Integration of inland waterway transport in the intermodal supply chain: a taxonomy of research challenges

This paper identifies research opportunities which will enable the further integration of inland waterway transport in the intermodal supply chain. Intermodal transport may be interpreted as a chain of actors who supply a transport service. Inland navigation can play a crucial role in increasing supply chain service performance. A first group of research challenges lies in the evolving relationship between transport geography and logistics activities. The next set of research challenges has the objective to encourage efficient operations in IWT: development of a system wide model for IWT, integration of operational planning systems and analysis of bundling networks. A third group of research efforts is directed towards shippers and consignees who use the intermodal transport chain to send or receive their goods: further development of models that integrate intermodal transport decisions with supply chain decisions and creation of green supply chains. A fourth cluster of research challenges concerns the problem domain of external cost calculations. Finally detailed time series data on freight transport should be collected to support these future research tracks.     

Policy and politics behind Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone Program

China launched the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Program on September 29, 2013 in a bid to reduce administrative interventions, ease restrictions on investments, further open up its financial system, and internationalize its currency to booster shipping, logistics, and commerce. This article aims to present a background of the Shanghai FTZ and some reflections on it. China’s economic reconstruction has made a major impact on its port cities. Competitions between ports are gradually evolving into competitions between supply chains, with ports no longer considered as isolated links in the transport chain but rather as integral links in the supply chain. Ports are transitioning into fourth-generation ports with the establishment of logistics and value-added activities, which are developed in conjunction with local industrial and service businesses. In this trend, China’s port cities can provide a wide range of value-added services and become centers of commodity flow, capital flow, and information flow. Specifically, the combined effects of driving the development of peripheral industries and actively coordinating the activities of relevant parties help regulate the operations of the entire supply chain to obtain potential value-added benefits. The implementation of the Shanghai FTZ will not only stimulate trade but will also bring increased shipping and finance opportunities to the city. With free trade as the new direction and focus of the country’s economic initiatives, the Shanghai FTZ will hopefully lay the groundwork for a new round of reforms and restructuring of the Chinese economy.     

A scheduling model of logistics service supply chain based on the mass customization service and uncertainty of FLSP’s operation time

Building on previous research, this paper establishes a new multi-objective program scheduling model of Logistics service supply chain that considers the uncertainty of operation time for functional logistics service providers (FLSPs) in a mass customization service environment. This model aims to minimize total scheduling costs, minimize the difference between the scheduled and actual time of each service process, and maximize the average satisfaction of FLSPs. Considering the differences in target priority, the goal programming method is applied to solve the model hierarchically. In addition, the effects of scheduling parameters on scheduling objectives are provided after numerical analysis.     

Functions and actors of inland ports: European and North American dynamics

The emergence of inland ports took place in several regions around the world, notably where the growth of inland freight distribution required a massification of flows. Yet, there is no definitive consensus about how such inland facilities should be labeled, with terms such as dry ports being advocated. It is suggested in the paper that the term inland port is a more appropriate construct since it considers terminal activities as well as the crucial logistics activities taking place in co-location or in proximity of inland terminals. This perspective requires the investigation of how transport and supply chain functions and the various actors involved in their setting and operations are taking shape in inland ports. Case studies pertaining to European and North American inland ports are presented. Although inland ports are planned, set and operated by a wide variety of actors, ranging from public to private interests, transport and supply chain functions tend to label them as satellite terminals, load centers or transmodal centers.     

Green supply chain management,reverse logistics and nuclear power generation

Built on the concepts of green supply chain management (G-SCM), this paper presents a multi-objective optimization programming approach to address the issue of nuclear power generation. In this study, a linear multi-objective optimization model is formulated to optimize the operations of both the nuclear power generation and the corresponding induced-waste reverse logistics. Factors such as the operational risks induced in both the power generation and reverse logistics processes are considered in the model formulation. Numerical results indicate that using the proposed approach, the induced environmental impact including the corresponding costs and risks can be improved up to 37.8%.     

