Optimization and Simulation Modeling of Disaster Relief Supply Chain: A Literature Review

Recent natural and man-made disasters underscore the need of a resilient and agile disaster relief supply chain to mitigate the damages and save people’s lives. Optimization and simulation modeling have become powerful and useful tools to help decision makers tackle problems related to disaster relief supply chain. This paper reviews optimization and simulation models used in the field of disaster relief supply chain. We review the literature of the facility location optimization problems of disaster relief supply chain under different types of disastrous events. We review the literature of simulation models on supply chain design and disaster relief distribution operations. Finally, we propose two future research directions for disaster relief supply chain modeling

Optimization and Simulation Modeling of Disaster Relief Supply Chain: A Literature Review

Recent natural and man-made disasters underscore the need of a resilient and agile disaster relief supply chain to mitigate the damages and save people’s lives. Optimization and simulation modeling have become powerful and useful tools to help decision makers tackle problems related to disaster relief supply chain. This paper reviews optimization and simulation models used in the field of disaster relief supply chain. We review the literature of the facility location optimization problems of disaster relief supply chain under different types of disastrous events. We review the literature of simulation models on supply chain design and disaster relief distribution operations. Finally, we propose two future research directions for disaster relief supply chain modeling

Diseño y modelación de cadenas de suministro confiables

Este proyecto de investigación estudia el diseño y modelación de cadenas de suministro confiables mediante modelos de optimización genéricos mono y multi-objetivo. Se considera una cadena de suministro de tres eslabones para el desarrollo de la formulación matemática de los modelos, que finalmente tienen como objetivo la minimización de los costos del diseño, pero además teniendo en cuenta un novedoso factor muy poco estudiado en la literatura, basado en la probabilidad de que en cualquier momento el sistema de abastecimiento permanezca conectado, también conocida como confiabilidad del sistema. Se diseñaron múltiples escenarios para verificar el comportamiento de los modelos de optimización obteniendo resultados fructíferos y prometedores para futuras investigaciones.MaestríaMagister en Ingeniería Industria

Locating and Protecting Facilities Subject to Random Disruptions and Attacks

Recent events such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan have revealed the vulnerability of networks such as supply chains to disruptive events. In particular, it has become apparent that the failure of a few elements of an infrastructure system can cause a system-wide disruption. Thus, it is important to learn more about which elements of infrastructure systems are most critical and how to protect an infrastructure system from the effects of a disruption. This dissertation seeks to enhance the understanding of how to design and protect networked infrastructure systems from disruptions by developing new mathematical models and solution techniques and using them to help decision-makers by discovering new decision-making insights. Several gaps exist in the body of knowledge concerning how to design and protect networks that are subject to disruptions. First, there is a lack of insights on how to make equitable decisions related to designing networks subject to disruptions. This is important in public-sector decision-making where it is important to generate solutions that are equitable across multiple stakeholders. Second, there is a lack of models that integrate system design and system protection decisions. These models are needed so that we can understand the benefit of integrating design and protection decisions. Finally, most of the literature makes several key assumptions: 1) protection of infrastructure elements is perfect, 2) an element is either fully protected or fully unprotected, and 3) after a disruption facilities are either completely operational or completely failed. While these may be reasonable assumptions in some contexts, there may exist contexts in which these assumptions are limiting. There are several difficulties with filling these gaps in the literature. This dissertation describes the discovery of mathematical formulations needed to fill these gaps as well as the identification of appropriate solution strategies