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Key components of the logistics mix are described in an effort to create an understanding of the total logistics concept. Chapters include an introduction to logistics; the strategic role of logistics, customer service levels, channel relationships, facilities location, transport, inventory management, materials handling, interface with production, purchasing and materials management, estimating demand, order processing, systems performance, leadership and team building, business resource management.

This study aims to assist the project manager in minimising the material logistics cost of road project by planning the optimal movement of aggregate across three stages of supply chain: sourcing, processing and distribution.

The paper conceptualises the raw material consumption in a road project as a logistics network distribution problem. A linear programming (LP) formulation is constructed with appropriate decision variables by integrating the three stages of material movement. The series of LP scenarios are solved using an LP solver to decide the optimal movement of the aggregate to be consumed in different layers of road segments.

The results obtained from the model show that planning material logistics of an entire road project using optimisation provides substantial saving in logistics costs than using common sense. Further, the magnitude of cost saving improves as the complexity of the model increases in term of enormous feasible options.

The model shown in this paper may serve as a basis for planning the logistics of raw materials consumed in the road projects. The small improvement in material flows by optimising supply chain shows sensible cost benefit to the project manager and hence control and monitor the overall cost and activities of the project. The output of the model is also expected to help the project team as an input in the decision-making processes such as appropriate material sourcing contract, capacity assessment of material processing facility and transportation planning.

While the optimisation models are widely used and popular among the many industrial applications, this research shows distinct application of such a model in managing the logistics of the road construction project.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and extent of the current practice of logistics in the construction industry and to investigate the utility of reverse logistics in a construction context.

A pilot study was utilised to devise a method for the identification and measurement of parameters for incorporation within a process of construction site logistics optimisation. Data on vehicular movements were collected from seven sites in Cape Town. The data were used to design a flow model of material delivery and waste removal vehicular movements.

The results showed that in terms of transport distribution, of all vehicle movements observed, 62.6 per cent were classified as material delivery and 26.3 per cent as construction and demolition (C&D) waste removal. This ratio approximates to 2.4 materials delivery journeys to one waste removal journey. An optimised integrated materials delivery and waste removal logistics model is presented.

The research has highlighted the potential for integration of building materials and C&D waste logistics. Based on the ratio of 2.4:1, up to 26.3 per cent of vehicular movements transiting sites could be eliminated by allowing material delivery vehicles to back‐haul waste to points of disposal, reuse or reclamation.

The potential use of “reverse logistics” in a construction context is demonstrated, as is the scope for the utilisation of spare capacity through the application of the reverse logistics concept and the possible reduction in unit costs and numbers of empty vehicular movements.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse how different ways of organising transport and logistics activities in construction impact on efficiency. The paper scrutinises three particular transport and logistics configurations: the de-centralised coordinated configuration, the on-site coordinated configuration and the supply network coordinated configuration.

Three configurations are derived from the literature and from case studies. The efficiency of the three configurations is analysed on three levels of analysis: the construction site, the supply chain, and across supply chains and construction sites.

The paper concludes that there are possibilities to enhance efficiency on all three levels of analysis by widening the scope of coordination beyond the individual construction site.

The analysis points to efficiency potentials in applying the supply network coordinated configuration, although this configuration puts high demands on collaboration amongst the actors involved.

The paper provides illustration, and explanation, of the efficiency potentials involved in the three configurations.

Motivated by the high cost of material movements in road construction projects, past studies have used analytical methods to optimize materials logistics plans. A key shortcoming of these methods is their inability to capture the uncertain, dynamic and complex characteristics of the road construction material logistics. Failure to incorporate these characteristics can lead to sub-optimal results. The purpose of this study is to propose the use of discrete event simulation (DES) to address the existing shortfall.

Despite the powerful capabilities of DES models in capturing the operational complexities of construction projects, they have not been previously utilized to optimize the material logistics of road construction projects. The proposed DES-based method in this research captures the operational details of material logistics and uses a heuristic approach to overcome the combinatorial problem of numerous choices. The method was applied to a 63.5 km real-world road construction project case to demonstrate its capabilities.

Six different material types from 28 material sources were used in the case. Approximately 1.5% of the material logistics costs were saved by following the proposed method and choosing appropriate material sources.

This research contributes to the body of knowledge by leveraging the capabilities of DES and presenting a novel method for improving the materials logistics plan of road construction projects. The proposed method provides practitioners with the basis for capturing the key operational details that were overlooked in the past. The proposed method can be adopted in road construction projects to reduce the overall material procurement cost.

Construction logistics is an essential part of construction supply chain management (CSCM). However, limited attention has been paid to this issue in the New Zealand construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge about what hampers efficiency in transporting construction materials and plants to a construction site. The intention is to gain detailed understanding of the practice and obstacles in efficient construction logistics and thus identify interventions to improve logistics efficiency, especially using the numbers of vehicle movements to the construction site as an indicator.