供应链下铁路货运站开展物流服务的研究

针对铁路货运站现有组织管理形式、运作情况及发展趋势,运用供应链管理理论和现代物流管理理论,围绕供应链下铁路货运站突破现有生产组织模式,积极开展现代物流服务的有关问题进行了探讨。     

Synchromodal hinterland freight transport: Model study for the port of Rotterdam

This paper develops a model that enables comparative analysis of intermodal and synchromodal operations from economic, societal, and environmental perspectives. The model captures relevant (day-to-day and within-day) dynamics in freight transport demand and supply, flexible multimodal routing with transfers and transhipments. The capacitated schedule-based assignment algorithm operating specifically at path level allows strategic modelling and evaluation accounting for the freight transport system at operational level. The Rotterdam hinterland container transport case study shows that synchromodal system is likely to improve transport service level, capacity utilization, and modal shift, but not to reduce delivery costs.     

The multistage stochastic integer load planning problem

Time-definite freight delivery common carriers, who pickup, consolidate and deliver small shipments are a key third-party logistics service provider in the supply chains. Under uncertain demands, carrier’s multistage stochastic integer load planning in the pure hub-and-spoke line-haul operations network is to determine multistage freight paths and distribute trailers over time while meeting operational restrictions, service requirements, and balancing trailer inventory at the termination of planning horizon. We developed a heuristic approach, scenario aggregation with embedded branching on the binary variables. The numerical experiments showed a proactive operations strategy with a lower operating cost than the conventionally deterministic approach.     

面向电子供应链的企业物流信息系统模型研究

面向电子供应链的企业物流信息系统的开发和建设,有助于实现企业、供应商、销售商之间的协调发展,减少库存,降低操作成本,缩短交易时间等。根据电子供应链的网络环境特点,在研究制造业企业物流一般流程的基础上,根据主、辅制造商物流流程,提出企业物流信息系统的参考模型结构设计。     

The redesign of a warranty distribution network with recovery processes

A warranty distribution network provides aftersales warranty services to customers and resembles a closed-loop supply chain network with specific challenges for reverse flows management like recovery, repair, and reflow of refurbished products. We present here a nonlinear and nonconvex mixed integer programming model for the design of the warranty distribution network of a semiconductor company which is operated by an outsourced third party logistics service provider. The application of the model to the real-life case provides an improved distribution network flow and rearranged warehouse and recovery locations, and resulted in weekly cost savings of 3.4% for the considered item.     

A supply chain-transport supernetwork equilibrium model with the behaviour of freight carriers

This paper presents a supernetwork equilibrium model integrating supply chain networks with a transport network, namely, a supply chain-transport supernetwork equilibrium model. The model takes into account the behaviour of freight carriers and transport network users to endogenously determine the transport costs generated in the supply chain networks. The interaction between transport network and supply chain networks can also be examined. Results of the numerical tests reveal that the improvement of transport network could enhance the efficiency of supply chain networks. The paper makes contributions to modelling of supply chain networks as well as to that of transport networks.     

依托区域优势和铁路优势加快铁路物流企业发展的实践与思考

结合安徽铁道发展集团有限公司的实践,阐述铁路物流企业发展面临的机遇和存在的不足;根据企业所处区域经济发展特点,探讨如何依托区域优势和铁路优势,延伸货物运输服务链条,大力发展铁路现代物流,全面拓展铁路物流市场,做大做强铁路物流产业,提高铁路物流企业市场竞争力和经济效益。     

Supply chain integration,landside operations and port accessibility in metropolitan Chicago

Seaports have traditionally been the focus of maritime logistics supply chains. Changing production patterns demanding greater end to end visibility by customers and accessibility to key inland population centers assume greater importance in the organization and design of transport resources and cargo flows. While synchronization of all aspects of the supply chain has become an operational necessity for firms, it is often held hostage to the efficiency of hinterland networks who must respond to a large group of stakeholders with sporadic coordination. This is particularly true when looking at the central US city and region of Chicago, a critical intermodal exchange point for truck, air and river barge traffic domestic and global, as well as a major central distribution location. This paper analyzes supply chain integration (SCI) efforts in the metropolitan Chicago region and considers efforts by public and private actors to collaborate for region-wide SCI improvements. Pareto analysis suggests that concentrated freight corridors exist, influencing freight planning for regional transportation networks more directly than diffused regional freight movements. If the corridor service becomes less responsive or congested the corridor will move to different end nodes within the broad region. Regional planning must thus address national, regional, and local moves. Private/public sector infrastructure firms should address functional cooperation on SCI by focusing on corridors as well as local improvements.     

