Intelligent logistics: Involving the customer

The role of logistics in effective supply chain management is increasingly critical, and researchers and practitioners have recently focused their attention in designing more intelligent systems to address today's challenges. In this paper, we focus on one such challenge concerning improving the role of the customer in logistics operations. In particular, we identify specific developments in the systems governing core logistics operations, which will enhance the customer experience. This paper proposes a conceptual model for customer orientation in intelligent logistics and describes a number of specific developments the authors are involved in.     

Design and development of logistics workflow systems for demand management with RFID

This paper discusses demand and supply chain management and examines how artificial intelligence techniques and RFID technology can enhance the responsiveness of the logistics workflow. This proposed system is expected to have a significant impact on the performance of logistics networks by virtue of its capabilities to adapt unexpected supply and demand changes in the volatile marketplace with the unique feature of responsiveness with the advanced technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Recent studies have found that RFID and artificial intelligence techniques drive the development of total solution in logistics industry. Apart from tracking the movement of the goods, RFID is able to play an important role to reflect the inventory level of various distribution areas. In today’s globalized industrial environment, the physical logistics operations and the associated flow of information are the essential elements for companies to realize an efficient logistics workflow scenario. Basically, a flexible logistics workflow, which is characterized by its fast responsiveness in dealing with customer requirements through the integration of various value chain activities, is fundamental to leverage business performance of enterprises. The significance of this research is the demonstration of the synergy of using a combination of advanced technologies to form an integrated system that helps achieve lean and agile logistics workflow.     

Supply chain product visibility: Methods,systems and impacts

Supply chain product visibility may be defined to mean the capacity of the supply chain to have a view of a product’s lifecycle, from its conception, manufacturing, distribution, delivery to the end customer, customer’s experience of the product, and the product’s end-of-life activities and processes. This implies developing and keeping a record of the product’s materials and components, its physical state throughout the supply chain, the product’s forward movement to the user-customer, customer’s experience of the product, and the reverse logistics and reuse or termination of the product. The aim of visibility is to foster planning, control and agility of operations associated with the product and to improve customer experience of the product. “Tracking” is the term often used to describe the determination of the identity and state of a product in the forward direction (from manufacturing to the end user), while “tracing” is used to infer the product’s path and history from downstream to upstream of the supply chain. In recent times there has been an upsurge of academic and commercial interest in product visibility. This interest has translated into numerous architectures, technologies and software for product visibility, both at the atomic (item) and composite (or aggregate) levels. Based on an extensive content analysis of academic and trade literature, including websites and documents of vendors and users of the technologies, this paper captures, analyses, compares and contrasts the design choices, essence, results and current and potential future impacts of some of the recent developments. The study also used survey by questionnaire across industries to assess user requirements of tracking and tracing systems and structures. The paper also charts future research directions for end-to-end visibility of product classes and their instances in supply chains.     

RFID-wireless sensor networks integration: Decision models and optimization of logistics systems operations

Providing models for quality and in-time logistics operations is always a difficult problem. Transportation of perishable items makes the logistics problem even more challenging. For several years now, RFID technology is increasingly used in logistics operations for materials and products identification. More recently, wireless sensor networks proved their value for a significant number of applications where difficult to solve problems found solutions through the use of networks of tiny sensors. Logistics is a new area in which sensor networks value is expected to be confirmed. This work addresses important logistics operations aspects through the use of an integrated RFID-sensor network system that is able to detect the condition of perishable products as they are moved downstream the supply chain before undesired totally loss of products occurs. The implementation of the proposed model carries important cost reduction prospects.     

A case study of an inter-enterprise workflow-supported supply chain management system

Doing business over the Internet is cheap and convenient. This enlarges the view of enterprises and gives them an opportunity to select their partners. To support business-to-business operations, an information system (IS) with an embedded workflow management component is needed. The inherent characteristics of such a system makes it suitable to implement cross-organization management. Nowadays, however, these system additions are not common. When developing a supply chain management (SCM) system for a large motorcycle corporation in China, we had to construct an inter-enterprise architecture using the internet. The main part of this is a workflow-supported inner supply chain system and an integrated interface. In it, the business processes are defined and executed by the supply chain management system. The independent inner systems are connected by the integrated interface into a large, global, supply chain manage system to management business processes across the independent enterprises. This paper presents the system design and implementation and discusses our experiences and lessons learned.     

