Logistics Management

The logistics function in supply chains is concerned with the efficient coordinationof all entities, activities and resources involved in moving a product or service fromits origin to final customers. Beyond the control of material flows, logisticsmanagement seeks to integrate transportation and material handling with the flow ofinformation and financial values in the supply chain in order to fulfil customerrequests. Altogether, inbound and outbound logistics of a company along withexternal logistics services constitute a market value that ranks logistics clearlyamong the top business sectors in any industrialized economy.Based on the tremendous importance of logistics in supply chains and theconsiderable research contributions that have been achieved from disciplines likeProduction and Operations Management, Industrial Engineering and OperationsResearch, the primary objective of this special issue is to examine research issuesconcerned with logistics management in supply chains. For the second part of thespecial issue four papers have been selected for publication after a thorough peer-review according to the standards of the FSM journal. The first part with thefollowing papers has been published in Volume 22 (2010), Numbers 1–2, of FSM.

In this paper, we review the extant literature pertaining to logistics processes within organizations. Determinants of the characteristics of logistics processes are identified and logistics processes of international multimodal transport companies in Vietnam are specifically explored. The paper offers unique insights into the logistics processes in service-based firms and explores the nuances of logistics in the setting of a developing country. In addition to providing a useful typology for practitioners and scholars to consider logistics functions, the paper draws upon case analysis to operationalize the typology.

КОМПЛЕМЕНТАРНІСТЬ СТРАТЕГІЙ МАРКЕТИНГУ ТА ЛОГІСТИКИ В ЛАНЦЮГУ ПОСТАВОК ТОВАРІВ ПОВСЯКДЕННОГО ПОПИТУ

E-Supply chain management in a manufacturing context, is a series of Internetenabled value-adding activities to guarantee products created by a manufacturing process can eventually meet customer requirements and realize returns on investment. Supply chains have advanced in the last two decades with improved efficiency, agility and accuracy. The recent advancement of Internet technology has brought more powerful support to improving supply chain performance. In this context, e-supply chain management becomes a new term that distinguishes itself by net-centric and real-time features from traditional supply chain management. In this chapter, principles and methodologies of e-supply chain management are discussed. It focuses on a fundamental challenge for supply chain management: how to efficiently integrate and optimize supply chain operations with widespread marketplaces and characteristic demands using the latest advances in information and communication technologies. A case of esupply chain management application is also described in this chapter. As Internet and related technologies have been discussed in detail in other chapters of this book, this chapter will focus on e-supply chain management principles, approaches and methodology.

In today’s competitive environment, managing the entire supply chain becomes a key factor for the successful business. However, the manufactured housing (MH) industry has mainly focused on manufacturing and quality improvements in the past years. It is important for the MH industry to extend its focus to the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire supply chain. In this paper, as a first step, current supply chain practices in the manufactured housing industry have been identified and analyzed along with the characteristics of customer, retailer, and manufacturer. This analysis assists the supply chain participants in planning new products and preparing for new consumer needs. As a result, the entire supply chain process was modeled and a conceptual supply chain model was developed. This conceptual supply chain model can be used for understanding the current supply chain relationship at the macro level as well as a framework for developing a supply chain management system for the manufactured housing in...

Blockchain Collaboration with Competing Firms in a Shared Supply Chain: Benefits and Challenges

