Contribution to the Design of Digital Supply Chain Governance Concepts for Sustainable Development of Biodiesel

Biodiesel sowie Biokraftstoffe wurden in der letzten Zeit zunehmend in mehreren Vorträgen und Konferenzen diskutiert. Während viele der wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen die Produktionsprobleme, wie Effizienz, Diversifizierung und Prozesstechnologie (1, 2, 3 generation) behandelten, wurde jedoch nur in einigen davon Biodiesel aus der logistischen Perspektive betrachtet. Trotzdem stellt Biodiesel ein Problem für die logistischen Prozesse dar, so wie Anlagenplanung, Transport und Tourenplanung verbunden mit der Qualitätskontrolle entlang der Kontinuität der Rohmaterialversorgung. In einigen Entwicklungsländern ist das Management der Biodiesel-Industrie in eine Zwangslage geraten. Obwohl Entwicklungsländer gemeinsam eine nationale Behörde für das Biodiesel-Geschäft eingeführt haben, ist die Institution nach wie vor in den frühen Stadien der Standardisierung sowie Qualitätskontrolle. Derzeit gibt es keine Agentur für die Supply Chain Führung, die für die Integration des Biodiesel-Geschäftes zwischen vorgelagerten und nachgelagerten Bereiche fähig ist. In dieser Arbeit stellt der Autor eine Prozesstechnik vor, um die die Biodiesel-Industrie zu bewerten. Diese Prozedur kombiniert Geschäftsmodell/-analyse (unter Nutzung der General Electric/Mc. Kinsey Matrix), Simulation, Konzeptentwurf und ein Prototyping-System. Die Studie leistet einen wissenschaftlichen Beitrag für die Planung einer digitalen Biodiesel Supply Chain und bildet einen Rahmen für die Führung eines solchen Systems vom vorgelagertem zum nachgelagerten Bereich. Der Forscher verwendet eine ganzheitliche Betrachtung, wo Biodiesel nicht als eine gesonderte Einheit gesehen wird, aufgrund der Tatsache, dass es den Konsumenten, abhängig von unterschiedlichen Aspekten, von einer langen Kette ankommt. Um ihre Geschäfte zu managen, haben viele Unternehmen Enterprise-Resource-Planning eingeführt, aber leider waren sie nicht in der Lage die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette damit zu erreichen. Digitalisierung ist bei der Integration des Informationssystems von allen Supply Chain Mitgliedern wünschenswert. Um solch eine Idee anzupassen sowie den gesamten Prozess zu überwachen, muss ein Kontrollturm gebaut werden. In Folge dessen könnte die beste standardisierte Qualität und Nachhaltigkeit erreicht werden. Der Autor schlägt ebenso ein Übergangskonzept in der Implementierungsebene vor, aufgrund der Tatsache, dass die Supply Chain Mitglieder in der Realität keine ähnlichen Informationssystem-Standards zur Verfügung haben. Das Ergebnis der Literatur-Studien, Simulationen, Prototypenentwicklungen, theoretischen Argumente und Konzeptentwürfen präsentiert eine Digitalisierungsmuster in der Supply Chain von Biodiesel für die nachhaltige Entwicklung.Recently, biodiesel and biofuel have increasingly been discussed in several papers and conferences. However, only a few have examined biodiesel from the logistics perspective, while most of the scientific investigations have addressed the production issues, e.g. efficiency, diversification and processing technology (1st, 2nd or 3rd generation). In spite of this, biodiesel poses a problem for logistic processes, such as facility planning, transport, and routing-scheduling associated with quality control along with continuity of feedstock supply. In some developing countries, the management of the biodiesel industry has also become a predicament. Even though developed countries have commonly established a national agency in charge of the biodiesel business, the institution is still in the early stages of standardisation and quality control. Currently, there is no agency concerned with supply chain governance that is capable of integrating the biodiesel business from upstream to downstream. In this thesis, the author presents a procedural technique to assess the biodiesel industry. This procedure combines business modelling/analysis (using General Electric/Mc. Kinsey Matrix), simulation, conceptual design and a prototyping system. The study provides scientific insight for planning a digital biodiesel supply chain and proposes a framework for governing such a system from upstream to downstream. The researcher employs a holistic approach, where biodiesel is not seen as a separate entity because it comes to the consumers through a long chain dependent on various aspects. Currently, a number of companies have implemented Enterprise-Resource-Planning to manage their businesses, but unfortunately, they have not been able to reach the entire value chain. Digitalisation is desirable when integrating the Information Systems of all supply chain members. A control tower must be built to accommodate such an idea and monitor the entire process. Then, the best standardised quality and sustainability can be achieved. The author also offers a transition concept in the implementation level, because, in reality, the members in the supply chain have no similar Informastion-System standard. The results from literature studies, simulations, prototyping, theoretical arguments, and conceptual design present a digitalisation pattern in the biodiesel supply chain for sustainable development

The Freight Technology Story: Intelligent Freight Technologies and Their Benefits

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Joint Program Office (JPO) work collaboratively with private industry to identify technologies that improve efficiency and productivity, increase global connectivity, and enhance freight system performance. FHWA and JPO also support their testing and evaluation in the field. Independent evaluation of technology performance, costs, and benefits is a key part of DOT's efforts. This report shares information about the state of the art and the adoption of intelligent freight technologies by industries and their customers. Specifically, the report discusses the innovation and implementation processes for intelligent freight technologies, triggers for and barriers to deployment, the types of intelligent freight technologies and their benefits, and field operational test results. Today, intelligent freight technologies are used to improve freight system efficiency and productivity, increase global connectivity, and enhance freight system security against common threats and terrorism. These technologies are currently deployed in several areas: 1) asset tracking, 2) on-board status monitoring, 3) gateway facilitation, 4) freight status information, and 5) network status information

