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1 – 10 of 23Anurag Mishra, Pankaj Dutta and Naveen Gottipalli
The supply chain (SC) of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in India witnessed a significant change soon after introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST). With the…
Abstract
Purpose
The supply chain (SC) of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in India witnessed a significant change soon after introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST). With the initiation of this tax, companies started moving from individual state-wise warehouses to consolidation warehouses model to save costs. This paper proposes a model that frames a mathematical formulation to optimize the distribution network in the downstream SC by considering the complexities of multi-product lines, multi-transport modes and consolidated warehouses.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is designed as mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), and an algorithm is developed that works on the feedback loop mechanism. It optimizes the transportation and warehouses rental costs simultaneously with impact analysis.
Findings
Total cost is primarily influenced by the critical factor transportation price rather than the warehouse rent. The choice of warehouses at prime locations was a trade-off between a lower distribution cost and higher rent tariffs.
Research limitations/implications
The study enables FMCG firms to plan their downstream SC efficiently and to be in line with the recent trend of consolidation of warehouses. The study will help SC managers solve complexities such as multi-product categories, truck selection and consolidation warehouse selection problems and find the optimum value for each.
Originality/value
The issues addressed in the proposed work are transporting products with different sizes and weights, selecting consolidated warehouses, selecting suitable vehicles for transportation and optimizing distance in the distribution network by considering consolidated warehouses.
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Sanaz Khalaj Rahimi and Donya Rahmani
The study aims to optimize truck routes by minimizing social and economic costs. It introduces a strategy involving diverse drones and their potential for reusing at DNs based on…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to optimize truck routes by minimizing social and economic costs. It introduces a strategy involving diverse drones and their potential for reusing at DNs based on flight range. In HTDRP-DC, trucks can select and transport various drones to LDs to reduce deprivation time. This study estimates the nonlinear deprivation cost function using a linear two-piece-wise function, leading to MILP formulations. A heuristic-based Benders Decomposition approach is implemented to address medium and large instances. Valid inequalities and a heuristic method enhance convergence boundaries, ensuring an efficient solution methodology.
Design/methodology/approach
Research has yet to address critical factors in disaster logistics: minimizing the social and economic costs simultaneously and using drones in relief distribution; deprivation as a social cost measures the human suffering from a shortage of relief supplies. The proposed hybrid truck-drone routing problem minimizing deprivation cost (HTDRP-DC) involves distributing relief supplies to dispersed demand nodes with undamaged (LDs) or damaged (DNs) access roads, utilizing multiple trucks and diverse drones. A Benders Decomposition approach is enhanced by accelerating techniques.
Findings
Incorporating deprivation and economic costs results in selecting optimal routes, effectively reducing the time required to assist affected areas. Additionally, employing various drone types and their reuse in damaged nodes reduces deprivation time and associated deprivation costs. The study employs valid inequalities and the heuristic method to solve the master problem, substantially reducing computational time and iterations compared to GAMS and classical Benders Decomposition Algorithm. The proposed heuristic-based Benders Decomposition approach is applied to a disaster in Tehran, demonstrating efficient solutions for the HTDRP-DC regarding computational time and convergence rate.
Originality/value
Current research introduces an HTDRP-DC problem that addresses minimizing deprivation costs considering the vehicle’s arrival time as the deprivation time, offering a unique solution to optimize route selection in relief distribution. Furthermore, integrating heuristic methods and valid inequalities into the Benders Decomposition approach enhances its effectiveness in solving complex routing challenges in disaster scenarios.
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Mohammad Mahdi Vali-Siar and Emad Roghanian
This study addresses resilient mixed supply chain network design (SCND) and aims to minimize the expected total cost of the supply chain (SC) considering disruptions. The capacity…
Abstract
Purpose
This study addresses resilient mixed supply chain network design (SCND) and aims to minimize the expected total cost of the supply chain (SC) considering disruptions. The capacity of facilities is considered uncertain. In order to get closer to real-world situations, competition between SCs is considered.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-stage stochastic programming model is developed for designing the SC network. The location of facilities and selection of suppliers are considered first-stage decisions, and the determination of materials and products flows are second-stage decisions. Some resilience strategies are applied to mitigate the negative impacts of disruptions.
