Minimum Cost Delivery of Multi-item Orders in E-Commerce Logistics

We solve a delivery problem arising in e-commerce logistics. We consider a retailer with an online store and a network of stores operating in an omni-channel strategy. The fulfillment decision for an online order, which contains a number of items, involves the allocation of these items to the stores where they are available and the selection of one store for consolidation of the items into the final package to be dispatched to the customer. The transportation between the stores and the customer is handled by a third-party logistic provider which uses a concave pricing policy based on the distance between the origin and the destination, as well as on the weight of the items. We present an online problem which is defined for a set of orders placed over time, and a mixed integer programming formulation defined for each order. The main characteristics of this problem are that the solution of the formulation for each order impacts those of the subsequent orders, and the problem must be solved in real time. For the solution of the formulation, we propose an iterative matheuristic based on the solution of the set covering model and local search. Computational results on randomly generated instances are provided, which demonstrate that our algorithm is capable of producing high-quality results

An assessment of the sustainability of E-fulfilment models for the delivery of fast moving consumer goods to the home

Online retail sales are growing rapidly and have captured a significant proportion of the retail market in many countries. Although companies are under mounting pressure to reduce their environmental impact, the environmental effect of the different online distribution strategies remains unclear. Most previous studies of this subject have only included partial effects and consequences. To enable a more holistic understanding, this study proposes a more inclusive framework of environmental assessment based on life cycle analysis. This was applied to fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). Previous studies have shown that the last mile delivery contributes significantly to the environmental impact of online retailing, mainly because of the nature of the home delivery operations, including narrow time windows and short order lead times. If consumers were to buy products online on a subscription basis and give the supplier more control over the replenishment process there might be less need for fast deliveries, creating opportunities to improve the efficiency of home deliveries and reduce their environmental impact. The study classified different forms of subscription arrangement, assessed their relative attractiveness to consumers and examined their likely impact on the supply chain. Consumer views on subscriptions were surveyed by means of focus group discussions and interviews. To assess the likely supply chain impacts of subscriptions, the literature on vendor-managed inventory was consulted. A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) model was built to quantify and compare the environmental impact of various e-fulfilment models for FMCG products in the United Kingdom. This study reveals that the method of execution have a large influence on the environmental impact. In store-based retailing, the energy consumption within the supermarket is a significant contributor to the total greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, some forms of home delivery, involving for example the use of parcel networks with no pre-agreed time-slots and relatively high rates of delivery failure and customer collection, are also carbon-intensive. This contribution of consumer trips to the total footprint is much smaller in case of van-based deliveries where pre-agreed time-windows are used. Regardless of the business model, the total carbon footprint per item depends heavily on the number of items per delivery. Consequently, companies or consumers looking to decrease the environmental impact of online shopping should maximise the number of items per delivery. The study concludes with an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses and possible environmental improvements of each of the efulfilment methods, taking account of the possible role of subscriptions

Food System and Food Security Study for the City of Cape Town

Food insecurity is a critical, but poorly understood, challenge for the health and development of Capetonians. Food insecurity is often imagined as hunger, but it is far broader than that. Households are considered food secure when they have “physical and economic access to sufficient and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (WHO/FAO 1996). Health is not merely the absence of disease, but also encompasses good nutrition and healthy lifestyles. Individuals in a food insecure household and/or community are at greater risk due to diets of poor nutritional value, which lowers immunity against diseases. In children, food insecurity is known to stunt growth and development and this places the child in a disadvantaged position from early on in life. Any improvement in the nutritional profile of an individual is beneficial and as the family and community become more food secure, the greater the benefit. It further reduces the demand on health services. In the Cape Town context, food insecurity manifests not just as hunger, but as long term consumption of a limited variety of foods, reduction in meal sizes and choices to eat calorie dense, nutritionally poor foods in an effort to get enough food to get by. Associated with this food insecurity are chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency, particularly among young children, and an increase in obesity, diabetes and other diet related illnesses. Food insecurity is therefore not about food not being available, it is about households not having the economic or physical resources to access enough of the right kind of food. The latest study of food insecurity in Cape Town found that 75 percent of households in sampled low-income areas were food insecure, with 58 percent falling into the severely food insecurity category. Food insecurity is caused by household scale characteristics, such as income poverty, but also by wider structural issues, such as the local food retail environment and the price and availability of healthy relative to less healthy foods. The City of Cape Town therefore commissioned a study based on the following understanding of the food security challenge facing the City. “Food security or the lack thereof is the outcome of complex and multi-dimensional factors comprising a food system. Therefore, food insecurity is the result of failures or inefficiencies in one or more dimensions of the food system. This necessitates a holistic analysis of the food system that than can provide insights into the various components of the system, especially in our context as a developing world city.” The call for a food system study sees the City of Cape Town taking the lead nationally, being the first metropolitan area to seek to engage in the food system in a holistic manner and attempting to understand what role the city needs to play in the food system. The City must work towards a food system that is reliable, sustainable and transparent. Such a system will generate household food security that is less dependent on welfarist responses to the challenge. In this context, reliability is taken to mean stable and consistent prices, the nutritional quality of available and accessible food, and food safety. Sustainability means that the food system does not degrade the environmental, economic and social environment. Finally, transparency refers to the legibility of the system and its control by the state and citizens