Development of Wafer Warehouse Management System for Semiconductor Manufacturing Foundry Supply Chain

Efficiency of supply chains management mostly depends on the process coordination and information integration between the supply chain companies.The well-known integrated circuit design houses,the wafer fabrication industries, and the integrated circuit packaging/testing business has together formed a contiguous supply chain from materials to system in Taiwan during the past decades.Logistic management of the wafer hence becomes the key linkage in the semiconductor foundry supply chain.The objective of this paper is to develop the wafer warehouse management system for global wafer logistics.Current operations for wafer logistics management are firstly reviewed. The system requirements are analyzed by the model-driven business transformation approach.The business operation model and the platform-independent solution architecture for the wafer logistics management are constructed.A prototype information system is also developed for validation.Results of this research can improve the effectiveness and efficiency in wafer logistics management for the semiconductor foundry supply chain.     

Implementation of intelligent systems, enabling integration of SMEs to high-value supply chain networks

In the face of increasing competition from low-cost economies, European manufacturing companies are focusing on optimisation of operational activities to remain competitive. Previous work has identified how companies can optimise implementation of specialist technology to improve production capability; however increasing demands in service requirements such as customisability and flexibility are often negating the localised gains in capability.Supply chain management has become an increasingly important aspect of operations improvement to ensure support throughout the product realisation process. The key to creating a supply chain capable of this rapid response and high level of adaptability is integration of intelligent systems and management capabilities.A site-visit-based survey and characterisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), comprising actual or potential supply chain components, reveals that even those with well developed capabilities and attitudes to adopting production technologies are largely not proactive with technology adoption targeting these needs.A review of requirements for SMEs to achieve such competitive supply chain capabilities reveals a hierarchy of technical expertise to be developed. This is presented as an implementation strategy for staged introduction of these tools and techniques with a view to establishing high-value supply chains capable of withstanding business pressures from developing economies.     

Embedded devices for supply chain applications: Towards hardware integration of disparate technologies

The emergence of the RFID technology and its application to supply chain processes has in particular led to the creation of such standards as the EPCglobal’s model of supply networks as a tool for materializing intra- and inter-enterprise visibility of resources and products, collaboration and integration. Among other critical uses, RFID has been deployed by supply networks to improve asset utilization, effectively combat counterfeiting, and advance targeted product recalls. However, new affordable and deployable technologies and microsensors have recently appeared and keep maturing. This paper discusses the needs and the possibilities that exist for leveraging these technologies and sensors with RFID to guarantee continuous and seamless visibility of all assets (fixed and mobile resources and field personnel) of smart enterprises, thereby expanding and complementing the roles of RFID. It examines the design challenges for the integration of these technologies for advanced logistics operations at the level of product classes or their instances. It then outlines our development of an embedded microsystem that combines RFID, GPRS, GPS and environmental sensors for applications in logistics. The prototyped microsystem demonstrated the feasibility of the multi-sensor integration paradigm that the paper proposes.     

Intelligent tracking in manufacturing

Dynamic scheduling is an important new innovation in manufacturing and supply chain management. However, the success of dynamic scheduling will depend on real-time information. This paper describes intelligent tracking technologies that provide real-time information throughout the supply chain to support keywords a logistics planning and execution.     

A survey on control theory applications to operational systems,supply chain management,and Industry 4.0

Modern production and logistics systems, supply chains, and Industry 4.0 networks are challenged by increased uncertainty and risks, multiple feedback cycles, and dynamics. Control theory is an interesting research avenue which contributes to further insights concerning the management of the given challenges in operations and supply chain management. In this paper, the applicability of control theory to engineering and management problems in supply chain operations is investigated. Our analysis bridges the fundamentals of control and systems theory to supply chain and operations management. This study extends our previous survey in the Annual Reviews in Control (Ivanov et al. 2012) by including new literature published in 2012–2018, identifying two new directions of control theory applications (i.e., ripple effect analysis in the supply chains and scheduling in Industry 4.0) and analysis towards the digital technology use in control theoretic models. It describes important issues and perspectives that delineate dynamics in supply chains, operations, and Industry 4.0 networks and identifies and systemizes different streams in the application of control theory to operations and supply chain management and engineering in the period from 1960–2018. It updates the existing applications and classifications, performs a critical analysis, and discusses further research avenues. Further development of interdisciplinary approaches to supply chain optimization is argued. An extended cooperation between control engineers and supply chain experts may have the potential to introduce more realism to dynamic planning and models, and improve performance in production and logistics systems, supply chains, and Industry 4.0 networks. Finally, we analyze the trends towards the intellectualization of control and its development towards supply chain control analytics.     

