In addition, it incorporates a set of WMS’s features based both on heuristics and optimization techniques and uses simulation to perform what-if multi-scenario analyses of alternative management scenarios. In order to validate the effectiveness of the tool, its application to a real-world 3PL warehouse operating in the sector of biomedical products is illustrated.
Findings
The results of a simulation campaign along an observation horizon of ten months demonstrate how the tool supports the comparison of alternative scenarios with the as-is, thereby suggesting the most suitable WMS customization to adopt.
Practical implications
The tool supports 3PL managers in enhancing the efficiency of the operations and the fulfilling of the required service level, which is increasingly challenging given the large inventory mix and the variable clients portfolio that 3PLs have to manage. Particularly, the choice of the WMS customization that better perform with each business can be problematic, given the scarce information visibility of the provider on the client’s processes.
Value
To the author’s knowledge, this paper is among the first to address a still uncovered gap of the warehousing literature by illustrating a decision-support tool that exploits optimization and simulation techniques to quantify the impacts of the information availability on the warehousing operations performance. As a second novel contribution, this tool enables to create a digital twin of a WMS and foresee the evolution of the warehouse’s performance over time
Chains in Chains - Logic and Challenges of Blockchains in Supply Chains
Full text linkDue to the disruptive role of the Bitcoin in the financial sector, both scholars and practitioners are increasingly wondering whether it is possible to replicate the impact of the Blockchain technology in the supply chain context. As a distributed ledger technology characterized by the decentralized consensus, Blockchain is touted by many as the proper platform to collect all the information about supply chains from the producer to the consumer. However, the current technology immaturity and the lack of successful supply chain implementations pave the way for doubt about the disruptive role of this technology in supply chains. To the authors’ knowledge, this work is one of the very first attempts to link the blockchain technology to supply chain and logistics. This paper investigates the state-of-the-art application of blockchain in supply chains, exploring both the literature and the industry initiatives, contributing to the increase of the managerial insight and providing a future research agenda
Travel time models for deep-lane unit-load autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVS/RS)
No full textAutonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems use vehicles that move horizontally along rails within the storage racks, while vertical movements are provided by lifts. The solution proposed in this paper addresses a particular system configuration that works with multiple deep storage lanes that are widely used in the food and beverage industry, characterised by large volumes of products of limited variety. The generic deep lane is single item, i.e. one stock keeping unit, and single batch, i.e. one production lot, thereby affecting the performance of the system in terms of storage capacity utilisation and throughput. Determining the number and depth of the lanes is crucial to aid the design and control of such a storage system. The aim of this paper was to support the design of AVS/RSs though a set of original analytic models for the determination of the travelled distance and time for single-command and dual-command cycles given alternative layout configurations. The models are validated by simulation and exemplified with a real-warehousing case study. The paper presents useful guidelines for the configuration of the system layout including the determination of the optimal shape ratio and the length of the lanes
Performance assessment in order picking systems: a visual double cross-analysis
No full textThe aim of this paper is to introduce a practice-ready systematic methodology for the management of storage assignments and allocation decisions as well as an assessment of the resulting performance in an order picking system (OPS). Built on extant and well-known metrics of performance this method implements a double cross-analysis through an original visual tool that is easy to understand by warehousing managers and practitioners. This tool is organized in two main steps. The first step is a cross-analysis that combines multiple performance indicators to help the decision-maker understand whether an OPS provides the scope for performance improvement. A comparison with potential storage configurations is then conducted in the second step through a tailored multi-scenario cross-analysis, which attempts to identify the best combination of allocation and assignment policies capable of minimizing the overall traveling performance. The proposed methodology is applied to a significant real-world OPS. The selected case study represents a reference framework for decision-makers and practitioners
Warehousing process performance improvement: a tailored framework for 3PL
Full text linkPurpose – Third-party logistic providers (3PLs) continuously strive for controlling and improving their
performances to gain a competitive advantage. The challenging environment where they operate is affected by
high variety in type and number of clients, the inventory mix and the demand profiles they have to meet.
Consequently, better understanding the dynamics of warehousing operations and the characteristics of the
inventory mix is critical to handle such a complexity.
Design/Methodology/approach – This paper proposes a decision-support framework, suited for 3PL
warehouse practitioners, that aids to design and implement effective and affordable activities for measuring
and improving the warehousing performances. Such goal is pursued by the framework by leading the
managers through an initial mapping and diagnosis of the system, then by developing a tailored measurement
system to track the performance, paving the way to the identification of the criticalities and the potential
improvement scenarios.
Findings – This paper presents a case study on the implementation of the proposed framework at a warehouse
of an Italian 3PL provider to introduce a new storage assignment policy and reduce the travelling time for order
picking. Furthermore, the paper exemplifies how the framework contributes to enhance the awareness of
managers on warehousing operations and the involvement of the personnel throughout the improvement
process.
Practical implication – The proposed framework can be implemented by operations managers of 3PL
warehouses who want to pursue general performance improvement projects. With respect to the case study,
this framework contributes to identify the storage assignment policy that reduces the travelling for order
picking in the observed warehouse of 8 percent in a month but is intended to address to even other areas of
improvement in 3PL warehousing environments.
