Designing sustainable cold chains for long-range food distribution: Energy-effective corridors on the Silk Road Belt

Modern food production-distribution processes represent a critical stressor for the environment and for natural ecosystems. The rising flows of food across growing and consumption areas couple with the higher expectations of consumers for the quality of products and compel the intensive use of refrigerated rooms and transport means throughout the food supply chain. In order to aid the design of sustainable cold chains that incorporate such aspects, this paper proposes a mixed integer linear programming model to minimize the total energy consumption associated with the cold operations experienced by perishable products. This model is intended for food traders, logistics practitioners, retail managers, and importers collaboratively called to design and plan a cost and environmentally effective supply strategy, physical channels, and infrastructures for cold chains. The proposed model is validated with a case study inspired by the distribution of two example food products, namely fresh apples and ice cream, along the New Silk Road connecting Europe and China. The illustrated analysis investigates the effect of alternative routes and transport modes on the sustainability of the cold chain. It is found that the most energy-efficient route for ice cream is via rail over a northern route and, for apples, is via a southern maritime route, and, for these two routes, the ratios of the total energy consumed to the energy content of the food are 760 and 913, respectively. By incorporating the energy lost due to the food quality decay, the model identifies the optimal route to adopt in accordance with the shelf life and the conservation temperature of each product

Tedarik zinciri optimizasyon çalışmaları: Literatür araştırması ve sınıflama

Supply chain planning is an integrated process in which a group of several organizations, such as suppliers, producers, distributors and retailers, work together. It comprises procurement, production, distribution and demand planning topics. These topics require taking strategical, tactical and operational decisions. This research aims to reveal which supply chain topics, which decision levels, and which optimization methods are mostly studied in supply chain planning. This paper presents a total of 77 reviewed works published between 1993 and 2016 about supply chain planning. The reviewed works are categorized according to following elements: decision levels, supply chain optimization topics, objectives, optimization models.Tedarik Zinciri, tedarikçiler, üreticiler, dağıtıcılar ve toptancılar gibi bir grup organizasyonu birleştiren entegre bir süreçtir. Tedarik, üretim, dağıtım ve talep planlama konularını içerir. Bu konular stratejik, taktik ve operasyonel kararlar almayı gerektirir. Bu araştırma tedarik zinciri planlamasında hangi tedarik zinciri konularının, hangi karar/planlama seviyelerinin ve hangi optimizasyon metotlarının literatürde en çok çalışıldığını göstermektedir. Çalışma 1993 ve 2016 yılları arasındaki tedarik zinciri planlama konusundaki 77 adet çalışmanın incelenmesine ait sonuçları sunmaktadır. İncelenen çalışmalar şu kriterlere gore kategorize edilmiştir: karar seviyesi, tedarik zinciri optimizasyon konuları, amaçlar, optimizasyon modelleri

A Metaheuristic Based Approach for the Customer-Centric Perishable Food Distribution Problem

The CNRST has awarded H. El Raoui an excellence scholarship. D. Pelta acknowledges support from projects TIN2017-86647-P (Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness. Including FEDER funds) and PID2020-112754GB-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation).High transportation costs and poor quality of service are common vulnerabilities in various logistics networks, especially in food distribution. Here we propose a many-objective Customercentric Perishable Food Distribution Problem that focuses on the cost, the quality of the product, and the service level improvement by considering not only time windows but also the customers’ target time and their priority. Recognizing the difficulty of solving such model, we propose a General Variable Neighborhood Search (GVNS) metaheuristic based approach that allows to efficiently solve a subproblem while allowing us to obtain a set of solutions. These solutions are evaluated over some non-optimized criteria and then ranked using an a posteriori approach that requires minimal information about decision maker preferences. The computational results show (a) GVNS achieved same quality solutions as an exact solver (CPLEX) in the subproblem; (b) GVNS can generate a wide number of candidate solutions, and (c) the use of the a posteriori approach makes easy to generate different decision maker profiles which in turn allows to obtain different rankings of the solutions.CNRSTSpanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness TIN2017-86647-PEuropean Commission TIN2017-86647-PSpanish Government PID2020-112754GB-I0

Green supply chain quantitative models for sustainable inventory management: A review