Findings
The results indicate that considering resilience and applying the related strategies are vitally important, and resilience strategies can significantly improve the SC objective and maintain market share. Also, it is confirmed that unrealistic decisions will be made without considering the competition.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by proposing a novel mathematical model for the resilient mixed SCND problem. The other contribution is considering the chain-to-chain competition in collecting returned products and selling recycled products to other SCs in a mixed SC under disruptions. Also, a novel hybrid metaheuristic is developed to cope with the complexity of the model.
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Hossein Shakibaei, Seyyed Amirmohammad Moosavi, Amir Aghsami and Masoud Rabbani
Throughout human history, the occurrence of disasters has been inevitable, leading to significant human, financial and emotional consequences. Therefore, it is crucial to…
Abstract
Purpose
Throughout human history, the occurrence of disasters has been inevitable, leading to significant human, financial and emotional consequences. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a well-designed plan to efficiently manage such situations when disaster strikes. The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive program that encompasses multiple aspects of postdisaster relief.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiobjective model has been developed for postdisaster relief, with the aim of minimizing social dissatisfaction, economic costs and environmental damage. The model has been solved using exact methods for different scenarios. The objective is to achieve the most optimal outcomes in the context of postdisaster relief operations.
Findings
A real case study of an earthquake in Haiti has been conducted. The acquired results and subsequent management analysis have effectively assessed the logic of the model. As a result, the model’s performance has been validated and deemed reliable based on the findings and insights obtained.
Originality/value
Ultimately, the model provides the optimal quantities of each product to be shipped and determines the appropriate mode of transportation. Additionally, the application of the epsilon constraint method results in a set of Pareto optimal solutions. Through a comprehensive examination of the presented solutions, valuable insights and analyses can be obtained, contributing to a better understanding of the model’s effectiveness.
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Mohsen Jami, Hamidreza Izadbakhsh and Alireza Arshadi Khamseh
This study aims to minimize the cost and time of blood delivery in the whole blood supply chain network (BSCN) in disaster conditions. In other words, integrating all strategic…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to minimize the cost and time of blood delivery in the whole blood supply chain network (BSCN) in disaster conditions. In other words, integrating all strategic, tactical and operational decisions of three levels of blood collection, processing and distribution leads to satisfying the demand at the right time.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes an integrated BSCN in disaster conditions to consider four categories of facilities, including temporary blood collection centers, field hospitals, main blood processing centers and medical centers, to optimize demand response time appropriately. The proposed model applies the location of all permanent and emergency facilities in three levels: blood collection, processing and distribution. Other essential decisions, including multipurpose facilities, emergency transportation, inventory and allocation, were also used in the model. The LP metric method is applied to solve the proposed bi-objective mathematical model for the BSCN.
Findings
The findings show that this model clarifies its efficiency in the total cost and blood delivery time reduction, which results in a low carbon transmission of the blood supply chain.
Originality/value
The researchers proposed an integrated BSCN in disaster conditions to minimize the cost and time of blood delivery. They considered multipurpose capabilities for facilities (e.g. field hospitals are responsible for the three purposes of blood collection, processing and distribution), and so locating permanent and emergency facilities at three levels of blood collection, processing and distribution, support facilities, emergency transportation and traffic on the route with pollution were used to present a new model.
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Ahmed M. Attia, Ahmad O. Alatwi, Ahmad Al Hanbali and Omar G. Alsawafy
This research integrates maintenance planning and production scheduling from a green perspective to reduce the carbon footprint.
