333 research outputs found
Discrete-event simulation in logistics and supply chain management: a scientometric perspective
No full textThis paper has been designed in the form of a systematic literature review intended for evaluating the state-of-the-art of discrete-event simulation (DES) usage in the logistics and supply chain management fields under a scientometric perspective. With this primary aim in mind, 127 papers published between 2009 and 2022 are analysed, with the specific purposes of: 1) providing an overview of DES studies in logistics and supply chain management, map the main topics covered within this stream of literature and their evolution in time; 2) providing a robust ranking of the journals and authors in the field; 3) evaluating the rigor in the implementation of DES models in the logistics and supply chain management literature; and finally 4) correlating, through statistical elaborations, all the previous aspects to the success of these papers, measured as the citations received per year, taking inspiration from scientometric disciplines
Minimization of the environmental emissions of closed-loop supply chains: A case study of returnable transport assets management
Get PDFThis study investigates the issue of minimizing the environmental burden of a real closed-loop supply chain (CLSC), consisting of a pallet provider, a manufacturer and several retailers. A simulation model is developed under Microsoft ExcelTM (Microsoft Corporation, Washington, US) to reproduce the flow of returnable transport items (RTIs) in the CLSC and to compute the corresponding environmental impact. Multi-objective optimization, including some relevant environmental key performance indicators (KPIs), is then carried out exploiting the commercial software ModeFRONTIERTM (ESTECO S.p.A., Trieste, Italy), to determine the settings that minimize emissions of the CLSC. In addition, economic and strategic metrics are taken into account in the optimization, to make the analysis more comprehensive. Three scenarios are considered (one "base" scenario and two scenarios examined in a sensitivity analysis) with different relative importance assigned to the metrics subject to optimization. Results show that the asset retrieving operations contribute to the environmental impact of the system to the greatest extent, mainly because of the quite relevant distance between Company A and its customers. Conversely, emissions due to the purchase of new assets contribute to the total environmental impact of the system to a very limited extent. Because the analysis is grounded on a real CLSC, the results are expected to provide practical indications to logistics and supply chain managers, to minimize the environmental performance of the system
Dare voce alle parole: le ricorsività sonore nei Menaechmi dalla pagina alla scena
No full textLo sforzo di riportare una commedia plautina dalla dimensione letteraria a quella mostrativa comporta un'indagine della commedia in qualità di testimonanza scritta di un'oralità perduta. La varietà dei procedimenti stilistici atti ad ottenere l'espressività sonora e musicale della parola 'tradisce' l'originaria dimensione performativa e porta ad intravedere una pronunzia 'scenica' (che condiziona in alcuni casi le scelte ecdotiche del filologo stesso). Le figure di suono, quali 'marcatori' di oralità, si riconoscono essere presenti in modo preponderante in snodi drammaturgici importanti, parendo quindi un effetto teatrale funzionale ad attivare l'attenzione del pubblico. In un spettacolo contemporaneo si pone quindi il problema di rendere questi espedienti tecnici: verranno portati alcuni esempi delle soluzione attuate da una compagnia teatrale di Urbino, La resistenza della poesia, come quella di vertere lo stile sonoro plautino attraverso l'adozione di linguaggi televisivi e filmici, onde ricreare l'originaria oralità, ma in un diverso contesto storico
Sustainability of retail store processes: an analytic model for economic and environmental evaluation
No full textThis study proposes a model to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of retail stores. The model was developed under Microsoft Excel and reproduces the main retail store processes (i.e. product receiving, backroom storage, sales area management and return management) in quantitative terms. As input, the model takes several data about these processes; as output, it provides an evaluation of the total cost and CO2 emissions of the store. The application of the model to a real case, referring to a large-scale retail store of Italy, and the discussion of the key results obtained is presented for all the processes considered. The outcomes show that the most relevant environmental impact and the highest total cost are generated by the sales area management process. Conversely, the return management process contributes to the total cost to a limited extent. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to highlight the key aspect managers should focus on to improve the sustainability of the retail store. The results obtained provide useful guidelines for store managers to optimize the sustainability of their internal processes
The evolution of RFID technology in the logistics field: A review
No full textThe RFID technology is a focal issue in discussions involving stakeholders, manufacturers and customers. The interest towards this technology is confirmed by the considerable development of RFID technology in logistics initiatives. The goal of this paper is to increase researchers' and practitioners' knowledge on the usage of RFID technology in logistics field. To achieve this aim, this paper presents the results of a systematic literature review carried out on 129 scientific contributions which have dealt with this topic. The data was collected from the Scopus database. Microsoft ExcelTM was used for descriptive statistics. The results of this review give some key learning of the trends of the use of RFID technology on logistics field and also provide a background for future research related to the fields