The article comprehensively examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of logistics support for the commercial activities of enterprises in the context of the digital transformation of the economy. It reveals the essence, objectives, and functions of logistics within the structure of a trading enterprise and substantiates its key role in shaping competitive advantages. It is determined that an effective logistics system contributes to cost reduction, improved customer service, and the enterprise’s adaptation to dynamic changes in the market environment. Special attention is given to the implementation of digital technologies in logistics processes, including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), WMS (Warehouse Management System), TMS (Transportation Management System), the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud services, GPS monitoring, and Big Data analytics. The capabilities of these tools in automating the management of product flows, warehouse and transport logistics, as well as inventory, order, and data management, are analyzed. Examples of successful digital transformation of logistics systems by leading Ukrainian companies, including Rozetka, Epicentr, Nova Poshta, METRO Ukraine, and Foxtrot, are presented. The article identifies key challenges that hinder the widespread adoption of digital solutions in logistics, such as insufficient digital literacy among personnel, limited funding, complexity of IT system integration, and cybersecurity risks. Practical recommendations are proposed to improve logistics support for the commercial activities of domestic enterprises, taking into account current challenges such as military actions, supply chain disruptions, changes in consumer behavior, global instability, and digital inequality. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of synchronizing digital logistics with the strategic goals of the enterprise and developing partnership relations within supply chains. A systematic approach to logistics–based on the principles of transparency, adaptability, and technological flexibility–is identified as a key success factor in an unstable external environment and a context of digital competition.

The paper presents possible solutions to small farmers in the agricultural sector in a small island setting grappling with challenges of enhancing their local industry and import substitution through a supply-demand chain framework. In 2005, Hawaiian farms produced approximately 363,200 kg of avocados. However, Hawaiian demand for these fruits required an additional 908,000 kg of avocados that were supplied through imports. At the same time, it is worth noting; almost 49% of locally produced avocados did not reach the market. These facts clearly suggest inefficiencies in the local avocado supply chain. Review of the literature on supply chain management suggests a sustainable avocado industry requires an integrated supply and demand chain management system. Hence, a modified conceptual model of supply-chain management called the Supply Demand Integrated Management (SDIM) model is proposed in this paper. Traditional supply chains contain three functional components: supply coordination, physical production and logistic management. In the new model, we propose adding R4D (Research for Development), a public good provided by the government to agricultural industries as an integral part of the supply-demand chain system. It articulates the significance of research and supply chain partnerships between small growers, industry groups, and public agencies. A well-integrated demand/supply chain in the avocado industry allows sharing of vital market information which can contribute to long-term strategic decisions that help local avocado growers increase their competitiveness against foreign imports. It also provides metrics in terms of consumer satisfaction, profitability, competitiveness, self-sufficiency, import substitution and sustainability. The SDIM model as applied to the avocado industry suggests two hypotheses relevant to the current situation. The hypotheses are: (1) There is a lack of coordination between what the farmers are growing and the chefs' (a high-end customer/buyer) preferences; (2) Forming an avocado farmer cooperative will enhance the profitability of local farmers. Survey data was collected from Hawaiian chefs and avocado farmers. Data was analysed using a Duncan multi-range test and a mathematical model, respectively, to test the hypotheses. The test revealed a lack of coordination between what the farmers are growing and buyer preferences. The results from the mathematical model suggested that formation of an avocado marketing cooperative would enhance the profitability of local farmers. Thus, the SDIM framework expands existing body of knowledge about supply chain management and provides useful information to local avocado growers that can help strengthen their supply and demand chain management.

Background: Digital transformation has significantly reinvented the systems and operations in the supply chain and logistics industries, enabling organisations within the industry to be able to deliver higher value to customers at a lower cost. Some of the technologies that have taken up the industry by the storm include contactless technologies such as radio frequency identification, near-field communication, mobile wallets, smart cards, touchless check-in and robots. Adoption of these technologies has grown exponentially since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, as organisations were forced to transform business operations from physical to digital.Objective: The study objective was to explore factors affecting the adoption of contactless technologies in the supply chain and logistics industry. The study has adopted the technological, organisational and environmental (TOE) framework to explore the technological, organisational and environmental factors affecting the adoption of contactless technologies in the industry.Method: The study adopted the quantitative content analysis research design and systematic literature review method to explore factors affecting contactless technologies adoption in the supply chain and logistics industry. Furthermore, a literature matrix was developed and used as an instrument to explore the TOE factors affecting the adoption. After the collection of data, findings were presented and analysed.Conclusion: The results suggest that technical (cost, value and security), organisational (change and management) and environmental factors (customer demand) affect contactless technologies adoption in the supply chain and logistics industry. The study contributes to the body of knowledge of factors affecting the adoption of contactless technologies in the supply chain and logistics.