[EN] This paper provides a systematic and up-to-date review and classification of 91 studies on quantitative methods of green supply chains for sustainable inventory management. It particularly identifies the main study areas, findings and quantitative models by setting a point for future research opportunities in sustainable inventory management. It seeks to review the quantitative methods that can better contribute to deal with the environmental impact challenge. More specifically, it focuses on different supply chain designs (green supply chain, sustainable supply chain, reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chain) in a broader application context. It also identifies the most important variables and parameters in inventory modelling from a sustainable perspective. The paper also includes a comparative analysis of the different mathematical programming, simulation and statistical models, and their solution approach, with exact methods, simulation, heuristic or meta-heuristic solution algorithms, the last of which indicate the increasing attention paid by researchers in recent years. The main findings recognise mixed integer linear programming models supported by heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms as the most widely used modelling approach. Minimisation of costs and greenhouse gas emissions are the main objectives of the reviewed approaches, while social aspects are hardly addressed. The main contemplated inventory management parameters are holding costs, quantity to order, safety stock and backorders. Demand is the most frequently shared information. Finally, tactical decisions, as opposed to strategical and operational decisions, are the main ones.The research leading to these results received funding from the Grant RTI2018-101344-B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe". It was also funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) / Scholarship Program/Doctorado Becas en el Extranjero/2020 72210174.Becerra, P.; Mula, J.; Sanchis, R. (2021). Green supply chain quantitative models for sustainable inventory management: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 328:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129544S11632

A Novel Location-Inventory-Routing Problem in a Two-Stage Red Meat Supply Chain with Logistic Decisions: Evidence from an Emerging

This study focuses on a specific method of meat production that involves carcass purchase and meat production by packing facilities with a novel two-stage model that simultaneously considers location-routing and inventory-production operating decisions. The considered problem aims to reduce variable and fixed transportation and production costs, inventory holding cost and the cost of opening cold storage facilities. The proposed model encompasses a two-stage model consisting of a single-echelon and a three-echelon many-to-many network with deterministic demand. The proposed model is a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model which was tested with the general algebraic modelling system (GAMS) software for a real-world case study in Iran. A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the effect of retailers' holding capacity and supply capacity at carcass suppliers. In this research, the number of products transferred at each level, the number of products held, the quantity of red meat produced, the required cold storage facilities and the required vehicles were optimally specified. The outcomes indicated a two percent (2%) decrease in cost per kg of red meat. Eventually, the outcomes of the first and second sensitivity analysis indicated that reduced retailers' holding capacity and supply capacity at carcass suppliers leads to higher total costs. This research proposes a novel multi-period location-inventory-routing problem for the red meat supply chain in an emerging economy with a heterogeneous vehicle fleet and logistics decisions. The proposed model is presented in two stages and four-echelon including carcass suppliers, packing facilities, cold storage facilities and retailers.N/