Enabling technologies, application areas and impact of industry 4.0: A bibliographic analysis
No full textThe demand for shorter delivery time, more efficient and automated processes, higher quality and customized products have driven companies towards the fourth industrial revolution. This study aims to contribute to the state of the art by evaluating the main application fields of Industry 4.0 and analyzing the enabling technologies used in these fields. To this end, a bibliographic analysis for Industry 4.0 was first conducted by searching relevant papers with the support of the Scopus database (www.scopus.com). Then, an overview on Industry 4.0 was performed with the purpose to deeply understand the context of this study. Finally, the attention moved on the identification of the enabling technologies and the main application areas of Industry 4.0. These latter, as they emerged from the literature, appear to be Logistics 4.0, Automotive, Smart home and Agriculture 4.0
Fashion Supply Chain: a literature review to define the trends of research (2012-2019)
No full textDue to the high challenges to face and the current market evolution towards an ever faster fashion, the fashion supply chain has been the subject of several studies proposed in literature, with different facets and topics treated. In order to identify the main trends and issues of research, since the aspects at stake are several and different, the aim of this study is to present results from a literature review carried out in 118 scientific papers published between 2012 and 2019 resulting from a very simple query with a unique search term: “fashion supply chain”. Descriptive statistics (i.e. year of publication and country of the study) and qualitative aspects (i.e. category of topic and keywords’ analysis) were investigated. Sustainability, as well as the development of models aiming at different optimizations methods and the implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tools turned out to be much debated within the field in question, whilst enabling technologies resulting from the Industry 4.0 paradigm appear as less common, probably due to the time span under investigation
A survey analysis on sustainable practices in cold supply chains
No full textDue to their peculiarities, certain goods require specific storage and distribution conditions. For instance, fruits and vegetables as well as dairy products, fresh meat, frozen or pharmaceutical products must be stored and transported in controlled temperature conditions. This involves the use of refrigerated facilities and trucks that consume large quantities of energy and are responsible of huge emissions. Consequently, the so-called cold supply chains have drawn attention with regards to their sustainability perspective both during the design and management phases. In line with that, the present work aims at presenting some preliminary results from a survey analysis carried out in Italy on thirteen companies operating in this specific field, investigating their sustainability practices. Among the main findings brought out, for instance, it emerged that investments in recycled building materials (considered of low-quality) are (still?) not considered by companies, as well as the usage of alternative fuels for transports; moreover, the use of intermodal transport is rather lacking. Overall, there is great room for improvement from the sustainability perspective of cold supply chains
A hybrid metaheuristic routing algorithm for low-level picker-to-part systems
Get PDFAn application of an adapted Harmony Search (HS) algorithm is proposed in this study in order to minimize manual warehouses’ pickers travel distance. Firstly, the distance matrix has been determined through a hybrid algorithm, and then HS is used to compute the pickers' travel distance, developing a MATLAB® simulation model. This model performance is tested on twenty-five scenarios, resulting from variable length of the order pick lists and different manual storage configurations. Thirty picklists are evaluated for each scenario, for a total of 750 simulations. The results provided by the algorithm, compared with those returned by a metaheuristic algorithm and two heuristic routing policies, suggest that HS provides better outputs results than the remaining algorithms. The algorithm is also very efficient from a computational perspective; as order picking is an operational decision, the short computational time allows the pickers route to be defined even in real-time if needed
Economic and environmental sustainability of a large-scale retail store
No full textThis study investigates the issue of sustainability evaluation in a large-scale retail store (RS), which carries out four main different processes, i.e. Receiving, Backroom storage, Sales area management and Reverse logistics. A computational model is developed under Microsoft ExcelTM to assess the costs and the CO2 emissions of the RS. The application of the model is presented for a reference process (i.e. the Receiving process), while for the remaining processes, we present and discuss only the main results obtained. We found that the highest environmental impact and total cost are due to the Sales area management process, while Reverse logistics contributes to the total cost to a limited extent. The results obtained can provide useful guidelines for RS managers when pondering the optimization of sustainability
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