Maritime transport is the transport of people or goods by water. It is the backbone of world trade and globalization. Twenty-four hours a day and all year round, ships carry cargoes to all corners of the globe. Maritime Transport focuses on the operational side of this important industry, covering many topics such as sea traffic currents, passenger transport, short sea shipping and dangerous cargoes. Parts one and two of Maritime Transport present the concepts, theory and background information, then part three presents more complex and deeper issues such as the maritime transportation of the future. It covers topics such as intelligent shipping, data exchange at sea and maritime security. In addition, the book includes fascinating case studies and examples, such as maritime transport in the Baltic sea, ship strategies in Norway and Greece and the benefits of slow steaming. At the end of each chapter there are questions that will help students to gain a deeper understanding of the many topics covered.

This book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from an assortment of technologies as they relate to Operations Management and Finance. The book contains primers on operations, finance, and their interface. After that, each section contains chapters in the categories of theory, applications, case studies, and teaching resources. These technologies and business models include Big Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, 3D printing, sharing platforms, crowdfunding, and crowdsourcing. The balance between theory, applications, and teaching materials make this book an interesting read for academics and practitioners in operations and finance who are curious about the role of new technologies. The book is an attractive choice for PhD-level courses and for self-study.

This book encompasses the macro-factors pertaining to the overall development in logistics technologies and facilities, region-specific policies and plans, industry-wide transformation in transport, manufacturing, commerce, and agriculture in China. Specifically, it describes policies and practices in China's high-quality development of logistics, China's business environment construction in logistics, and progress of port logistics in China. It also highlights the applications and prospects of blockchain technology in China's logistics industry in the year 2019. The expositions on and analyses of these subjects are based on the latest available sources and statistical data. As with the previous volumes, the ultimate aim of this book is to present a timely portrait of the rapid growth of China's logistics market and the status quo of its logistics industry. In so doing, the book offers an in-depth analysis of critical issues involved in the ongoing dynamic and multi-faceted development and provides a valuable reference resource for interested readers in the academic and professional fields.

The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit provides practical tools for warehouse, inventory and transport managers and students to help them tackle the challenges of logistics and supply chain management. It is full of practical ideas and information to optimise the management of logistics and supply chain processes. The Logistics and Supply Chain Toolkit offers solutions and plans spanning across a variety of sub-disciplines such as warehousing, logistics, supply chain management, inventory and outsourcing. Each toolkit addresses key principles within its area of discipline, providing the reader with a precision approach to be used in complex and sensitive circumstances. The toolkit presents a number of major management tools such as Fortna's Product Flow Smart Design, SMART, DMAIC and Gantt charts. General management, performance management and problem-solving tools have also been included to provide a broader, transferable scope of tools for the reader.

This book helps the reader to identify how different organizations in the context of diverse societies deploy their resources and leverage their capabilities to achieve better performance of its various labor skills, marketing, social responsibility and management capacity. Intelligent Logistics is a complex phenomenon that has become critical for companies to reach their development locally and internationally. On the one hand, macro-factors and market structure influence in business competitiveness, but also in a regional or sector context. The internal aspects and the use of various business tools contribute to the ability to create value in an organization. It is of utmost importance to understand the relevance of crucial aspects in the technological future that should be known and implemented by the Z generation of its incidence in the use of organizational models linked to artificial intelligence. Every innovative aspect in the use of new technologies for the distribution of goods and services will be crucial in a globalized world. An avant-garde society will require improved decision-making regarding Logistics 4.0 and its implementation in our lives respecting the environment and being sustainable together with invaluable principles of generating tacit knowledge for future generations.

This updated revision explains how to design, implement and manage a cutting-edge distribution system based on quick response/continuous replenishment concepts. Practical guidelines demonstrate how to dramatically improve the accuracy of product deliveries, reduce levels of inventory, lower operating costs and refine productivity.

Highly successful in hardcover, this analysis of both the current status of logistic and its future role in European business is now available in paperback for students of logistic, distribution, strategy and international business.

