Analysis of the characteristics and applications of vehicle routing systems

El ruteo de vehículos, permite establecer una estrategia para realizar la distribución adecuada de las mercancías, en los diferentes puntos en los cuales lo desee una organización. Esto se logra, a través del diseño de rutas para una flota de vehículos determinada; ya sea homogénea o heterogénea. El estudio de este problema de ruteo, como ha sido considerado, se ha clasificado en diferentes sistemas, de acuerdo a las condiciones del entorno en el cual se desean aplicar. Sin embargo, no todas las tipologías son conocidas a cabalidad por las organizaciones o investigadores, debido a su reciente desarrollo o su poco nivel de aplicación. Es por ello, que en la presente investigación, se plantea realizar un análisis de las características y aplicaciones de los tipos de sistemas de ruteo de vehículos, a través de una revisión bibliográfica de trabajos previos, con el propósito de brindar información sólida y concisa a futuros investigadores. La metodología empleada, conlleva principalmente a una investigación de tipo cualitativa, en la cual se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en bases de datos del problema planteado de los últimos cinco años. A partir de esto, fue posible establecer que durante este período de tiempo, las publicaciones en este campo, presentaron un incremento de aproximadamente el doble, evidenciando el aumento en el interés por el tema objetivo.The vehicle routing allows to establish a strategy for the proper distribution of goods in different points at which you want an organization. This is achieved through the design of routes to a particular fleet vehicle; either homogeneous or heterogeneous. Studying this routing problem, as has been seen, has been classified into different systems, according to the environmental conditions in which is applied. However, not all types are known at all by the organizations or researchers, due to its recent development or some application level. That is why, in this research, we propose an analysis of the characteristics and applications of the types of systems vehicle routing through a literature review of previous works, in order to provide solid and concise information to future researchers. The methodology used primarily involves qualitative research type, in which a systematic search was performed in databases of the problem of the past five years. From this, it was possible to establish that during this period, the publications in this field, showed an increase of about twice, showing increased interest in the subject target

Vendor Managed Inventory for Multi-Vendor Single-Manufacturer Supply Chain: A Case Study of Instant Noodle Industry

This paper develops a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) model for a multiple-vendor, single-manufacturer supply chain, in which the first stage members can be traders and/or producers and the second stage member is a manufacturer. The model utilizes a realistic transportation cost which is dependent on the sizes (small- or medium-sized) of trucks. It can determine suitable sizes and numbers of trucks that minimize the transportation cost. A genetic algorithm (GA) technique, implemented in MATLAB software, is used to determine the best solution to the problem. A case study in the instant noodle industry is conducted to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model. Based on the experimental results, the VMI model has reasonable behaviors using sensitivity analysis. To reduce the inventory level of raw materials, the penalty cost may be set at a relatively high level or the upper inventory limits may be set at relatively low levels, without significantly affecting the average total cost per period of the entire supply chain. When the vendors are allowed to make decision independently, the solution is still the same as the solution from the proposed VMI model, which means that the manufacture does not take advantage of the vendors

Vendor Managed Inventory: why you need to talk to your supplier

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) from an inter-organisational perspective. Extant literature on VMI tends to investigate the concept from a focal perspective, even though VMI has originally been born as a collaborative arrangement. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review and an empirical study. It provides a comprehensive literature review on VMI and an illustrative case study of a supplier and a buyer jointly implementing VMI. Findings The findings of this paper are twofold. First, a literature review uncovers that contemporary research has delimited the analysis of VMI to a focal company perspective as current VMI cost models tend not to capture the picture of the complete supply chain. Second, it demonstrates through an illustrative case study that adoption of an inter-organisational approach to VMI is vital if companies are to optimize their buyer-supplier relationships. Research limitations/implications Future research should test the implications proposed in the empirical section, as this piece of research can be seen as exploratory case study research with the aim of analytical generalizations. Practical implications The inter-organisational VMI cost perspective in supply chains should be emphasized in purchasing departments since such a perspective significantly raises the awareness of the costs incurred in a supply chain. Originality/value Existing research has not explicitly focused on inter-organisational costs incurred by companies implementing VMI. This study seeks to bridge this research gapPeer Reviewe

Benefits of retailer-supplier partnership initiatives under time-varying demand:a comparative analytical study

