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3 pages, 188 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimization for Sustainable Supply Chain

by Gerhard-Wilhelm Weber, Alireza Goli and Erfan Babaee Tirkolaee

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12727; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712727 - 23 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 970

Abstract

Optimization plays an important role in several branches of the engineering sciences [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

Research

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22 pages, 1923 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of an Optimal Robust Possibilistic Model in the Distribution Chain Network of Agricultural Products with High Perishability under Uncertainty

by Amir Daneshvar, Reza Radfar, Peiman Ghasemi, Mahmonir Bayanati and Adel Pourghader Chobar

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11669; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511669 - 28 Jul 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1134

Abstract

In this article, the modeling of a distribution network problem of agricultural products with high perishability under uncertainty is discussed. The designed model has three levels of suppliers, distribution centers, and retailers, in which suppliers can directly or indirectly meet retailers’ demand. Due [...] Read more.

In this article, the modeling of a distribution network problem of agricultural products with high perishability under uncertainty is discussed. The designed model has three levels of suppliers, distribution centers, and retailers, in which suppliers can directly or indirectly meet retailers’ demand. Due to agricultural product distribution network unpredictability, robust possibilistic optimization (RPO) has been applied. This model is innovative and takes uncertainty into account. The findings show that uncertainty increases network demand. Supply, distribution, maintenance, and order expenses have grown. By examining the rate of perishability of agricultural products, it has been revealed that, with the growth of this rate, the costs have increased according to the ordering and spoilage of the products. The genetic algorithm (GA), whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and arithmetic optimization algorithm (AOA) have also been applied to analyze the model. The calculations on 10 sample problems in larger sizes show that the AOA has the best performance in achieving near-optimal solutions. Conversely, the WOA has the lowest computing time compared to other meta-heuristic algorithms. Additionally, the statistical test results show no significant difference between the average calculation time and the objective function among the applied algorithms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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20 pages, 2268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Financial and Logistical Service Strategy of Third-Party Logistics Enterprises in Cross-Border E-Commerce Environment

by Jialu Ji, Hongxing Zheng, Jia Qi, Mingjun Ji, Lingrui Kong and Shengzhong Ji

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6874; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086874 - 19 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1729

Abstract

As competition in the cross-border logistics-service market intensifies and demand rises, enterprises with third-party logistics (3PL) combine logistical and financial services to provide comprehensive services. This study considers a secondary supply chain consisting of a cross-border e-commerce enterprise and a 3PL enterprise. When [...] Read more.

As competition in the cross-border logistics-service market intensifies and demand rises, enterprises with third-party logistics (3PL) combine logistical and financial services to provide comprehensive services. This study considers a secondary supply chain consisting of a cross-border e-commerce enterprise and a 3PL enterprise. When cross-border e-commerce enterprises lack funds, 3PL enterprises can provide them with inventory pledge loans. Thus, we establish a Stackelberg game model between the abovementioned parties. We consider the stochastic fluctuation of exchange rate and demand, establish a combined decision model of the logistics-service level and financial service pledge rate of the 3PL enterprise when logistics services affect offshore market demand, and prove the existence of an optimal solution. Studies have shown that the optimal logistics-service level and pledge rate increase with an increase in import tariffs and logistics sensitivity coefficients in offshore markets. Meanwhile, they decrease with an increase in the capability coefficient of 3PL enterprises, exchange rate fluctuation, default rate, and price sensitivity factor in offshore markets. In addition, the more capable 3PL enterprises are, the greater the expected profitability of the entire supply chain. We also utilize authentic data to verify the abovementioned inference and establish its validity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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16 pages, 1882 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Robust Optimization Model for Multi-Period Railway Network Design Problem Considering Economic Aspects and Environmental Impact

by Morteza Noruzi, Ali Naderan, Jabbar Ali Zakeri and Kamran Rahimov

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5022; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065022 - 12 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1359

Abstract

The railway network design problem is one of the critical issues in the transportation sector due to its significance and variety of necessary applications. The major issue of this field relates to the decision of whether to increase the railways’ capacity or construct [...] Read more.

The railway network design problem is one of the critical issues in the transportation sector due to its significance and variety of necessary applications. The major issue of this field relates to the decision of whether to increase the railways’ capacity or construct a new route to meet demand. Although the budget is a great concern of the managers for making such a decision, environmental factors should be necessarily included in the decision-making process. Therefore, this research proposes a novel robust bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to simultaneously minimize the total cost and environmental impact under uncertain conditions and within a given time horizon. The proposed problem addresses strategic and operational decisions through railway project selection and product flow determination. To deal with the bi-objectiveness of the model and tackle the complexity of the problem, a nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is employed. The proposed NSGA-II could reach near-optimal Pareto solutions in a reasonable solution time and showed a reliable performance for being employed in large-sized instances. It also indicates that the proposed NSGA-II can be utilized for solving large-sized samples in a very short time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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18 pages, 3341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Version of African Vulture Optimizer for Apparel Supply Chain Management Based on Reorder Decision-Making

by Shayan Bahadoran Baghbadorani, Seyed Abdolhassan Johari, Zahra Fakhri, Esmaeil Khaksar Shahmirzadi, Shavkatov Navruzbek Shavkatovich and Sangkeum Lee

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010400 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1434

Abstract

Supply chains may serve as an effective platform for the development of sustainability by encouraging responsible conduct throughout all chain members and stages. Agent technology may greatly aid in decision-making during supply chain management. Due to recent changes in the seasons, fashion trends, [...] Read more.

