Flexibility in Port Selection: A Quantitative Approach Using Floating Stocks

Ports provide a number of logistical choices concerning storage, onward transport, and postponement. We investigate the routing flexibility offered by ports with a central location with respect to the hinterland. This flexibility is investigated using an illustrative case in which a number of alternative strategies are evaluated by means of simulation. Detailed cost data was used for the illustrative case. The combination of a simulation model and detailed cost data allows us to quantify the value of the rerouting flexibility. A combination of using regional distribution centers and a European Distribution Center results in the lowest cost per container

Essays on Port, Container, and Bulk Chemical Logistics Optimization

The essays in this thesis are concerned with two main themes in port logistics. The first theme is the coordination of transport arrivals with the distribution processes and the use of storage facilities. We study this for both containerized and bulk chemical transport. The second theme is the uncertainty associated with the arrival time of ships with bulk chemicals and the impact on port logistics. Each essay describes a case study where quantitative methods, especially simulation, are used. The operation of container terminals and in particular the way in which containers are stacked in a yard is influenced by information about the departure of a container. We find that even inaccurate information is valuable and helps to reduce unproductive moves. Next, we present the ``floating stocks'' distribution concept which uses intermodal transport to deploy inventories in a supply chain in advance of retailer demand. We demonstrate that a main drawback of intermodal transport, a longer transit time, can be mitigated using this concept. This concept also influences the choice of a port: we provide a quantitative interpretation of routing flexibility in port selection

It support for mass customization

Many authors have written about Mass Customization and its features and categories. Literature on the implementation of Mass Customization, and in particular the supporting information technology, is scant. This paper attempts to fill this gap by focusing on this subject. We determine the key functional requirements and identify possible implementations to show the existence of enabling information technologies for Mass Customization

Online rules for container stacking

Container stacking rules are an important factor in container terminal efficiency. In this paper, we investigate two concepts to increase efficiency and compare them to several benchmark algorithms, using a discrete-event simulation tool. The first concept is to use knowledge about container departure times, in order to limit the number of reshuffles. We stack containers leaving shortly before each other on top of each other. The second concept is the trade-off between stacking further away in the terminal versus stacking close to the exit points and accepting more reshuffles. It is concluded that even the use of imperfect or imprecise departure time information leads to significant improvements in efficiency. Minimizing the difference in departure times proved to be important. It was also found that the trade-off between stacking further away in the terminal versus stacking close by the exit points and accepting more reshuffles leads to improvements over the benchmark

ICT as an Enabler for Innovation Adoption

In this paper we investigate how two online services (a portal and a digital library) may influence the adoption of an innovation. It is known from prior surveys that the installation services branch of the Dutch building industry has a relatively slow adoption rate for innovations. We examine if these two online services can influence the attitude towards the adoption of innovations. From the academic literature we have derived a list of factors that influence the attitude towards adoption by individuals. We limited this project to a number of factors that are commonly referred to as technological factors. Using an online digital library and a custom-built portal, we conducted a field experiment with a post-test only control group design for one particular innovative product (a gas-analysis device); the test was performed using a survey. Our main finding is that the portal has a significant and positive effect towards the adoption of the innovation by an individual. We did not find a significant impact for the use of the digital library. On the basis of this experiment, we propose that online services that offer a high degree of interaction amongst their users are more likely to induce an increase in the willingness of an individual to adopt an innovation

ORTEC Predicts the Payback Period for its Workforce Scheduling Software

ORTEC is a Netherlands-based software company selling decision support systems based on operations research models. One of her products is HARMONY, a workforce scheduling package. We developed a model to predict its return on investment for a specific customer. The model uses a database of reference implementations to find organizations that are similar to the prospective customer’s organization. The costs and benefits have been broken down into several factors and we use this detailed information from the reference implementations to create a prediction of the return on investment for the workforce scheduling package. Using the information from the reference set allows us to move from industry-averages for potential savings to a prediction of potential savings based on the actual experiences from similar organizations. This also makes the model transparent: the outcomes can be traced to the elements that were selected from the reference set and a detailed description of the model is available. The model has been implemented successfully at ORTEC and has been of decisive value for several prospective customers. From the data analysis it appears that organizations can save a lot both on the time needed for planning and on the amount of personnel needed. In most cases, the payback time of the OR software was less than one year