Originality/value – Instead of focusing on the proper methods and models that optimize a specific task or
performance indicator, it provides a general framework that leads the managers through the decisional process,
from the preliminary diagnosis of the system, to its benchmarking, towards the implementation of corrective
and improving solutions
Transport operations in reusable package supply chains: The role of intermodality in reducing the environmental impact
No full textPurpose of this paper: This paper aims to quantify the logistics and environmental impacts reduction associated to the use of intermodality for the delivery,
collection, and transport processes of a closed-loop supply chain of reusable plastic crates for fruit and vegetable products. Design/methodology/approach:
The adopted approach focus on the optimization of the transport process, minimizing the level of approximation in the input data. To validate the proposed
approach a multi-scenario what-if analysis is performed according to the case study from the network of an Italian pooler operating in the retail supply chain
on fruit and vegetable. Results are generated through a decision support tool that aids a data-driven assessment of the storage and distribution operations
experienced by the reusable plastic crates. This tool imports the business case data instance, embeds a Geographic Information System (GIS), and
implements an accounting functionality that quantifies the travelling distance, the environmental impacts (e.g., GHGs emissions) and the costs associated to
the transport activities. Findings: We quantify the main categories of impacts among the set of accounted greenhouse gases emissions and the total
transportation costs. Results showcase a total transportation costs reduction of the 11,7% in the proposed to-be scenario, while the number of kilograms of
CO2Eq decreases by the 9,2%. Value: The original contribution of this paper lies on the research area of the investigation of closed loop supply chains
(CLSC) performance in relationships with the sustainability topic. Moreover, differently from other approach to the evaluation of the environmental impacts
(e.g. the LCA), this paper reduce the boundaries of the analysis to the transport process only, however focusing on the minimization of the level of data
approximation while enhancing the reliability of the results. Practical implications: We illustrate an approach and a support-decision tool that allow the
analysis and quantification of the costs, impacts and benefits resulting by the adoption of alternative modes of transport in a reusable packaging system.
Therefore, practical implications involve helping managers of re-usable package pooling systems in the decision-making about the adoption of intermodality.
Furthermore, the simulation tool may support fruit and vegetables producers in the decision-making process over the type of package network to implement
Design and manage deep lane storage system layout. An iterative decision-support model
No full textBlock stacking storage guarantees high storage
density for end-of-line warehouses in product flow
manufacturing systems, which are mostly diffused in food
processing and beverage industry. These storage systems,
characterized by high volumes per item and limited inventory
mix, are organized through storage deep lanes of homogeneous
items. Setting the optimal lane depths for the incoming
stock-keeping-units (SKUs) influences the overall space and
time efficiency performances, as well as the layout of the
storage zones, the selection of the proper storage modes and
equipment. This paper illustrates an original decision-support
model to (1) manage existing block storage warehouses, and
(2) to aid the design of new block storage systems from green
field. The management of a warehouse (1) deals with the
assignment of the incoming product lots to the optimal lane
depth, storage mode, and zone in a constrained and capacitated
storage environment. The design of a warehouse from
green field (2) is aided by identifying the optimal configuration
of lane depths and storage modes that minimizes the
infrastructural costs. The proposed model is formulated via
integer linear programming (ILP) and minimizes mutually
the costs generated by space and time inefficiencies. The
illustrated results obtained by its application to a real case
study from the beverage industry, candidate the model as
a tool to aid operative and strategic layout issues in deep
lane storage systems
A novel approach to the storage assignment in an order picking system
No full textPurpose – In an order picking system, storage assignment deals with the determination of the
best location of stock keeping units (SKU) and is one of the most effective strategy to control
the efficiency and minimize costs. The aim of this work is to develop of an adaptive approach
addressing storage assignment in order to minimize the total cost of travelling with a particular
focus on picking activities. The proposed approach aims to efficiently handle seasonality in the
products mix avoiding expensive periodic re-arrangements of the warehouse. Methodology –
We implement a greedy-heuristics based on SKU popularity, dynamically calculated, able to
handle seasonality and frequent inventory–mix changes as in the case of 3PL provider
warehouses. The proposed adaptive approach is embedded within a properly designed
decision support tool which uses a numerical simulation to perform multi-scenario analyses and
to validate the approach with real warehousing instances. Findings – We apply the proposed
approach with a 5,000 storage locations 3P warehouse dedicated to perishable biomedical
products. The obtained results quantify consistent reduction of the travel time for the outbound
activities. In particular, the expected travel time for the picking tours decreases of about 10%
over the observed horizon. Value – The proposed adaptive assignment policy does not require
a labor-intensive rearrangement of the storage layout, but exploit the daily incoming SKUs and
the empty storage locations to reduce day-by-day the distance between the as-is and the
desirable storage configuration. Practical implication – The proposed approach is particularly
suitable for those warehouses where the rapid response to the changing inventory mix is a
strategic lever for market positioning (e.g. 3P warehouses). Furthermore, the proposed
approach might be quickly enriched by constraints (e.g., conservation temperature) regarding
the quality and safety of the inventory along the storage cycle
Designing sustainable cold chains for long-range food distribution: Energy-effective corridors on the Silk Road Belt
Full text linkModern food production-distribution processes represent a critical stressor for the environment and for natural ecosystems. The rising flows of food across growing and consumption areas couple with the higher expectations of consumers for the quality of products and compel the intensive use of refrigerated rooms and transport means throughout the food supply chain. In order to aid the design of sustainable cold chains that incorporate such aspects, this paper proposes a mixed integer linear programming model to minimize the total energy consumption associated with the cold operations experienced by perishable products. This model is intended for food traders, logistics practitioners, retail managers, and importers collaboratively called to design and plan a cost and environmentally effective supply strategy, physical channels, and infrastructures for cold chains. The proposed model is validated with a case study inspired by the distribution of two example food products, namely fresh apples and ice cream, along the New Silk Road connecting Europe and China. The illustrated analysis investigates the effect of alternative routes and transport modes on the sustainability of the cold chain. It is found that the most energy-efficient route for ice cream is via rail over a northern route and, for apples, is via a southern maritime route, and, for these two routes, the ratios of the total energy consumed to the energy content of the food are 760 and 913, respectively. By incorporating the energy lost due to the food quality decay, the model identifies the optimal route to adopt in accordance with the shelf life and the conservation temperature of each product
- …