Design of a case-based logistics strategy system – an integrated approach

Abstract: Logistics service providers are professionals who serve clients such as manufacturers, raw material suppliers, distributors, retailers and shippers within the supply chain. Traditionally, the formulation of logistics strategies to execute various logistics services has been based solely on experience. In this paper, an intelligent case-based logistics strategy system (CLSS) is designed to help logistics service providers to develop strategies under various customers' demands. The proposed system, which is suitable for use in warehouse operations in the Hong Kong/Pearl River Delta region, enhances the effectiveness of logistics strategies formulations by integrating case-based reasoning technology seamlessly with various data management software such as a data warehouse, on-line analytical processing and a multidimensional database management system. Through applying CLSS in Eastern Worldwide Company, the resource utilization is maximized while work efficiency is greatly enhanced. As a result, the overall logistics operations are smoothened significantly.     

舰载机综合保障信息管理发展对策

基于系统工程思想,从作战任务系统、保障对象系统、保障系统以及环境4个系统相互作用、互相影响的角度出发,论述了舰载机综合保障信息管理的基本概念,分析了综合保障信息管理的主要内容及关键技术。最后借鉴国外舰载机综合保障的实践经验,结合我国海军舰载机综合保障发展的现状和目标,设计了舰载机综合保障信息管理系统的框架,探讨了大数据分析技术、智能优化、可视化建模等技术在其中的应用,对舰载机综合保障水平和信息化水平的提高有极大的促进作用。     

An evaluation approach to logistics service using fuzzy theory,quality function development and goal programming

Logistics customer service is an important factor in the success of supply chain management. The aim of this study is to propose a novel approach for customer service management. For the improvement of logistics service operations, the proposed method integrates quality function development (QFD), fuzzy extended analytic hierarchy process (FEAHP), and multi-segment goal programming (MSGP). The advantage of the method includes the consideration of various logistics goals and the flexibility of setting multi-aspiration levels of evaluation criteria.     

Benchmarking RFID profitability in complex retail distribution systems

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can improve the performance of distribution systems in a major way by providing full inventory visibility. Before adopting a new technology, however, one needs to benchmark the new approach to alternative and possibly more traditional solutions—such as transshipments of product stock between retail outlets. In this paper we develop and demonstrate the use of a simulation framework for comparing the use of RFID with other means to improve the responsiveness of distribution systems in a comprehensive manner. In order to compare the combined effect of various inventory error sources (in particular shrinkage, misplacements, and transactions errors), we have conducted extensive simulations. Our results show that the performance gains achieved by different responsive supply chain practices, such as the use of RFID for increased stock visibility or transshipments, depend on the reliability of inventory data and can also be highly interdependent. The value of RFID can be significantly lower in more responsive distribution systems. A sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the observations made. Our work confirms the need for more sophisticated methods to evaluate new supply chain information technologies and practices.     

Systems dynamics modelling of a manufacturing supply chain system

Supply chains are multifaceted structures focusing on the integration of all the factors involved in the overall process of production and distribution of end products to the customers. Growing interest in supply chain systems has highlighted the need to adopt appropriate approaches that can ensure the efficient management of their complexity, enormity and broadness of scope. With the main aim of supply chain management being to optimise the performance of supply chains, attention is mainly drawn to the development of modelling frameworks that can be utilised to analyse and comprehend the dynamic behaviour of supply chains. While there have been only a few supply chain modelling attempts reported in the literature, this paper proposes a modelling framework that is used to simulate the operation of a supply chain network of moderate complexity. The proposed model comprises four echelons and is build around a central medium-sized manufacturing company operating as a typical Make-to-Order (MTO) system. The developed model was built using a systems dynamics (SD) approach. The operations performed within a supply chain are a function of a great number of key variables which often seem to have strong interrelationships. The ability of understanding the network as a whole, analysing the interactions between the various components of the integrated system and eventually supplying feedback without de-composing it make systems dynamics an ideal methodology for modelling supply chain networks. The objective of the paper is to model the operation of the supply chain network under study and obtain a true reflection of its behaviour. The modelling framework is also used to study the performance of the system under the initial conditions considered and compare it with that obtained by running the system under eight different scenarios concerning commonly addressed real-life operational conditions. The modelling effort has focused on measuring the supply chain system performance in terms of key metrics such as inventory, WIP levels, backlogged orders and customer satisfaction at all four echelons. The study concludes with the analysis of the obtained results and the conclusions drawn from contrasting the system’s performance under each investigated scenario to that of the benchmark model.     