Floating stocks in FMCG supply chains

In this paper we present a new distribution concept called ‘floating stocks’, which uses intermodal transport to deploy inventories in a supply chain in advance of retailer demand. Supplying part of the demand directly by road compensates the longer transit time of this transport. First an analytical comparison is made which shows that this concept has advantages in inventories over pure road and intermodal transport. Next a simulation study of a real case is made which quantifies the cost-differences in detail

Arrival processes in port modeling: insights from a case study

This paper investigates the impact of arrival processes on the ship handling process. Two types of arrival processes are considered: controlled and uncontrolled. Simulation results show that uncontrolled arrivals of ships perform worst in terms of both ship delays and required storage capacity. Stock-controlled arrivals perform best with regard to large vessel delays and storage capacity. The combination of stock-controlled arrivals for large vessels and equidistant arrivals for barges also performs better than the uncontrolled process. Careful allocation of ships to the mooring points of a jetty further improves the efficiency

On the effect of ship arrival processes on jetty and storage capacity

Ports provide jetty facilities for ships to load and unload their cargo. Jetty capacity is costly and therefore limited, causing delays for arriving ships. However, ship delays are also costly, so terminal operators attempt to minimize their number and duration. Here, simulation has proved to be a very suitable tool. However, in port simulation models, the impact of the arrival process of ships on the model outcomes tends to be underestimated. This report considers three arrival processes: stock-controlled, equidistant, and uncontrolled. We assess how their deployment in a port simulation model,based on data from a real case study, affects the efficiency of the loading and unloading process, making a case for careful modeling of arrival processes in port simulations. Uncontrolled, which is an assumed arrival process property in many client-oriented simulations, actually performs worst in terms of both ship delays and required storage capacity. Stock-controlled arrivals perform best with regard to large vessel delays and storage capacity. Additional control of the arrival process through the application of a priority scheme in processing ships further impacts efficiency in all three cases

Arrival Processes for Vessels in a Port Simulation

Ports provide jetty facilities for ships to load and unload their cargo. Jetty capacity is costly and therefore limited, causing delays for arriving ships. However, ship delays are also costly, so terminal operators attempt to min imize their number and duration. Here, simulation has proved to be a very suitable tool. However, in port simulation models, the impact of the arrival process of ships on the model outcomes tends to be underestimated. This report considers three arrival processes: stock-controlled, equidistant, and uncontrolled. We assess how their deployment in a port simulation model, based on data from a real case study, affects the efficiency of the loading and unloading process, making a case for careful modeling of arrival processes in port simulations. Uncontrolled, which is an assumed arrival process property in many client-oriented simulations, actually performs worst in terms of both ship delays and required storage capacity. Stock-controlled arrivals perform best with regard to large vessel delays and storage capacity. Additional control of the arrival process through the application of a priority scheme in processing ships further impacts efficiency in all three cases.Ports provide jetty facilities for ships to load and unload their cargo. Jetty capacity is costly and therefore limited, causing delays for arriving ships. However, ship delays are also costly, so terminal operators attempt to min imize their number and duration. Here, simulation has proved to be a very suitable tool. However, in port simulation models, the impact of the arrival process of ships on the model outcomes tends to be underestimated. This report considers three arrival processes: stock-controlled, equidistant, and uncontrolled. We assess how their deployment in a port simulation model, based on data from a real case study, affects the efficiency of the loading and unloading process, making a case for careful modeling of arrival processes in port simulations. Uncontrolled, which is an assumed arrival process property in many client-oriented simulations, actually performs worst in terms of both ship delays and required storage capacity. Stock-controlled arrivals perform best with regard to large vessel delays and storage capacity. Additional control of the arrival process through the application of a priority scheme in processing ships further impacts efficiency in all three cases