Abstract
Purpose
This research integrates maintenance planning and production scheduling from a green perspective to reduce the carbon footprint.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is developed to study the relation between production makespan, energy consumption, maintenance actions and footprint, i.e. service level and sustainability measures. The speed scaling technique is used to control energy consumption, the capping policy is used to control CO2 footprint and preventive maintenance (PM) is used to keep the machine working in healthy conditions.
Findings
It was found that ignoring maintenance activities increases the schedule makespan by more than 21.80%, the total maintenance time required to keep the machine healthy by up to 75.33% and the CO2 footprint by 15%.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed optimization model can simultaneously be used for maintenance planning, job scheduling and footprint minimization. Furthermore, it can be extended to consider other maintenance activities and production configurations, e.g. flow shop or job shop scheduling.
Practical implications
Maintenance planning, production scheduling and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are intertwined in the industry. The proposed model enhances the performance of the maintenance and production systems. Furthermore, it shows the value of conducting maintenance activities on the machine's availability and CO2 footprint.
Originality/value
This work contributes to the literature by combining maintenance planning, single-machine scheduling and environmental aspects in an integrated MINLP model. In addition, the model considers several practical features, such as machine-aging rate, speed scaling technique to control emissions, minimal repair (MR) and PM.
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Pham Duc Tai, Krit Jinawat and Jirachai Buddhakulsomsiri
Distribution network design involves a set of strategic decisions in supply chains because of their long-term impacts on the total logistics cost and environment. To incorporate a…
Abstract
Purpose
Distribution network design involves a set of strategic decisions in supply chains because of their long-term impacts on the total logistics cost and environment. To incorporate a trade-off between financial and environmental aspects of these decisions, this paper aims to determine an optimal location, among candidate locations, of a new logistics center, its capacity, as well as optimal network flows for an existing distribution network, while concurrently minimizing the total logistics cost and gas emission. In addition, uncertainty in transportation and warehousing costs are considered.
Design/methodology/approach
The problem is formulated as a fuzzy multiobjective mathematical model. The effectiveness of this model is demonstrated using an industrial case study. The problem instance is a four-echelon distribution network with 22 products and a planning horizon of 20 periods. The model is solved by using the min–max and augmented ε-constraint methods with CPLEX as the solver. In addition to illustrating model’s applicability, the effect of choosing a new warehouse in the model is investigated through a scenario analysis.
Findings
For the applicability of the model, the results indicate that the augmented ε-constraint approach provides a set of Pareto solutions, which represents the ideal trade-off between the total logistics cost and gas emission. Through a case study problem instance, the augmented ε-constraint approach is recommended for similar network design problems. From a scenario analysis, when the operational cost of the new warehouse is within a specific fraction of the warehousing cost of third-party warehouses, the solution with the new warehouse outperforms that without the new warehouse with respective to financial and environmental objectives.
Originality/value
The proposed model is an effective decision support tool for management, who would like to assess the impact of network planning decisions on the performance of their supply chains with respect to both financial and environmental aspects under uncertainty.
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Keyu Chen, Beiyu You, Yanbo Zhang and Zhengyi Chen
Prefabricated building has been widely applied in the construction industry all over the world, which can significantly reduce labor consumption and improve construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Prefabricated building has been widely applied in the construction industry all over the world, which can significantly reduce labor consumption and improve construction efficiency compared with conventional approaches. During the construction of prefabricated buildings, the overall efficiency largely depends on the lifting sequence and path of each prefabricated component. To improve the efficiency and safety of the lifting process, this study proposes a framework for automatically optimizing the lifting path of prefabricated building components using building information modeling (BIM), improved 3D-A* and a physic-informed genetic algorithm (GA).
Design/methodology/approach
Firstly, the industry foundation class (IFC) schema for prefabricated buildings is established to enrich the semantic information of BIM. After extracting corresponding component attributes from BIM, the models of typical prefabricated components and their slings are simplified. Further, the slings and elements’ rotations are considered to build a safety bounding box. Secondly, an efficient 3D-A* is proposed for element path planning by integrating both safety factors and variable step size. Finally, an efficient GA is designed to obtain the optimal lifting sequence that satisfies physical constraints.