The future of the logistics industry in the European Union : an outlook to 2032 supported by current and upcoming market trends

This work project develops an outlook for the future of the logistics industry in the EU until 2032 and provides strategic recommendations for logistics managers. An analysis of the transactional and contextual environment is conducted based on primary and secondary research to generate future scenarios. The stability of the geopolitical and economic landscape and the density of the technology network are identified as critical uncertainties. Based on that, future scenarios are developed. Strategic short- and long-term options are recommended for different scenarios. Finally, early indicators are developed, helping industry stakeholders to monitor the environment and anticipate which scenario unfolds

Investigating the impact of big data analytics on supply chain operations: case studies from the UK private sector

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel UniversityIn the era of increasing competitive pressure and pace of changing demand, volatility and disturbance have become the standard in today’s global markets. The spread of Covid-19 is a prime example of this. Supply chain (SC) managers are urged to rethink their competitive strategies and to identify ways to offer personalised products and services through making use of advanced technologies. With many SC executives recognising the role of data exploitation in improving performance, big data analytics (BDA) has become a salient factor for all kinds of organisations to increase efficiency and gain competitive advantage. Extant research in supply chain management (SCM) has provided limited understanding of strategic SC decision-making concerning BDA. Moreover, inquiry in this area is still poor in relation to providing a conceptual framework that illustrates the potential benefits of BDA utilisation in the SCO context. This study aims to investigate the real impact of BDA implementation in this context. A theoretical framework is developed to explain the motives behind adopting BDA in SCO along with the potential benefits of implementing BDA in SCO. Multiple case studies are the strategy utilised to collect qualitative data in order to gain detailed and in-depth understanding of the BDA as a new phenomenon in the context of SCOs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a cross-sectional time horizon across four different industries. Institutional theory and Task-Technology fit theories are utilised to provide better understanding regarding how and why firms adopt BDA as a novel technology, along with the drivers and opportunities of this technology utilisation. The empirical findings reveal that BDA is still in its infant stage, but it is a growing area which has recently been given more attention by scholars and managers. There is a disconnect between the hype and knowledge discussed in the literature and the real practice of BDA. That is, the current state of BDA use is relatively fragmented and rhetoric in discussion among practitioners and researchers. The main contribution of this study is breaking-down the process of BDA utilisation in order to evaluate its implementation in the SCO context by drawing upon a wide range of existing literature regarding BDA and SCO, in addition to present conceptual framework explaining the potential impact of BDA implementation through presenting BDA utilisation drivers, BDA capabilities, and its role in solving different issues

Rebranding Umhlanga as an intelligent city.

Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The notion of the ‘intelligent city’ has gained popularity over the last two decades in the urban realm. It is an urban movement towards creating cities which are more adaptable to the fast-paced changes and associated challenges of 21st century cities, with much emphasis on technology. Thus, this study emphasises the importance of researching the case study of Umhlanga as an Intelligent City within a localised context of a developing country, due to the varying adjustment capabilities of ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries to respond to 21st century city challenges, effectively. The aim of this study was to establish the extent to which Umhlanga embodies the principles of the intelligent city, in response to the traditional city challenges of the 21st century. The main theories which were explored for the purpose of this study included: New Urbanism, an urban design notion which is sustainability-centred, promoting mixed-use activities within a compact-city design; Nodal Development, a spatial restructuring tool which aims to purposefully encourage development in earmarked areas as outlined in municipal integrated development plans (IDP) in a bid to minimise the developmental gap between areas of high development and areas with development disadvantages; Neoliberalism, a governmental policy which gives the market the upper-hand in determining supply and demand, by the government playing a facilitative role whilst the private sector invests directly into developments, thereby creating the necessary and highly dependent-on public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the success of the intelligent city, and; the Non-Place Urban Realm looks at the Umhlanga Ridge Town Centre’s ability to offer itself twofold – as a physical meeting place well-equipped for face-to-face encounters, as well as its presence as a non-physical realm through the necessary infrastructures which allow for cross-boundary transactions which occur via cyberspace and ICTs. A mixed-method research approach was adopted throughout this research paper. Secondary data sources which were explored included journal articles, books, municipal documents such as eThekwini’s IDPs and the URTC design framework; whilst the primary sources included a snowball approach to key-informant interviews, questionnaires, GIS mapping and general observations. The main findings of this paper render the Umhlanga Ridge New Town Centre as an intelligent city within a localised context, based on the New Urbanism and Non- Place Urban realm theories, aligned with Hollands’ three framing principles of the intelligent city: Infrastructure-based Services; Social Inclusion, Learning and Development, and; Business-led Urban Development. The recommendations for this research includes a new technology which has not yet been adopted in the URNTC, but has been implemented in parts of Durban’s CBD, referred to as Light Pole Installations (LPI). These LPIs will ultimately provide ultra-fast cellular communication, ultra-fast Wi-Fi to local traffic environments, and give Wi-Fi connectivity to the public environment. Moreover, it is proposed that stricter parking measures be adopted within the Town Centre so as discourage the use of the automobile between such short distances and optimise the benefit of the New Urbanism design which does put much of its emphasis on walkability within the precinct, as sustainability is a major drive of the intelligent city