Modelación matemática en estudio de agro-cadenas: una revisión de literatura

The agricultural sector is the fundamental axis that moves the world economy, it allows the generation of agricultural and livestock products to supply small and large cities. In underdeveloped countries, the participation of industry and academia is necessary to strengthen production systems, this based on the injection of technology, as well as the transfer and appropriation of knowledge in the sector. An approach used to strengthen the sector is the study of agricultural supply chains (agro-chains) based on mathematical modeling, that allows data processing and facilitates strategic, tactical or operational decision-making. We conducted a review of the literature on the application of mathematical models in the study of agricultural chains during the last 20 years. The study concludes that there is a fairly great interest by the academic-scientific community to strengthen the agricultural sector in different countries such as the United States, Brazil, India and the Netherlands, among others. Stochastic simulation models are used in 36% of the consulted works, allowing complex problems involving uncertainty in data behavior to be addressed. Also, in 70% of the works consulted, heuristic models are used to solve design and distribution problems in agro-chains, and the remaining 30% require the use of metaheuristics because they require solving problems with multiple responses given the complexity of the data. Mathematical modeling has become a very useful tool for solving latent problems in agro-chains, it facilitates data processing and complex decision-making, mainly during chain design, product supply and control of costs, delivery times and environmental impacts, among other important variables.El sector agrícola es el eje fundamental que mueve la economía del mundo, permite la generación de productos agrícolas y pecuarios para el abastecimiento de pequeñas y grandes ciudades. En los países subdesarrollados es necesaria la participación de la industria y la academia para el fortalecimiento de los sistemas productivos, esto a partir de la inyección de tecnología, así como la transferencia y apropiación de conocimiento en el sector. Un enfoque usado para el fortalecimiento del sector, es el estudio de las cadenas de suministro agrícolas (agro-cadenas) a partir de la modelación matemática, la cual permite el tratamiento de datos y facilita la toma de decisiones de orden estratégico, táctico y/o operativo. En el presente trabajo se realizó una revisión de literatura sobre la aplicación de la modelación matemática en el estudio de las Agro-cadenas durante los últimos 20 años. Se concluye del estudio que, existe un interés bastante grande por la comunidad académico-científica por fortalecer el sector agrícola en diferentes países como Estados Unidos, Brasil, india y Holanda entre otros. En el 36% de los trabajos consultados se emplean modelos de simulación estocástica, permitiendo abordar problemas complejos que involucran incertidumbre en con comportamiento de los datos. Además, en el 70% de los trabajos consultados, se utilizan modelos heurísticos para resolver problemas de diseño y distribución en agrocadenas, y el 30% restante requiere el uso de meta-heurísticas porque requieren resolver problemas con múltiples respuestas dada la complejidad de los datos. La modelación matemática se ha convertido en una herramienta de gran utilidad para la solución de problemas latentes en la agro-cadenas, facilita el tratamiento de datos y la toma de decisiones complejas, principalmente durante el diseño de cadena, el abastecimiento de producto y control de costos, tiempos de entrega e impactos ambientales, entre otras variables importantes.El sector agrícola es el eje fundamental que mueve la economía del mundo, permite la generación de productos agrícolas y pecuarios para el abastecimiento de pequeñas y grandes ciudades. En los países subdesarrollados es necesaria la participación de la industria y la academia para el fortalecimiento de los sistemas productivos, esto a partir de la inyección de tecnología, así como la transferencia y apropiación de conocimiento en el sector. Un enfoque usado para el fortalecimiento del sector, es el estudio de las cadenas de suministro agrícolas (agro-cadenas) a partir de la modelación matemática, la cual permite el tratamiento de datos y facilita la toma de decisiones de orden estratégico, táctico y/o operativo. En el presente trabajo se realizó una revisión de literatura sobre la aplicación de la modelación matemática en el estudio de las Agro-cadenas durante los últimos 20 años. Se concluye del estudio que, existe un interés bastante grande por la comunidad académico-científica por fortalecer el sector agrícola en diferentes países como Estados Unidos, Brasil, india y Holanda entre otros. En el 36% de los trabajos consultados se emplean modelos de simulación estocástica, permitiendo abordar problemas complejos que involucran incertidumbre en con comportamiento de los datos. Además, en el 70% de los trabajos consultados, se utilizan modelos heurísticos para resolver problemas de diseño y distribución en agrocadenas, y el 30% restante requiere el uso de meta-heurísticas porque requieren resolver problemas con múltiples respuestas dada la complejidad de los datos. La modelación matemática se ha convertido en una herramienta de gran utilidad para la solución de problemas latentes en la agro-cadenas, facilita el tratamiento de datos y la toma de decisiones complejas, principalmente durante el diseño de cadena, el abastecimiento de producto y control de costos, tiempos de entrega e impactos ambientales, entre otras variables importantes.The agricultural sector is the fundamental axis that moves the world economy, it allows the generation of agricultural and livestock products to supply small and large cities. In underdeveloped countries, the participation of industry and academia is necessary to strengthen production systems, this based on the injection of technology, as well as the transfer and appropriation of knowledge in the sector. An approach used to strengthen the sector is the study of agricultural supply chains (agro-chains) based on mathematical modeling, that allows data processing and facilitates strategic, tactical or operational decision-making. We conducted a review of the literature on the application of mathematical models in the study of agricultural chains during the last 20 years. The study concludes that there is a fairly great interest by the academic-scientific community to strengthen the agricultural sector in different countries such as the United States, Brazil, India and the Netherlands, among others. Stochastic simulation models are used in 36% of the consulted works, allowing complex problems involving uncertainty in data behavior to be addressed. Also, in 70% of the works consulted, heuristic models are used to solve design and distribution problems in agro-chains, and the remaining 30% require the use of metaheuristics because they require solving problems with multiple responses given the complexity of the data. Mathematical modeling has become a very useful tool for solving latent problems in agro-chains, it facilitates data processing and complex decision-making, mainly during chain design, product supply and control of costs, delivery times and environmental impacts, among other important variables