Logistic in Europe is undergoing a period of unprecedented change. The Single European Market, German unification and reform in eastern Europe have together had a major impact on the continent, with inevitable consequences for logistics. At company level, there is also increasing petition from the newly industrialized countries of the Pacific Rim, not to mention the dismantle of trade barriers within Europe which have so far afforded considerable protection to some European industries.

The two main sections of the book consider demand and supply the market place for logistic services. In analyzing demand, the authors focus on the changing needs on manufacturers and retailers, the two principles users of logistics in advanced economies. On the supply side they examine a number of different kinds of provider of the logistics services, including carriers, freight forwarders and information technology companies. These providers are both responding to the needs on users, and initiating developments of their own. The rise of the mega-carrier is an especially important development, and one chapter is devoted to examining their prospects for success.

For any business involved in today's supply chains, logistics services are critical. Companies have to decide whether to retain their own logistics operations or place their trust in third-party suppliers. This potential move away from the traditional approach of managing these processes internally can lead to improved service and reduced cost although this isn't always the case. The Logistics Outsourcing Handbook provides step by step guidance on the process of logistics outsourcing and explains how to apply this information for commercial success. Vital advice is given on benchmarking existing operations, how to shortlist companies, produce a request for a proposal, choose the optimum supplier and implement and manage the contract. The Logistics Outsourcing Handbook analyses outsourcing from both an industry wide perspective, while also drilling down into specific individual considerations. The book provides valuable guidance in terms of contractual relationships, cost models and the integration of information technology systems. By analysing current statistics and surveys, looking into factors behind why contracts are awarded and terminated important insights can be acquired. This book contains tools, models, online resources and case studies on the outsourced relationships of companies including Intel KFC and BA to further develop the reader's knowledge which makes this book an informative and essential resource.

This Open-Access-Book analyzes the acceptance of sustainable freight transport and suggests a new framework for policy measures to decarbonize freight transport. Despite intense political endeavors, the environmental performance of the transport system has not improved in the previous years. It seems that the existing measures are not sufficient to motivate transport users to implement sustainable freight transport strategies. The case of three different strategies for sustainable freight transport is studied: horizontal collaboration in a Physical Internet network, multimodal freight transport and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as alternative truck fuel. Each of these three strategies falls within a different pillar of the avoid-shift-reduce framework. The determinants of acceptance and suggested policy measures in this study reflect transport users' needs towards sustainable freight transport. This should support policy makers and the logistics industry to implement sustainable practices and achieve the ambitious emission targets by decarbonizing freight transport.

This book aims to investigate a long-term strategy for sustainable urban logistics. The literature evidence exhibits that considerable research on urban logistics lacks long-term planning and rarely considers the urban spatial development and integration of urban distribution innovations. Currently, 11 distribution innovations can be used for future sustainable urban freight transport. According to a systematic discussion, this book formulates the conceptual model of Sustainable Inner-urban Intermodal Transportation (SIUIT) for future urban logistics. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis illustrates that future integrations of distribution innovations comprise operational and technological integration. To this end, the morphological analysis method is employed to discuss their feasible solutions based on the SIUIT model. After that, combined with the trend exploration of urban spatial development on large- and megacities, this book constructs the 2.x Modula & Sustainable Urban Freight Network to improve the flexibility of the future sustainable logistics transformation. About the AuthorDr. rer. pol. Zhangyuan He graduated from the University of Bremen. He currently undertakes postdoctoral research at the School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University.

This book is a compilation of advanced research and applications on robotic item picking and warehouse automation for e-commerce applications. The works in this book are based on results that came out of the Amazon Robotics Challenge from 2015-2017, which focused on fully automated item picking in a warehouse setting, a topic that has been assumed too complicated to solve or has been reduced to a more tractable form of bin picking or single-item table top picking. The book's contributions reveal some of the top solutions presented from the 50 participant teams. Each solution works to address the time-constraint, accuracy, complexity, and other difficulties that come with warehouse item picking. The book covers topics such as grasping and gripper design, vision and other forms of sensing, actuation and robot design, motion planning, optimization, machine learning and artificial intelligence, software engineering, and system integration, among others. Through this book, the authors describe how robot systems are built from the ground up to do a specific task, in this case, item picking in a warehouse setting. The compiled works come from the best robotics research institutions and companies globally.

