A Facility Location-Allocation Model for Determining Number of Depot to Distribute Material in the Rattan Furniture Industry by Considering Dynamic Demand

This paper is a study of a facility location-allocation problem in the rattan furniture industry. There are six production centers (PCs) of rattan furniture in Surakarta and its surroundings. However, their export sales are decline due to some possible problems in raw rattan distribution network from the sources centers (SCs), e.g. Borneo and Celebes Island to production centers. In the previous research, the model was expanded to support local government decide to determine optimal number of depot by consider static demand. This policy is aimed to cut the distribution channel and reduce total supply chain costs. Due to changing of global market, the demand is fluctuate. The previous model cannot anticipate this situation; consequently the local government needs a facility location-allocation model by considering dynamic demand. The objective of this research is to develop a model for supporting the local government to decide optimal number of depot by considers dynamic demand. A mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) was proposed to minimize total supply chain costs. The proposed model assumed that the demand for multiple products is known in advance. The potential raw rattan depot and source locations as well as their maximum capacities are also known. Finally, the proposed model can be used as instrument decision making to determine facility location-allocation. Keywords: dynamic demand, a facility location-allocation model, rattan industry competitiveness, total supply chain costs

Locating a bioenergy facility using a hybrid optimization method

In this paper, the optimum location of a bioenergy generation facility for district energy applications is sought. A bioenergy facility usually belongs to a wider system, therefore a holistic approach is adopted to define the location that optimizes the system-wide operational and investment costs. A hybrid optimization method is employed to overcome the limitations posed by the complexity of the optimization problem. The efficiency of the hybrid method is compared to a stochastic (genetic algorithms) and an exact optimization method (Sequential Quadratic Programming). The results confirm that the hybrid optimization method proposed is the most efficient for the specific problem. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Logistics issues of biomass : the storage problem and the multi-biomass supply chain

Biomass is a renewable energy source with increasing importance. The larger fraction of cost in biomass energy generation originates from the logistics operations. A major issue concerning biomass logistics is its storage, especially when it is characterized by seasonal availability. The biomass energy exploitation literature has rarely investigated the issue of biomass storage. Rather, researchers usually choose arbitrarily the lowest cost storage method available, ignoring the effects this choice may have on the total system efficiency. In this work, the three most frequently used biomass storage methods are analyzed and are applied to a case study to come up with tangible comparative results. Furthermore, the issue of combining multiple biomass supply chains, aiming at reducing the storage space requirements, is introduced. An application of this innovative concept is also performed for the case study examined. The most important results of the case study are that the lowest cost storage method indeed constitutes the system-wide most efficient solution, and that the multi-biomass approach is more advantageous when combined with relatively expensive storage methods. However, low cost biomass storage methods bear increased health, safety and technological risks that should always be taken into account. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Locating emergency services with priority rules: The priority queuing covering location problem

One of the assumptions of the Capacitated Facility Location Problem (CFLP) is that demand is known and fixed. Most often, this is not the case when managers take some strategic decisions such as locating facilities and assigning demand points to those facilities. In this paper we consider demand as stochastic and we model each of the facilities as an independent queue. Stochastic models of manufacturing systems and deterministic location models are put together in order to obtain a formula for the backlogging probability at a potential facility location. Several solution techniques have been proposed to solve the CFLP. One of the most recently proposed heuristics, a Reactive Greedy Adaptive Search Procedure, is implemented in order to solve the model formulated. We present some computational experiments in order to evaluate the heuristics’ performance and to illustrate the use of this new formulation for the CFLP. The paper finishes with a simple simulation exercise.Location, queuing, greedy heuristics, simulation

Design of Closed Loop Supply Chains

Increased concern for the environment has lead to new techniques to design products and supply chains that are both economically and ecologically feasible. This paper deals with the product - and corresponding supply chain design for a refrigerator. Literature study shows that there are many models to support product design and logistics separately, but not in an integrated way. In our research we develop quantitative modelling to support an optimal design structure of a product, i.e. modularity, repairability, recyclability, as well as the optimal locations and goods flows allocation in the logistics system. Environmental impacts are measured by energy and waste. Economic costs are modelled as linear functions of volumes with a fixed set-up component for facilities. We apply this model using real life R&D data of a Japanese consumer electronics company. The model is run for different scenarios using different parameter settings such as centralised versus decentralised logistics, alternative product designs, varying return quality and quantity, and potential environmental legislation based on producer responsibility.supply chain management;reverse logistics;facility location;network design;product design

Linear integrated location-inventory models for service parts logistics network design

We present two integrated network design and inventory control problems in service-parts logistics systems. Such models are complicated due to demand uncertainty and highly nonlinear time-based service level constraints. Exploiting unique properties of the nonlinear constraints, we provide an equivalent linear formulation under part-warehouse service requirements, and an approximate linear formulation under part service requirements. Computational results indicate the superiority of our approach over existing approaches in the literature

The design of cement distribution network in Myanmar : a case study of "X" cement industry

The network design problem is one of the most comprehensive strategic decision issues that need to be optimized for the long-term efficient operation of whole supply chain. The problem treated in this thesis is a capacitated location allocation planning of distribution centers for the distribution network design. The distribution network in this research is considered from plants to distribution centers and distribution centers to demand points. The research will explore the optimal number and locations of cement distribution center of “X” cement industry in Myanmar. The Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) was developed as a tool to solve optimization problem which involves 3 manufacturing plants, 6 distribution centers and 6 market regions. The data collection was done by the company. The (MILP) model provides useful information for the Company about which distribution centers should be opened and what would be the best distribution network in order to maximize profit while still satisfies the customers’ demand. In this study, we proposed three scenarios which are scenario two, six and eight. In all scenarios, the solution was to have only two distribution centers from Mandalay and Meikhtila markets are recommended to open in the distribution network