Simultaneous control of vehicle routing and inventory for dynamic inbound supply chain

This paper investigates inbound logistics for an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) manufacturer, who aims at short production time and JIT policy. In such a case, it can be argued that the inbound vehicle routing schedule should be combined with incoming parts inventory control. In this paper, we propose a simultaneous control method of combining vehicle scheduling and inventory control for such dynamic inbound logistics. For the transportation control, a vehicle routing system, in which delivery jobs are made with shipments of one supplier, is proposed to generate a vehicle routes plan by considering production start time, travel time, waiting time, and loading/unloading time. To evaluate the performance of the generated vehicle routing plan, a goal model is also developed by considering vehicle operating cost, stock level exceeding penalty, and transportation efficiency. A generated vehicle routing plan can be rejected when the stock level is over the capacity and an appropriate number of vehicles for its manufacturing environment can be determined. Using real data from an LCD firm, a simulation study is conducted. The simulation results indicate that the simultaneous control approach requires fewer vehicles than the existing system and shows better efficiency of transportation. This method can also be used to determine the appropriate incoming part inventory level or the number of vehicles required in dynamic inbound logistics.close0

Definition of a model for continuous evaluation of supplier performance: case study from the automotive battery industry

As in modern business world purchasing is increasingly perceived as a strategic function, firms are called to further develop their vendor management system (VMS). The extant literature highly testifies this trend, with a plethora of studies conducted on different purchasing processes in different industries. Surprisingly enough, the highly regulated automotive industry seems to have received less attention from scholars. In the last decades, industry standards played a crucial role in assisting automotive companies to achieve high levels of quality, efficiency, and risk mitigation. However, a radical transformation shaped by new trends such as autonomous cars, urban mobility, emerging markets, connectivity, and electrification is currently changing the automotive industry at a fast pace. In this context, the application of well-stablished industry standards poses additional challenges to companies operating in such evolving context. The goal of this study was to investigate the relevant criteria adopted by manufacturing companies to evaluate the performance of current suppliers in the context of the rapidly growing automotive lithium-ion battery (LIB) industry. This study also unveiled the relative importance of the different performance criteria by examining the weights given to each criterion placed in a linear weighting model. The identified criteria were then used to design a performance evaluation system that could have been adopted by the case company that collaborated in this research. This study was executed as a case study in collaboration with a case company operating in the fast-paced automotive LIB industry. To gather data, an extensive literature review including the automotive quality management standard IATF 16949:2016 was carried out. In addition, information from selected senior professionals within the case company was retrieved by conducting questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. The empirical findings of this study unveiled that quality, delivery and service, price/cost, and sustainability are the most relevant metrics for evaluating the performance of active suppliers in the automotive LIB industry. Furthermore, this study confirms the primary importance of quality and price/cost metrics, while it finds that the delivery and service performance of suppliers are less relevant than their performance in safety and sustainability. These findings underpin the well documented increasing importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a key metric in purchasing and supply management (PSM), especially for supplier selection, supplier monitoring, and supplier development. This thesis also provided a framework to be used for the development of vendor ratings, as well as it defined a roadmap for the implementation of a system to evaluate the performance of suppliers. In particular, the developed vendor ratings were defined by applying the linear weighting model and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Even though the defined roadmap could not be implemented within the scope of this study, its definition resulted to be particularly important for the case company, as it highlighted recommended short-term and long-term actions which were presented and discussed with the representatives of the company. Furthermore, the defined roadmap can be beneficial for the case company to meet the stringent requirements of IATF 16949:2016. Overall, the vendor ratings defined in this study offer interesting insights for future deployment and development of the supplier performance measurement

Diseño de estrategias logísticas para impulsar la competitividad del sector de distribución en Colombia al año 2050 a partir de herramientas prospectivas

91 páginasEl nivel económico y social de un país depende en gran parte de su competitividad, concepto que comprende las condiciones que otorgan ventajas comerciales a los países, regiones, industrias o empresas. La competitividad se ve afectada por la capacidad de disponer medios de soporte a la economía, tales como infraestructura, telecomunicaciones y políticas públicas, que brinden un escenario favorable para ser eficientes, manteniendo bajos los costos de disponer bienes y servicios tanto al interior como al exterior de un país. Esta investigación propone realizar un estudio prospectivo sobre el sistema logístico colombiano de distribución, que genere estrategias que definan las condiciones para un mejor funcionamiento del mismo. El trabajo cuenta con las generalidades del proyecto, donde se sustentan las razones por las cuales existe la necesidad de este tipo de investigaciones en Colombia y los objetivos que se proponen lograr, seguido de una explicación de los conceptos claves y de la metodología que se aplica. A continuación, se inicia el desarrollo de la investigación con la identificación de las acciones que se llevan a cabo en la actualidad en miras de mejorar el desempeño logístico, seguido del diseño de las estrategias logísticas empleando un análisis estructural, conformando un espacio morfológico y evaluando las opciones con ayuda de un proceso analítico jerárquico

The management of the logistical supply chain drivers in Sowetan small businesses

The performance of small businesses contribute substantially to the South African economy. In recent years the South African Government has prioritised the development of township retail industries by implementing numerous initiatives. The primary objective of this study was to determine how formal independent small retail businesses in Soweto manage their logistical supply chain drivers, namely facilities, inventory and transportation, in terms of responsiveness and cost-efficiency in order to survive. The logistical supply chain drivers should not only be managed as a cohesive unit, but also be aligned with the orientation of the selected supply chain strategy, in terms of responsiveness and cost-efficiency. During 2014, a quantitative survey was conducted among 650 formal independent small Sowetan businesses of which the responses of 556 retailers were analysed in terms of responsiveness and cost-efficiency. The study also investigated the role of the relevant industry group in the management of the logistical supply chain drivers by the business owners. The data was analysed and tested by the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Pearson Chi-square test and factor analyses were performed. Two binary logistic regression models were developed to determine the influence of the management of the logistical supply chain drivers on the small retailers’ odds of survival. The results showed that the small retailers manage facilities and inventory focused more towards responsiveness, whereas transportation is managed focused on either cost-efficiency or responsiveness. The study concluded that age and growth in income can predict the odds of survival for small businesses.Business ManagementM. Com. (Business Management