Business Commons^™

Innovation In Logistics Services, Carlos Mena, Martin Christopher, Mark Johnson, Fu Jia

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The logistics industry manages the flows of products, services and information across customers and suppliers, allowing the integration of supply chains. Innovations in logistics can therefore help improve efficiency and effectiveness across many sectors of the economy. Furthermore, innovation can also have a major impact in reducing the environmental burden of this industry, particularly in terms of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

This overall aim of this report is to understand how the government can encourage and facilitate innovation in the logistics industry. The study focuses mainly on the UK and on the role of third party logistics providers (3PLs). …

Simulation As A Tool For Evaluating Strategic Policies For Flexible Supply Chain Systems, Janice L. Forrester, Wayne W. Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The emergence of flexible supply chain systems (FSC) has sparked increased interest in real-time planning, scheduling, and logistics--with particular consideration for strategic implications and overall cost control. Important aspects of an FSC include forecasting, production, materials handling, transportation, and distribution center inventory. There exists a variety of software applications for addressing tactical issues, such as adaptive scheduling, and short term forecasting. However, these programs typically do not permit the user to assess the strategic implications of different policies for flexing capacity and making alternative commitments to manufacturing plants. Recently there has been increased interest in the use of simulation models …