This paper aims to help supply chain managers to determine the value of retailer-supplier partnership initiatives beyond information sharing (IS) according to their specific business environment under time-varying demand conditions. For this purpose, we use integer linear programming models to quantify the benefits that can be accrued by a retailer, a supplier and system as a whole from shift in inventory ownership and shift in decision-making power with that of IS. The results of a detailed numerical study pertaining to static time horizon reveal that the shift in inventory ownership provides system-wide cost benefits in specific settings. Particularly, when it induces the retailer to order larger quantities and the supplier also prefers such orders due to significantly high setup and shipment costs. We observe that the relative benefits of shift in decision-making power are always higher than the shift in inventory ownership under all the conditions. The value of the shift in decision-making power is greater than IS particularly when the variability of underlying demand is low and time-dependent variation in production cost is high. However, when the shipment cost is negligible and order issuing efficiency of the supplier is low, the cost benefits of shift in decision-making power beyond IS are not significant

VMI-type Supply Chains: a Brief Review

The primary purpose of this paper is to highlight for the research community and practitioners the various aspects of using VMI-type supply chains in today’s business environment as well as a number of directions for future studies. In this regard, fifty articles published in major international journals, beginning in 1995, which contribute to the VMI-type supply chains are reviewed via a systematic review methodology. Our findings show there is an incremental growth in employing of VMI strategies in logistic and supply chains. This paper characterizes the design aspects required to configure and establish a VMI-type supply chain in the industry including demand pattern, number of products, contract type between two parties, and profit sharing scheme. Moreover, the current gaps on the current state of VMI-type supply chain in literature are highlighted in last section of this paper that may motivate future studies

Examining lean practices on warehouse performance: a study on electrical and electronics manufacturing industry

Literature has recognized lean production and lean warehouse as prominent manufacturing philosophies that are based on customer-focused process improvements. To further enhance customer satisfaction, many Electrical & Electronics (E&E) manufacturers are turning to lean manufacturing practices to increase their business performance. However, numerous studies argued that the theory and practice show inconsistent results between lean practices and warehouse performance. In the Malaysian context, few researches have been conducted on lean warehouse practices in E&E manufacturing, notably in Penang; where concentration on manufacturing warehouse is high. Therefore, this study sought to establish the inter-relationship of lean warehouse practices of standardization, supplier network, quality at source and inventory management and MNC’s customer satisfaction, underpinned by the Resource-Based View (RBV). A quantitative and the crosssectional research design were adopted, and one hundred and fifty-two research questionnaires were administered to managers/executives in Penang. A valid response of one hundred and twenty-seven questionnaires was obtained and the data was analyzed using the SPSS and Smart PLS. From the research outcome, the hypothesized relationship between lean practices of standardization and warehouse’s customer satisfaction was supported. Secondly, the hypothesized relationship between lean practices of supplier network and warehouse’s customer satisfaction was supported. Thirdly, the hypothesized relationship between lean practices of quality at source and warehouse’s customer satisfaction was also supported. Finally, however, the hypothesized relationship between lean practices of inventory management and warehouse’s customer satisfaction was not supported. Theoretical and applied implications, as well as recommendations and future research are discussed in this study

Inventory Routing Problem in Perishable Supply Chains: A Literature Review

Context: This paper presents a literature review of the Inventories Routing Problem (IRP) applied to supply chains of perishable products. Different approaches to solve this problem are identified and described in terms of structures, models and solution methods.  Method: A systematic literature review is conducted searching in different bibliographic databases and selecting the most relevant studies within the period 2004 to 2017. The results are analyzed so as to propose a taxonomy to classify and compare the different approaches proposed to address this problem. Results: We identified that the majority of studies consider heuristic-based algorithms to solve the problem. Because of its computational complexity the methods resort to metaheuristics and mateheuristics combined with exact methods. Regarding the application to specific supply chains of perishable products, they refer mostly to processed foods, medicines, and human blood. The constraints that differentiate this problem from other types of IRP are useful life and deterioration. Conclusions: The conditions and particularities of the supply chain of perishables products imply the need to consider new variables, parameters, constraints and objective functions; in the reviewed studies it is not clearly defined the differences involved when considering the perishability of the products in the supply chain. Future research should take into account the multiple ways in which deterioration is carried out with factors such as temperature, light, oxygen, humidity and in some cases microorganisms. Also include in the models the cold chain, hygiene standards, air pollution, emissions of greenhouse gases, generation of waste, occupation of roads and other aspects related to City Logistics and Green Logistics