The purpose of this paper is to outline a new holistic approach for identifying and prioritising supply chain performance measures according to their importance in the evaluation of value-added activities in the entire supply chain. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique was used for Pairwise comparisons of main supply chain functions, processes and criteria. A questionnaire consisting of comparison tables of all functions was designed based on the AHP methodology and structured interviews were conducted with expert managers of four large Iranian companies. Total weights of each function and its processes in generating value towards the entire supply chain were calculated and their priorities were identified. Total weight of each criterion in evaluating the performance of supply chain was also calculated and a short list of the most important, practical and strategic performance measures is proposed to help managers and practitioners in analysing their supply chains.

A Proposed Architecture for Big Data Driven Supply Chain Analytics

During the past 2 years, traditional freight transportation intermediaries, which include freight forwarders, brokers, and third-party logistics (3PL) providers, have been joined by new intermediaries. The main drivers in the development of these new companies are advances in information and communications technologies, development of web-based or online freight transportation marketplaces, and worldwide emergence of business-to-business electronic marketplaces and business-to-consumer e-tailers. Advances in information technology enable many new operational paradigms and, potentially, the efficient integration of supply chains. These new companies are examined, including their potential benefits and costs of shifting from traditional 3PL to these online service providers. Also addressed is the extent to which changes in the industries appear to be more of a transition than a large-scale transformation.

Nonlinear dynamical behaviours with chaotic phenomena are commonly observed in a typical logistics model and supply chain system. Bullwhip effect has been widely recognized as one of the main issues on affecting the supply chain management. In essence, this phenomenon will lead to unnecessary consumption and waste of natural and social resources by demand variability amplification as moving up in the supply chain networks. However, traditional modelling approaches may become complicated in dealing with uncertainty and chaotic behaviour that are prevalent in real supply chains. System dynamics theory has been employed as a potentially effective strategy to cope with chaotic supply chains which are unpredictable behaviours in time. Four-dimensional differential equations which exhibit chaotic behaviours are constructed to describe a multi-echelon supply chain with bullwhip effect. Furthermore, modern control theory is applied to deal with the multi-stage supply chain optimization problems against disruptions. Specifically, the novel fractional order adaptive sliding mode control (FO-ASMC) algorithm has been implemented for ensuring efficient supply chain management. In addition, the chaos synchronization scheme is implemented in an attempt to regulate the supply chain systems under the impact of extensive uncertainties caused by tumultuous real market. It is found that the chaos synchronization is effectively realised by new FO-ASMC theory to manage advanced supply chain networks. Finally, this advanced management optimization offers a new class of intelligent applications that connects demand to supply and planning to execution across the entire supply chains.

Management strategy of materials supply for manufacturing organizations

The management of a supply chain is both an offensive and defensive weapon that organisations can use to increase their competitive edge and capture a larger share of the market. In management science and supply chain management, multi-criteria decision making techniques have been used to solve a range of real-world problems. The problem is that many, if not most, companies in South Africa either do not have the required skills to use these decision-making techniques to improve or re-configure their supply chain, or they do not have a complete data set with which to model it effectively. In order to manage supply chains effectively, organisations at the very least need feedback on the performance of their entire supply chain. In this article, generic supply chain performance measures were used and a theoretical or empirical model was developed for the performance measurement of a national egg producer’s supply chain. It focused on a managerial program for the identification and management of their supply chain with recommendations for applying a measurement model. The overall performance of the supply chain as well as the five different performance attributes was presented to management in a dashboard format. This article could be used as a basis for future studies of supply chain performance measurement and the model could be used as a foundation for developing an improved version, not only for the egg industry, but for other industries as well.