Messy supply chains

Extant research has made many advances in our understanding of how relatively stable, repetitive supply chains (SCs) can be run effectively. This study focuses on the less researched SCs that are not stable or repetitive. To capture the management challenges of this type of SC, a definition of "messy supply chains" (MSCs) for SCs presenting "wicked" (Rittel and Webber, 2007) or "messy" problems (Ackoff, 1981) is proposed. A conceptual framework is explored in the context of the literature on humanitarian operations. This framework will form the foundation of an in-depth examination of MSCs to aid research and managerial practice. Keywords: suppl

Analysis of long-term freight transport, logistics and related CO2 trends on a business-as-usual basis

Freight transport is the life-blood of today’s economy. Raw materials, components and finished products flow in vast quantities through complex supply chain systems to satisfy the demands of the ultimate customers. Although vital to ensure economic prosperity, freight transport also poses a large burden on the environment and society. Road remains a dominant mode of freight transport in the UK, with 65% of the total tonne-kms moved and 82% of tonnes lifted in 2008. Most of the externalities associated with road freight transport have already been subject to legal environmental controls. CO2 emissions are the only externality that still remains unregulated. In order to evaluate the effects of potential regulations or other policy options, decision makers need a reliable forecast of the future course of the road freight transport- related CO2 emissions in the absence of such new initiatives and interventions. Most currently available forecasts relate to road transport as a whole and focus on the passenger vehicle activity. Forecasts of road freight volumes and related externalities are typically linked to trends in economic activity, ignoring changes in the nature of logistics and supply chain systems. Hence, the aim of this thesis is to produce a forecast of road freight transport – related CO2 emissions up to 2020 on a business-as-usual (BAU) basis by incorporating the projections on future trends in a number of logistics and road freight transport variables and the driving forces behind them. The theoretical foundations of the logistics and supply chain management discipline continuously evolve, allowing researchers to view real-world problems from an array of philosophical perspectives, leading to scientific advancement and enrichment of the body of knowledge. This thesis is rooted in the critical realist paradigm and employs methodological triangulation involving focus group research, a Delphi questionnaire survey and spreadsheet modelling to produce a reliable BAU forecast of future CO2 emissions from road freight transport. In addition to the forecast of future CO2 emissions from Heavy Goods Vehicles, this research also elicits forecasts of changes in key logistics and freight transport variables such as handling factor, average length of haul, modal split, empty running, lading factor and fuel efficiency up to 2020. The main structural, commercial, operational, functional, external and product-related factors behind future trends in these variables are also investigated. The BAU scenario is assessed in the light of the UK greenhouse gas reduction target and additional scenarios offering CO2 savings greater than that predicted by the BAU case modelled. The thesis concludes with a review of potential policy measures that could help to reduce the future CO2 emissions from road freight transport

Supply chain management in a messy context: the case of humanitarian logistics

Based on literature on "wicked" (Rittel and Webber 2007) or "messy" problems (Ackoff 1981) a conceptual framework for “messy supply chains” is developed. Findings from a series of semi-structured interviews explore the presence and potential effects of each of the “messy” characteristics in humanitarian logistics (HL), with a focus on three case studies of humanitarian responses. Aspects of behavioural complexity are currently underrepresented in HL literature. This could be a major reason why tools and techniques from commercial logistics do not always apply in a humanitarian context, providing researchers and practitioners with new insights into potential approaches to HL challenges

Performance measurement in humanitarian logistics: a stakeholder approach

Purpose of this paper The purpose of this research is to connect current literature on performance measurement in humanitarian logistics with stakeholder theory. This will provide a framework for a more customer focussed approach to performance in the humanitarian sector. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that includes an extensive literature review on customers and performance measurement in commercial, non-profit and humanitarian supply chains. Findings While the beneficiaries are the customers of a humanitarian supply chain according to their very raison d’être, donors are the stakeholder group with the highest salience due to the greatest amount of power. Both groups have their own interests, creating a challenging environment for performance measurement. Standard business tools such as the balanced scorecard have to be adapted to this environment. Research limitations/implications This paper is conceptual and the proposed framework will have to be tested empirically. Practical implications The proposed framework can help humanitarian organisations focus their supply chain optimisations on the aspect of performance that are most relevant to their key customer groups. What is original/value of paper The research brings together the complexities of humanitarian supply chains with the increasing customer focus that can be seen in commercial service supply chains. Based on an assessment of stakeholder salience, the difference in key customer groups is analysed. The resulting framework provides indications for balancing their diverging needs