Strategies for getting produce into corner stores

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-71).Availability of fresh, healthy produce for low-income people is a growing concern for advocates and public officials concerned with health disparities and diet-related disease. Healthy corner store conversions are a promising strategy to address issues of food access. To be successful, conversion programs must address the challenges of sourcing and selling produce. As a perishable product, produce requires store owner to possess significant skills and infrastructure for proper management. Additionally, corner stores face a supply chain increasingly structured for large supermarkets and must balance the often-competing factors of small scale, affordability, and quality. Finally, programs must consider how to appropriately serve and engage communities to ensure financial viability and maximize health impacts. This thesis explores strategies to improve the provision of produce through corner stores through a review of reports, literature, and practice. Central to these approaches are the goals of increased efficiency and affordability and long-term sustainability. Several corner store programs have demonstrated the possibility for making money through produce sales using a holistic approach that engages community members and provides training and assistance to store owners. Supply strategies range from cooperative purchasing, shared docking with larger stores or institutions, convincing wholesalers to accommodate smaller orders, and developing new distribution infrastructure that integrates small stores into the local food system. This work concludes with key lessons for corner store programs seeking to improve produce supply practices and infrastructure. The discussion also includes opportunities for actors in produce supply and distribution to capture this emerging market and support food access efforts.by Angela J. Hadwin.M.C.P

Integrating sensors data in optimization methods for sustainable urban logistic

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

An assessment framework to support collective decision making on urban freight transport

This paper proposes a framework that supports the collection and classification of information about the features of a city relevant to Urban Freight Transport (UFT). The information is organized in a framework of 28 different layers that are then stored in a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool to enable efficient data retrieval and effective information graphical display. The resulting GIS tool thus represents a decision support system for UFT problems, providing decision makers and stakeholders with a wide range of easy to understand information aimed to support the identification and preliminary evaluation of UFT solutions. Moreover, by providing a standardized set of features and sources of information, the framework enables the comparison of different cities. To illustrate the benefits, prototypical real-scale tests based on the framework have been realized in two mid-sized European cities: Bergamo (North of Italy) and Luxembourg. For both cities, data were mainly collected from publicly available sources and organized according to the framework. The data and information collected have been used in collaboration with the stakeholders in order to identify the priorities of intervention and evaluate alternative UFT solutions. The real-scale applications confirmed the usability and effectiveness of the framework in engaging stakeholders and support the process of envisioning shared UFT solutions

The impact of B2B marketing on refrigeration industry : case study of Olitrem S.A and own brand Marecos

All of us, consumers of a large scale of products in our daily lives, are constantly being influenced by marketing strategies, often without realizing it. The strength of marketing in consumers has not gone unnoticed in the business world and the applicability of marketing in a business-to-business context has been gaining more and more space impacting customers and suppliers. Knowing that industrial equipment is unlikely to trigger emotions on its own, it is up to companies to create a business network where the value is recognized far beyond the product being purchased. The study was produced aiming to understand the external and internal vision of the company Olitrem and of the Industrial Refrigeration market where is inserted. It begins with the literature review of various themes related to strategic marketing; followed by a detailed analysis of the company and of the market in which operates; then, a market study is applied to customers in different segments and to members of the management in order to be able to cross data and draw conclusions that are finally presented together with several suggestions for future studies. About 8 phone calls were made with members of management from different departments to clarify internal and external points of view and online surveys were also conducted. For these, 8 members of the company were included (100% of response rate) and a total sample of 150 distribution channels customers received the survey but just 89 responses were obtained and from these, only 68 were considered valid.Todos nós, consumidores diários de produtos em grande escala, somos constantemente influenciados por estratégias de marketing, muitas vezes sem perceção de tal. A força do marketing nos consumidores não passou despercebida no mundo negocial empresarial e a aplicabilidade do marketing num contexto business-to-business tem vindo a ganhar cada vez mais espaço, impactando clientes e fornecedores. Reconhecendo que um equipamento industrial dificilmente gera emoções por si só, cabe às empresas criar uma rede de negócio em que o valor seja reconhecido muito além do produto que está a ser adquirido. Este estudo foi elaborado com o objetivo de compreender a visão externa e interna da empresa Olitrem e do mercado de refrigeração industrial onde se insere. O mesmo começa com a revisão literária contendo vários temas relacionados com marketing estratégico; seguida de uma análise detalhada da empresa e do mercado em que atua; continua com a aplicação do estudo de mercado feito os clientes do canal de distribuição de diferentes segmentos e aos membros da direção; terminando com o cruzamento dos dados obtidos que permitem a elaboração de conclusões que serão apresentadas em conjunto com diversas sugestões para estudos futuros. Foram realizadas cerca de 8 chamadas telefónicas com gestores de diferentes áreas da empresa para esclarecimento de pontos de vista internos e externos. Foram ainda realizados inquéritos online a 8 membros da empresa (100% de taxa de resposta) e a uma amostra total de 150 clientes, tendo sido obtidas 89 respostas, mas, após verificação, apenas 68 foram consideradas válidas

Where\u27s the beef labeling?: a policy proposal concerning red meat

The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) 1990, required all foods regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have nutritional information labels directly on the product. Red meat is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is not subject to the NLEA. Red meat nutrition labeling was voluntarily until 2009, and even with the changes in the regulations most red meat still does not have to have a nutrition label directly on the package. Red meat has been linked to obesity, which is a serious health problem in the United States. This thesis argues that red meat should be have nutrition labels directly on the packaging just like the foods regulated by the FDA. Four policy proposals are proposed to accomplish this, including the best solution, which is to give all the regulatory authority for nutrition labeling to the FDA