Simultaneous production and distribution of industrial gas supply-chains

In this paper, we propose a multi-period mixed-integer linear programming model for optimal enterprise-level planning of industrial gas operations. The objective is to minimize the total cost of production and distribution of liquid products by coordinating production decisions at multiple plants and distribution decisions at multiple depots. Production decisions include production modes and rates that determine power consumption. Distribution decisions involve source, destination, quantity, route, and time of each truck delivery. The selection of routes is a critical factor of the distribution cost. The main goal of this contribution is to assess the benefits of optimal coordination of production and distribution. The proposed methodology has been tested on small, medium, and large size examples. The results show that significant benefits can be obtained with higher coordination among plants/depots in order to fulfill a common set of shared customer demands. The application to real industrial size test cases is also discussed.     

Comparison of biomass feedstock supply and demand in Northeast Italy

This study uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to estimate woody biomass supply and demand in Northeast Italy. Demand is estimated using census data on boilers and supply calculations are derived from data on timber harvests and mill operations. The analysis is done with GIS using Large Scale Analysis at a broader resolution (for the entire region) and Small Scale Analysis at a finer resolution (for the Primiero valley only), with added information on tree species, road networks and logging systems. From large scale analysis demand results to be about 163 000 MWh, corresponding to about 71 000 tonnes per year of fuel, with a moisture content of 50 percent. As shown by results from a small scale analysis, the Primiero valley has a deficit of 21 400 MWh. A more thorough analysis shows that 93 percent of logging operations can be performed with cable cranes and that high quality chips derived from forest biomass amount to only 335 MWh of energy (20 percent of the total). The deficit calculated at a small scale confirms the value obtained in the large scale calculation.Analysis of the demand-supply balance will be helpful for decision makers and politicians and should be taken into account when allocating subsidies for new boilers or district heating.     

Joint economic production allocation and ordering policies in a supply chain consisting of multiple plants and a single retailer

This article discusses the production and ordering policies in a supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer. The retailer places orders based on the EOQ-like policy, and the manufacturer purchases raw materials and allocates them to the multiple plants in parallel to produce demand requirement from the retailer. The model is mathematically formulated, and the solution procedure is developed to determine the production cycle length, ordering quantity and frequency, and production allocation ratios for multiple plants. The closed forms of the production cycle length, ordering quantity, and frequency in terms of the production allocation ratios are obtained. It is also shown that the production allocation problem is NP-hard. An efficient and effective heuristic algorithm is proposed to determine the near-optimal production allocation ratios. A numerical experiment demonstrates that the proposed algorithm performs quite satisfactorily.     

An optimisation-oriented model of distributed supply-chain

In this paper, a suitable model of distributed supply-chains (DSCs) is presented with the aim of providing a tool for DSC decentralised optimisation. To cope with this challenge, in the first part of the paper, a general model for distributed supply-chain including suppliers, processing units, assemblers, and transportation systems is presented with the aim of keeping the framework as general as possible. In the second part of the paper, an optimisation algorithm is also discussed.     

面向多级供应商的航天型号供应链管理模式

针对航天型号配套物资供应链管理中存在的多级供应商协同难度大、质量管理困难等问题,结合航天型号配套物资供应链的特点和管理需求,构建了面向多级供应商的航天型号供应链管理新模式。提出面向多级供应商的供应链协同管理的总体思路,供应链的主要支撑机制:协同工作机制和质量管理机制进行深入探讨。最后结合实际型号验证研究成果,实现多级、多家供应商的协同工作和对型号产品质量的有效控制和管理。     

Coordination and price competition in a duopoly common retailer supply chain

This paper analyzes the coordination and competition issues in a two-stage supply-chain distribution system where two vendors compete to sell differentiated products through a common retailer in the same market. The demand of a product not only depends on its own price, but also on the price of the other. Mathematical models have been developed to analyze the coordination issues under three different contexts: (i) price competition without channel coordination; (ii) price competition with channel coordination; and (iii) global coordination. It has been shown that under certain conditions, price competition through the dynamic process of price adjustment reaches the Nash–Bertrand equilibrium. Conditions have been derived for the Nash–Bertrand equilibrium to be dynamically stable. Further, it has been shown that duopoly competition can make consumers better-off or worse-off depending on the degree of product differentiation and the type of the product; while coordination enhances overall supply-chain profitability. The model is illustrated with suitable numerical examples.     

基于信息技术的现代供应链系统管理

供应链管理已成为现代企业取得竞争优势的重要手段。本文从供应链的角度 ,来探讨现代信息技术在供应链管理的具体方法及供应链管理的各个部分管理中的作用     

Collaboration forms,information and communication technologies,and coordination mechanisms in CPFR

Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) programmes seek to improve the ability to anticipate and satisfy future demand by enhancing collaboration among companies within the supply network. Despite the existence of a detailed and comprehensive process model—published by the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards Committee—in practice CPFR can take a number of different forms. This paper aims to investigate differences in CPFR implementation as to the type of inter-company collaboration put into practice, and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and coordination mechanisms adopted to perform CPFR. Moreover, it seeks to analyse the relationships between these dimensions in order to comprehend and explain the rationale behind the managerial choices that lead companies to implement different CPFR configurations. The multiple-case study method is adopted to investigate the research questions. In particular, the implementation of CPFR in seven supply networks is examined. This research identifies six types of collaboration that can be performed to implement CPFR. Then, using this taxonomy as its starting point, it accounts for differences in the adoption of the ICTs and coordination mechanisms necessary to support CPFR. The paper's conclusions summarize the research's main theoretical and managerial contributions.     

中小企业ERP系统与供应链管理

对供应链管理的层次进行了分析 ,提出中小企业ERP系统应该以实施内部供应链管理为主 ,建立了一种实用的中小企业ERP系统的体系结构。阐述了一个实际的中小企业ERP系统———南京数控机床有限公司ERP系统各个模块的主要功能 ,以及该系统配置情况     

A survey of applications and requirements of unique identification systems and RFID techniques

The paper contains an overview of unique identification issues and of the various radio frequency identification techniques that are available now or will become available in the short term. The paper also compares RFID with traditional ID technologies. It shows application possibilities and gives examples of current implementations. Each application has its own requirements that translate into specific RFID-techniques, -options and -parameters. Techniques include frequency range, tag energy supply and tag writing capabilities. The data to be stored in the tag and transferred to the reader must be selected as one of the options. Parameters influence reliability and confidentiality, among other things. Information interchange issues of identifier-based operations in supply-chains are discussed as well, while the last part of the paper presents a framework for choosing an auto-ID technique in a supply chain.