“新零售”背景下智慧物流治理策略探讨

"新零售"商业形态给物流产业带来了巨大商机,同时给物流产业提出了全新要求。智慧物流是现代物流创新转型适应"新零售"发展的重要途径。阐述"新零售"背景下我国智慧物流发展现状及存在的问题,针对"新零售"对智慧物流发展提出依托供应链整合全渠道物流、订单驱动导向的精准物流服务、高强度的城市配送承载能力等要求,提出应充分发挥政府引导作用,加快智能物流基础设施建设;赋予市场引导功能,建构智慧物流信息平台;彰显社会共治效用,建设智慧物流多重保障体系,形成"政府引导、市场主导、社会共治"三位一体的智慧物流治理策略,以实现对"新零售"的高质量支撑。     

基于代理协商的制造业供应链自动物流

针对电子商务对供应链物流敏捷性和自动化的需求,提出适应电子商务发展趋势的制造业供应链自动物流方法,通过分析构成自动物流系统的框架、任务模块和接口中间件环境,研究实现自动物流的关键技术,指出应用供应链自动物流的特点,并举例说明自动物流和协商的过程。     

An overview of 20 years of Chinese logistics research using a content-based analysis

This paper provides an overview of logistics research that has been carried out by Chinese academics in the timeframe 1990–2010 using content-based analysis. It is shown that the study of logistics has evolved quite a bit, but that the core concern of logistics study for China’s researchers is the physical movement of goods, while the primarily focus for international researchers has shifted to supply chain and management. China’s approaches to the geography of logistics are however evolving, but as yet have not embraced the ‘supply chain’ perspectives. Here important future research opportunities can be identified.     

From a hub port city to a global supply chain management center: a case study of Hong Kong

This paper explores the critical challenges encountered in the transformation process of Hong Kong from a freight transport hub city to a knowledge-based global supply chain management center (GSCMC). The exploration involves an examination of the structural issues of the logistics industry in Hong Kong within the framework of global value chains (GVC). A questionnaire survey and a series of interviews were conducted to reveal the essential problems that the key parties of the Hong Kong logistics industry face if the transition of Hong Kong into a GSCMC is to be successful in all segments of the industry. Through a categorical analysis of logistics segments, the hurdles to the GSCMC as well as the institutional measures are also discussed in this paper.     

交通运输融入现代物流的 E推模式

结合交通运输与物流的不同特点和关系，提出交通运输融入现代物流的E推模式，即政府政策和区域经济推动物流服务理念提升、物流技术水平提高、物流文化意识增强等。在此模式下，交通运输融入现代物流必须要有政府的政策支持，建立现代物流服务理念，引入现代信息技术和培养物流人才等。     

天津国际航空物流中心发展对策探讨

为牢牢把握当下航空物流发展的利好趋势,高质量落实交通强市建设要求,在分析国内外航空物流发展现状的基础上,运用SWOT法从优势、劣势、机会、威胁4个维度,对天津国际航空物流中心发展的战略环境进行分析,并且从货源、通达性和服务3方面构建国际航空物流中心CCS模型,理清发展思路,提出天津国际航空物流中心建设优化对策,即培育稳定货源、优化现有航线网络结构、完善综合交通枢纽体系、优化综合营商环境、研究专项"客改货"和全货机保障方案、完善航空物流发展政策体系。     

Investigating the impact of demand amplification on freight transport

Despite freight transport operations being influenced by supply chain dynamics, there has been only a very limited investigation into the impact of demand amplification on this function, with almost no analytical research. This paper aims, through spreadsheet simulation of a generic production control system, to quantify the impact of demand amplification on transport performance. Performance measures evaluated include both transport cost and efficiency. The results in general find a negative relationship between transport performance and demand amplification. It is also found that the ratio of vehicle capacity to average demand affects these results.