El Problema de Ruteo e Inventarios en Cadenas de Suministro de Perecederos: Revisión de Literatura

Context: This paper presents a literature review of the Inventories Routing Problem (IRP) applied to supply chains of perishable products. Different approaches to solve this problem are identified and described in terms of structures, models and solution methods. Method: A systematic literature review is conducted searching in different bibliographic databases and selecting the most relevant studies within the period 2004 to 2017. The results are analyzed so as to propose a taxonomy to classify and compare the different approaches proposed to address this problem.Results: We identified that the majority of studies consider heuristic-based algorithms to solve the problem. Because of its computational complexity the methods resort to metaheuristics and mateheuristics combined with exact methods. Regarding the application to specific supply chains of perishable products, they refer mostly to processed foods, medicines, and human blood. The constraints that differentiate this problem from other types of IRP are useful life and deterioration.Conclusions: The conditions and particularities of the supply chain of perishables products imply the need to consider new variables, parameters, constraints and objective functions; in the reviewed studies it is not clearly defined the differences involved when considering the perishability of the products in the supply chain. Future research should take into account the multiple ways in which deterioration is carried out with factors such as temperature, light, oxygen, humidity and in some cases microorganisms. Also include in the models the cold chain, hygiene standards, air pollution, emissions of greenhouse gases, generation of waste, occupation of roads and other aspects related to City Logistics and Green Logistics. Contexto: Revisión de literatura del problema de ruteo e inventarios (IRP) aplicado a las cadenas de suministro de productos perecederos. Se identifican y describen los diferentes enfoques en cuanto a estructuras, modelos y métodos de solución.Método: Se realiza una revisión sistemática de la literatura en diferentes bases de datos bibliográficas y se plantea una taxonomía que clasifica las características de los estudios, lo anterior durante el período comprendido entre 2004 y 2017Resultados: Se encuentra que la mayoría de algoritmos propuestos son de carácter heurístico. Debido a complejidad computacional inherente al problema, se usan metaheurísticas y mateheurísticas combinadas con métodos exactos. Se aplican principalmente en alimentos, medicamentos y sangre humana. Las restricciones que diferencian de otros tipos de IRP son las de periodo de vida útil y deterioro.Conclusiones: Las condiciones y particularidades de la cadena de suministro de perecederos hace necesario que se planteen nuevas variables, parámetros, restricciones y funciones objetivo; por otro lado, en los estudios revisados no se establecen diferencias claras al involucrar la perecibilidad de los productos en los modelos. Las futuras investigaciones deberán tener en cuenta las múltiples maneras en las cuales se lleva a cabo el deterioro con factores como la temperatura, la luz, el oxígeno, la humedad y en algunos casos los microorganismos; asimismo, incluir en los modelos la cadena de frío, normas de higiene, contaminación del aire, emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, generación de residuos, ocupación de vías y demás aspectos relacionados con city logistics y green logistics.

Exploring Customers\u27 Perceptions of Third Party Maintenance, Repair, and Operating Programs

A survey of 25 industrial manufacturing organizations in the U. S. indicated that 70% of respondents experienced dissatisfaction with their outsourcing programs due to unfulfilled expectations, which caused negative continuance intentions. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the experiences of customers who currently use 3PMRO outsourcing programs to determine what factors affect satisfaction levels in the Southern United States. The conceptual framework for this study was the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm, which connects consumer satisfaction level to the fulfillment of consumer expectations. Data were collected from interviews of 22 procurement professionals of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; observations of 3PMRO supplier performance meetings; and the analysis of performance scorecard documents. Data were analyzed using pattern matching followed by thematic analysis. Three themes were identified through the data analysis that affected consumer satisfaction: inventory management services, utilization of outsourced labor resources, and total cost value of the 3PMRO program. According to results, satisfaction of 3PMRO consumers are based on the proper utilization of a 3PMRO program for the intended limitations of the organization, reduced MRO supply costs, improved inventory management strategies, and improved competitive advantage from the realignment of resources to focus on core competencies. Implications for positive social change include increased awareness of cradle-to-grave inventory management to prevent improper disposal of non-biodegradable materials into our environment