Many manufacturing and distribution companies are moving from the traditional 'forecast push MRP' to demand-driven supply chain management (SCM). Demand-driven SCM is an 'end-to-end' supply chain planning and replenishment process that enables companies to achieve their planned service levels from up to half the average level of inventory and requiring significantly less throughput capacity - irrespective of the level of demand volatility or lead-time length. Demand-Driven Supply Chain Management is the go-to source for industry supply chain/operations executives and students. It describes the 'what, how and why' of the demand-driven SCM process. The key themes in the book are: what is demand-driven? why is demand-driven so effective? how to operate a demand-driven supply chain? and how to adopt the demand-driven process in your company? Readers can quickly grasp the essential concepts from one of numerous self-contained sections that present the book's key concepts from different perspectives. Online resources available include full-colour figures.

Follow the "Proven Path" to successful implementation of enterprise resource planning

Effective forecasting, planning, and scheduling is fundamental to productivity–and ERP is a fundamental way to achieve it. Properly implementing ERP will give you a competitive advantage and help you run your business more effectively, efficiently, and responsively. This guide is structured to support all the people involved in ERP implementation–from the CEO and others in the executive suite to the people doing the detailed implementation work in sales, marketing, manufacturing, purchasing, logistics, finance, and elsewhere.

This book is not primarily about computers and software. Rather, its focus is on people–and how to provide them with superior decision-making processes for customer order fulfillment, supply chain management, financial planning, e-commerce, asset management, and more. This comprehensive guide can be used as a selective reference for those, like top management, who need only specific pieces of information, or as a virtual checklist for those who can use detailed guidance every step of the way.

This publication analyzes the Product-Specific Rules of Origin (PSRO) of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and other free trade agreements and proposes policy options. The report compares RCEP with the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. It looks at the main rules of origin provisions of the three free trade agreements and discusses differences and similarities in how they were drafted. The study compares the stringency and leniency of RCEP PSRO with that of the other agreements and identifies where PSRO among the three are converging. Its findings provide the basis for policy recommendations to leverage RCEP to simplify rules of origin across Asia and the Pacific.

This book explains supply chain management (SCM) using the strategy-structure-process-performance (SSPP) framework. Utilizing this well-known framework of contingency theory in the areas of strategic management and organizational design, SCM is firmly positioned among management theories. The author specifically proposes a theoretical foundation of SCM that will be relevant to such areas as operations management, logistics management, purchasing management, and marketing. Both the static and dynamic sides of SCM are reported. On the static side, supply chain strategies are divided into three patterns: efficiency-oriented, responsiveness-oriented, and the hybrid efficiency- and responsiveness-oriented pattern. For each strategy, suitable internal and external supply chain structures and processes are proposed. On the dynamic side, the big issue is to overcome performance trade-offs. Based on theories of organizational change, process change, and dynamic capabilities, the book presents a model of supply chain process change. On structure, the focus is on the role of an SCM steering department. Illustrative cases are included from such diverse industries as automobiles (Toyota and Nissan ), personal computers (Fujitsu), office equipment (Ricoh), air-conditioning (Daikin), tobacco (Japan Tobacco), chemicals and cosmetics (Kao), and casual fashion (Fast Retailing and Inditex).The strategy and organization of SCM is systematically presented on the basis of the SSPP framework. In particular, the relationships among three management elements-strategy, structure, and process-can be identified in an SCM context. From many of the cases contained in this volume, there emerges an understanding of how to analyze the success and failure factors of SCM using the SSPP framework. In addition, the reader sees not only the static side SCM such as process operation but also its dynamic side such as process innovation and process improvement.