Using OR to adapt supply chain management best practices to humanitarian logistics

The demand for humanitarian aid is extraordinarily large and it is increasing. In contrast, the funding for humanitarian operations does not seem to be increasing at the same rate. Humanitarian logistics has the challenge of allocating scarce resources to complex operations in an efficient way. After acquiring sufficient contextual knowledge, academics can use operations research (OR) to adapt successful supply chain management best practices to humanitarian logistics. We present two cases of OR applications to field vehicle fleet management in humanitarian operations. Our research shows that by using OR to adapt supply chain best practices to humanitarian logistics, significant improvements can be achieved.     

The strategic value of supply chain visibility: increasing the ability to reconfigure

To understand the role of supply chain visibility in creating strategic value, this study uses the dynamic capabilities view to uncover the nature of supply chain visibility. The study identifies four important constructs of supply chain visibility that are helpful in driving supply chain reconfigurability and thus improving supply chain strategic performance. They are visibility for sensing, visibility for learning, visibility for coordinating, and visibility for integrating. The results show that visibility for sensing has direct impact on supply chain strategic performance. Empirical evidence also supports that visibility for learning, visibility for coordinating, and visibility for integrating are important for enhancing supply chain reconfigurability, thus creating strategic value in supply chains. Supply chain visibility therefore enables firms to reconfigure their supply chain resources for greater competitive advantage. Implications of the results regarding the nature and the role of supply chain visibility in enhancing supply chain strategic performance are provided.     

Fuzzy-scorecard based logistics management in robust SCM

Due to the IT advances, the logistics management faces a change to the new era. This article proposes a novel method to evaluate the real-time overall performance of a logistics network for a supply chain. The corresponding strategies to manage the underperformed channels can be subsequently obtained in the method. Thus, the logistics network can be managed timely under the stochastic environment, and it makes the SCM robust. The overall performance of the logistics network is integrated by the individual logistics channel real-time performance which can be easily obtained by the new IT technologies such as RFID, etc. The fuzzy-scorecard is introduced to indicate the measured key performance indicators (KPI) for the network. Some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the various scenarios of management for the proposed method.     

Adoption of RFID technologies in UK logistics: Moderating roles of size,barcode experience and government support

Due to globalization, logistics has become an important part in the supply chain. Many logistics service providers have realised the importance of adoption of technologies that can help manufacturers, warehouses, and retailers to communicate with each other more efficiently. Among many logistics technologies, radio frequency identification (RFID) has been identified as an important technology to improve logistics operations and supply chain management, and thus is increasingly gaining both practitioners’ and researchers’ attention. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of usability features of RFID in the adoption of the technology by the logistics sector in the UK. We have used questionnaire survey method to collect data from the UK logistics firms. The analysis of the data shows that the usability of RFID technology positively influences adoption of technology. We have further tested the moderating effects of firm size, experience with barcode use, and government support in adopting RFID. Our results show that government support strongly moderates the link between usability of RFID and its adoption but size and experience with barcode do not moderate this link. We elaborate the contributions of the study and managerial implications of our results in this paper.     

ERP and SCM systems integration: The case of a valve manufacturer in China

Many modern organizations integrate enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) systems, as they work in a complementary fashion. This often results in technical and organizational challenges. Neway, a Chinese organization, recently went through this complex process. This required efficient procurement and management of hardware, software, and human resources for successful completion. The integrated system was found to improve operations, foster a paperless environment, and provide efficient inventory tracking and picking. It also had several tangible benefits, including reduced lead time and improved inventory accuracy. ERP and SCM systems integration is still a novel concept for a Chinese manufacturing organization. Our case study details the organization's experience, identifies challenges that were faced, and describes solutions adopted to overcome them.