Findings
The proposed optimization framework is validated in a physics engine with a pilot project, which enables better understanding. The results show that the framework can intuitively and automatically generate the optimal lifting path for each type of prefabricated building component. Compared with traditional algorithms, the improved path planning algorithm significantly reduces the number of nodes computed by 91.48%, resulting in a notable decrease in search time by 75.68%.
Originality/value
In this study, a prefabricated component path planning framework based on the improved A* algorithm and GA is proposed for the first time. In addition, this study proposes a safety-bounding box that considers the effects of torsion and slinging of components during lifting. The semantic information of IFC for component lifting is enriched by taking into account lifting data such as binding positions, lifting methods, lifting angles and lifting offsets.
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Alireza Khalili-Fard, Reza Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, Nasser Abdali, Mohammad Alipour-Vaezi and Ali Bozorgi-Amiri
In recent decades, the student population in dormitories has increased notably, primarily attributed to the growing number of international students. Dormitories serve as pivotal…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent decades, the student population in dormitories has increased notably, primarily attributed to the growing number of international students. Dormitories serve as pivotal environments for student development. The coordination and compatibility among students can significantly influence their overall success. This study aims to introduce an innovative method for roommate selection and room allocation within dormitory settings.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, initially, using multi-attribute decision-making methods including the Bayesian best-worst method and weighted aggregated sum product assessment, the incompatibility rate among pairs of students is calculated. Subsequently, using a linear mathematical model, roommates are selected and allocated to dormitory rooms pursuing the twin objectives of minimizing the total incompatibility rate and costs. Finally, the grasshopper optimization algorithm is applied to solve large-sized instances.
Findings
The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison to two common alternatives, i.e. random allocation and preference-based allocation. Moreover, the proposed method’s applicability extends beyond its current context, making it suitable for addressing various matching problems, including crew pairing and classmate pairing.
Originality/value
This novel method for roommate selection and room allocation enhances decision-making for optimal dormitory arrangements. Inspired by a real-world problem faced by the authors, this study strives to offer a robust solution to this problem.
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Ahsan Haghgoei, Alireza Irajpour and Nasser Hamidi
This paper aims to develop a multi-objective problem for scheduling the operations of trucks entering and exiting cross-docks where the number of unloaded or loaded products by…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a multi-objective problem for scheduling the operations of trucks entering and exiting cross-docks where the number of unloaded or loaded products by trucks is fuzzy logistic. The first objective function minimizes the maximum time to receive the products. The second objective function minimizes the emission cost of trucks. Finally, the third objective function minimizes the number of trucks assigned to the entrance and exit doors.
Design/methodology/approach
Two steps are implemented to validate and modify the proposed model. In the first step, two random numerical examples in small dimensions were solved by GAMS software with min-max objective function as well as genetic algorithms (GA) and particle swarm optimization. In the second step, due to the increasing dimensions of the problem and computational complexity, the problem in question is part of the NP-Hard problem, and therefore multi-objective meta-heuristic algorithms are used along with validation and parameter adjustment.
Findings
Therefore, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) and non-dominated ranking genetic algorithm (NRGA) are used to solve 30 random problems in high dimensions. Then, the algorithms were ranked using the TOPSIS method for each problem according to the results obtained from the evaluation criteria. The analysis of the results confirms the applicability of the proposed model and solution methods.
Originality/value
This paper proposes mathematical model of truck scheduling for a real problem, including cross-docks that play an essential role in supply chains, as they could reduce order delivery time, inventory holding costs and shipping costs. To solve the proposed multi-objective mathematical model, as the problem is NP-hard, multi-objective meta-heuristic algorithms are used along with validation and parameter adjustment. Therefore, NSGA-II and NRGA are used to solve 30 random problems in high dimensions.
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