Supply chains may serve as an effective platform for the development of sustainability by encouraging responsible conduct throughout all chain members and stages. Agent technology may greatly aid in decision-making during supply chain management. Due to recent changes in the seasons, fashion trends, and the requirements of various religions, particularly with regard to the ordering procedure, the supply chain for clothing has become one of the most difficult duties in this area. Because of this, it is crucial to enhance process coordination throughout the whole clothing supply chain and develop a decision-making strategy that functions best in a fluid environment. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used in this work to define the relationship between agents and simulate the supply chain process. This research incorporates enhanced African vulture optimizer, a modified bio-inspired approach, and fuzzy inference theory to assist the supply chain agent in determining the appropriate replenishment quantity and reorder point to lower the inventory cost. According to test results, the suggested AAVO-based technique may be successful in determining a target demand ordering amount while reducing the overall cost of the supply chain due to a lowered convergence trend and algorithm accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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20 pages, 744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does a Buyback Contract Coordinate a Reverse Supply Chain Facing Remanufacturing Capacity Disruption and Returned Product Quality Uncertainty?

by Mehr Sadat Salami, Mohammadreza Eslamipirharati, Alireza Bakhshi, Amir Aghsami, Fariborz Jolai and Maziar Yazdani

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15939; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315939 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1975

Abstract

This paper studies a two-echelon reverse supply chain (RSC) involving a remanufacturer and a collector, in which the collector receives the used products by paying a reward to consumers. The reward amount given to customers is crucial for encouraging them to exchange used [...] Read more.

This paper studies a two-echelon reverse supply chain (RSC) involving a remanufacturer and a collector, in which the collector receives the used products by paying a reward to consumers. The reward amount given to customers is crucial for encouraging them to exchange used products. An exchanged item is accepted if it meets the minimum acceptable quality level (AQL). Both the remanufacturing capacity and the quality of exchanged products present uncertainties. Under the buyback contract, the remanufacturer purchases used products at a higher price than in the decentralized and centralized cases from the collector. In return, the collector undertakes to repurchase a certain number of used products sold to the remanufacturer, but not remanufactured due to capacity shortages. Based on the aforementioned uncertainties, this study analyses channel coordination using buyback contracts and optimizes its parameters. By conducting a numerical analysis, we first ensure that under this contract, the risk of uncertainty is divided among the members, and that each party’s profit is higher than when decisions are made individually. Therefore, a buyback contract would guarantee a win-win situation for both of the parties, and coordination for the RSC. A range of percentages of extra items purchased by collectors is derived, as well as the amount the collector pays for each item and the effect of increasing or decreasing these values is examined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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15 pages, 3572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of Omni-Channel Distribution Network Configurations considering Green and Transparent Criteria under Uncertainty

by Ardavan Babaei, Majid Khedmati, Mohammad Reza Akbari Jokar and Erfan Babaee Tirkolaee

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12607; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912607 - 4 Oct 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1989

Abstract

Satisfying customer demand is one of the growing concerns of supply chain managers. On the other hand, the development of internet communications has increased online demand. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for online shopping. One of the useful concepts [...] Read more.

Satisfying customer demand is one of the growing concerns of supply chain managers. On the other hand, the development of internet communications has increased online demand. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for online shopping. One of the useful concepts that help to address this concern is the omni-channel strategy, which integrates online and traditional channels with the aim of improving customer service level. For this purpose, this paper proposes an algorithm for evaluating Omni-channel Distribution Network Configurations (OCDNCs). The algorithm applies an extended Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to evaluate OCDNCs based on cost, service, transparency, and environmental criteria; and then, forms a consensus on the evaluation results generated according to different criteria by utilizing an uncertain optimization model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt in which such an algorithm has been employed to take into account the mentioned criteria in a model to evaluate OCDNCs. The application of the proposed models was investigated in a case study in relation to the Indian retail industry. The results show that the configuration with the most connections among its members was the most stable, robust, and efficient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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Review

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23 pages, 1888 KiB

Open AccessReview

Blockchain-Enabled Cross-Border E-Commerce Supply Chain Management: A Bibliometric Systematic Review

by Fuli Zhou and Yijie Liu

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15918; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315918 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6467

Abstract

Driven by the internet-based advanced information technologies and logistics channel improvement, the cross-border e-commerce industry keeps an increasing trend in Chinese industrial market. Blockchain, as an empowered technology, contributes to the management innovations for industrial sectors. The blockchain technology, due to its transparency, [...] Read more.

Driven by the internet-based advanced information technologies and logistics channel improvement, the cross-border e-commerce industry keeps an increasing trend in Chinese industrial market. Blockchain, as an empowered technology, contributes to the management innovations for industrial sectors. The blockchain technology, due to its transparency, visibility, and dis-intermediation characteristics, helps to improve operations management of cross-border e-commerce supply chain by innovative industrial applications. However, practical applications of the blockchain technique-enabled cross-border e-commerce sector are still in their infancy and still at the proof-of-concept stage. This paper presents a systematic review on blockchain-enabled cross-border e-commerce supply chain management by employing a bibliometric data-driven analysis. All relevant publications from the Web of Science database from 2013 to 2021 were collected as the research samples. Besides, the VosViewer is adopted to conduct the network and co-word study by visualizing collaborative relationships of sampled literatures. Results show that the blockchain technique has substantial applications in the field of cross-border e-commerce supply chain, whose contributions mainly focus on cross-border e-commerce platform, supply chain operations, and data governance and information management. Academic researchers and industrial managers can promote innovative management practices in cross-border e-commerce supply chain by adopting blockchain. Moreover, we hope this study serves as a future direction for both researchers and engineers on leveraging blockchain to improve the supply chain management performance of the cross-border e-commerce. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Logistics and Operations Modelling and Optimisation for Sustainable Supply Chain)

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