A case study approach was adopted with on-site observations and interviews. Observations were performed during constructions on-site from the start of construction to “hand-over” to the building owner. A selection of construction suppliers and subcontractors involved in the studied project were interviewed.

Data analysis suggested that cost-related factors affecting the construction logistics, both monetary and non-monetary factors were not measured and largely ignored, especially the possible environmental and/or social impact occurred by the truck movement. Factors in the service-related sector were insufficiently managed in the observed site. The main contribution to inefficient construction logistics are related to understanding and implementing CSCM. It is noticed that there is inadequate awareness of CSCM and logistics efficiency largely due to lack of commitment from the management level and skills at the operational level.

Significant intrinsic and extrinsic interventions necessary to enhance construction logistics were acknowledged from the data analysis. These include both qualitative and quantitative data. These intrinsic and extrinsic interventions, such as implementing appropriate logistics tools that suits individual site and introducing traffic management costs, offer plausible explanations regarding how to improve the efficiency in construction logistics through optimising transportation movements to the construction site.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of applying Petri nets to improve construction material logistics analysis and modelling.

The characteristics of construction logistics are unveiled by analysing the existing practices of logistics management. In views of the dynamic nature of construction logistics problem, a stochastic Petri nets (SPNs) approach is proposed to tackle the time‐evolution property. Using a simulation package called PetriTool™ a simulation model is developed. Finally, a case example is applied to illustrate the way in which SPNs is used for analysing and modelling construction material logistics problems.

The results indicate that the impacts triggered by variations in delivery lead‐time and changes in delivery quantities can be approximated thereby facilitating decision makers to devise a more reliable and optimal materials management plan for construction projects.

The complex routing patterns in demand analysis and materials procurement methods that results in the enlarged supply chains have not been considered in this paper.

The lack of a simple but powerful formalism to analyse and model the decision process under a dynamic environment hinders the implementation of efficient logistics systems in the construction industry. The SPNs model presented in this paper can support planners and managers in making construction logistics management decisions under dynamic environment.

This paper demonstrates that the time‐based SPNs can offer more enriched solutions especially when modelling the time‐evolution behaviours of construction logistics.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how modularity is used for enabling value creation in managing healthcare logistics services.

Material logistics of four different kinds of hospitals is examined through a qualitative case study. The theoretical framework builds on the literature on healthcare logistics, service modularity and value creation.

The case hospitals have developed their material logistics independently from others when looking at the modularity of offerings, processes and organisations. Services, such as assortment management, shelving and developing an information platform, have been performed in-house partly by the care personnel, but steps towards modularised and standardised solutions are now being taken in the case hospitals, including ideas about outsourcing some of the services.

This paper proposes seven modularity components for healthcare logistics management: segmentation, categorisation and unitisation of offerings, differentiation and decoupling of processes, and centralisation and specialisation of organisations. Thus, this study clarifies the three-dimensional concept of modularity as a cognitive frame for managing logistics services with heterogeneous customer needs in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

Modularity offers a tool for developing logistics services inside the hospital and increases possibilities to consider also external logistics service providers.

Managing healthcare logistics services through modularity has potential social implications in developing healthcare processes and changing the usage of health services. On a wider scale, modularity is helping healthcare systems reaching their goals in terms of service quality and cost.

This paper shows the context-specific antecedents of service modularity and the usage of modular thinking in managing healthcare logistics.

Construction materials take up a significant proportion of the total construction cost. Without careful planning and controlling on the flow of construction materials, it is possible that the cost of materials may increase unnecessarily. In view of that, this paper aims to examine whether the development of logistics cost analysis can help determine suitable logistics strategies for a project which involves the use of bulky components like precast concrete units.

The cost elements incurred during the logistics process of precast components from the supplier's yard to the construction site are first identified through the activity‐based costing (ABC) approach. Under each element, the resources necessary to fulfil the specific element are analysed. By representing those cost components through the cost functions, simulations can be carried out to determine the logistics cost under different logistic scenarios.

Through the ABC approach, the resources consumed can be traced back to the consuming activity and subsequently to a particular cost element. More importantly, the results indicate that the simulation model can identify a logistics option which would result in the lowest logistics cost without affecting the construction schedule.

This paper should help increase understanding of managers and planners on construction logistics activities and their related costs so as to increase their bid competitiveness and/or improve the chance of success at the construction stage by minimising the construction logistics cost.

Recycling has experienced rapid growth as a technique to reduce the solid waste stream volume. Despite the public appeal and acceptance of recycling, the reverse logistics channels used in recycling have received minimal attention. However, the reverse channels′ membership and capabilities have a significant impact on the efficiency of processing recyclable material for remanufacture into recycled products. Differing product characteristics, extensive handling, and low density shipments pose considerable obstacles to establishing an efficient reverse channel for recyclable commodities. A framework, based on interviews and current literature, describes the reverse logistics channel structure, membership and functions, and provides a foundation for identifying the issues affecting efficiency and marketability, and possible future directions for improving efficiency within the reverse channel structure.