The longer and heavier vehicle debate: A review of empirical evidence from Germany

his paper aims to evaluate the likely effects of the adoption of Longer Heavier Vehicles (LHVs) from the perspective of logistics service providers (LSPs). The research consists of six case studies and a survey of companies which were involved LHV trials in Germany. Wider introduction of LHVs is being increasingly demanded so that road freight transport can better serve and support modern supply chains whilst achieving the desired eco-efficiency advancements. Available literature on LHVs puts a particular emphasis on five factors that need to be included in the assessment of their impact: energy efficiency, CO2 emissions, costs, safety and infrastructure. The research provides an original and innovative empirical study refining and validating the current conceptual framework for assessing LHVs demonstrating it is a valuable tool and providing evidence that the vast majority of companies participating in our study, regardless of their size, were interested in the adoption of LHVs. However, it should be noted that a key limitation of the research is that by focusing on a single country case, the nature and scale of the findings may not reflect practice in other countries and sectors. There is also a need to examine the long-term sustainability of the improvements made

ICT for Sustainable Last-Mile Logistics:Data, People and Parcels

In this paper we present a vision of how ICT can be leveraged to help combat the impact on pollution, congestion and carbon emissions contributed by the parcel delivery sector. This is timely given annual growth in parcel deliveries, especially same-day deliveries, and the need to inform initiatives to clean up our cities such as the sales ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK by 2040. Our insights are informed by research on parcel logistics in Central London, leveraging a data set of parcel manifests spanning 6 months. To understand the impact of growing e-commerce trends on parcel deliveries we provide a mixed methods case study leveraging data-driven analysis and qualitative fieldwork to demonstrate how ICT can uncover the impact of parcel deliveries on delivery drivers and their delivery rounds during seasonal deliveries (or “the silly season”). We finish by discussing key opportunities for intervention and further research in ICT4S and co-created Smart Cities, connecting our findings with existing research and data as a call to the ICT4S community to help tackle the growth in carbon emissions, pollution and congestion linked to parcel deliveries

The scope for pavement porters: addressing the challenges of last-mile parcel delivery in London

The UK parcel sector generated almost £9 billion in revenue in 2015, with growth expected to increase by 15.6% in 2019 and is characterized by many independent players competing in an ‘everyone-delivers-everywhere’ culture leading to much replication of vehicle activity. With road space in urban centers being increasingly reallocated to pavement widening, bus and cycle lanes, there is growing interest in alternative solutions to the last-mile delivery problem. We make three contributions in this paper: firstly, through empirical analysis using carrier operational datasets, we quantify the characteristics of last-mile parcel operations and demonstrate the reliance placed on walking which can make up over 60% of the round time; secondly we introduce the concept of ‘portering’ where vans rendezvous with porters who operate within specific ‘patches’ to service consignees on-foot, potentially saving 86% in driving distance on some rounds; finally, we highlight the wider practical issues and optimization challenges associated with operating driving and portering rounds in inner urban areas

Enabling the freight traffic controller for collaborative multi-drop urban logistics: practical and theoretical challenges

There is increasing interest in how horizontal collaboration between parcel carriers might help alleviate problems associated with last-mile logistics in congested urban centers. Through a detailed review of the literature on parcel logistics pertaining to collaboration, along with practical insights from carriers operating in the United Kingdom, this paper examines the challenges that will be faced in optimizing multicarrier, multidrop collection, and delivery schedules. A “freight traffic controller” (FTC) concept is proposed. The FTC would be a trusted third party, assigned to equitably manage the work allocation between collaborating carriers and the passage of vehicles over the last mile when joint benefits to the parties could be achieved. Creating this FTC concept required a combinatorial optimization approach for evaluation of the many combinations of hub locations, network configuration, and routing options for vehicle or walking to find the true value of each potential collaboration. At the same time, the traffic, social, and environmental impacts of these activities had to be considered. Cooperative game theory is a way to investigate the formation of collaborations (or coalitions), and the analysis used in this study identified a significant shortfall in current applications of this theory to last-mile parcel logistics. Application of theory to urban freight logistics has, thus far, failed to account for critical concerns including (a) the mismatch of vehicle parking locations relative to actual delivery addresses; (b) the combination of deliveries with collections, requests for the latter often being received in real time during the round; and (c) the variability in travel times and route options attributable to traffic and road network conditions