Logistics is a complex industry that exposes employees to a whole variety of risks. These include not only accidents on the road and deaths and injuries resulting from unsafe use of forklifts, but also the consequences of poor fire safety, long-term health risks due to poor manual handling technique and problems relating to mental health. Many thousands of incidents are recorded every year. This book examines each aspect of health and safety in turn, with a focus on warehousing and transportation. Health and Safety in Logistics informs managers about potential hazards found in the industry and explains in detail how they can make the workplace as safe as possible.

Seventy percent of the planet is covered by water, and ninety percent of global economic trade is transported by sea. The oceans are inextricably linked with food security and the global economy. Technology and the Blue Economy examines the vital role that technology plays in developing the blue economy. It provides a clear, accessible picture of the current and future potential of technology within different sectors in the blue economy, such as offshore energy, ports and harbours, shipping, maritime surveillance and cyber security.

Technology and the Blue Economy looks at the disruption of established business models through case studies of leading innovators, examining development issues, what they have learned and how they have transformed their current ways of working within their organizations. Along with actionable takeaways at the end of each section, readers will learn from and be inspired by the front-line experiences of Blue Economy innovators.

Focusing on the key aspects of setting up an export operation, this text demonstrates how export decisions are actually made and justified financially.

Logistics providers typically own large fleets of transportation vehicles such as rail cars or trucks. These fleets do not only determine to a large extent the service level the company can offer, but also make up a large part of total costs. Proper management of the fleet is therefore a crucial factor for these companies. In this book the author presents planning approaches that address the optimal management of vehicle fleets. Firstly, methods for determining the mixture of vehicle types and the optimal size of a fleet are developed. Secondly, approaches for supporting new service models such as customer segmentation are derived. Potential readership includes scholars and graduate students who are interested in the field of fleet planning and practitioners from logistics companies looking for new planning approaches.

Industry 4.0 systems use various sensor technologies many that include the integration of RFID. The intent of this book is to provide a sufficient discussion of RFID to enable readers with no prior knowledge to develop a basic understanding of the technology. RFID for the Supply Chain and Operations Professional discusses current applications and specific examples of RFID usage taken from a variety of industries. The appropriate coupling of RFID with other technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), enterprise resource planning (ERP), IIoT technologies and robotics is discussed as well as an overview of the RFID implementation process. This book will help readers develop an understanding of the capability of the technology to increase an organization's customer responsiveness. In the third edition, the discussion and examples have been updated to reflect the rapid advancement in RFID technology. A new case study and new examples have been added along with updated discussions and projections about RFID technology.

Packaging design is a powerful vehicle for making our lives friendlier, our planet greener and our businesses richer. It is an essential link between the producer and the customer, where it contributes to the positioning and presentation of a product; and on many occasions, the use of the product after purchase. What is missing is a compass that can guide practitioners in the right direction. This is particularly so in the field of packaging where the routes you take may contradict rather than contribute to sustainable development. Managing Packaging Design for Sustainable Development: A Compass for Strategic Directions emphasizes the need to rethink packaging system design, by presenting a strategic packaging design tool; a compass. The compass encourages you to go off-road, to develop and innovate, and to remake the packaging design solution that previously was best practice. Theory and practical applications are balanced by outlining the most crucial tenets of packaging design for sustainability and by illustrating wide range of real-life cases that will inspire and challenge the mindsets of those who apply the compass in packaging design related projects. This is a must-have book for designers, engineers, logisticians, marketers, supply chain professionals and other managers who seek guidance on sustainable solutions through packaging design.

Sustainable Transportation and Smart Logistics: Decision-Making Models and Solutions provides deterministic and probabilistic models for transportation logistics problem-solving and decision-making. The book presents an overview of the intersections between sustainability, transportation, and logistics, and delves into the current problems associated with the implementation of sustainable transportation and smart logistics in urban settings. It also offers models for addressing complex structural problems and procedures for estimating transportation externalities such as environmental and social impacts, both in industrial and government arenas, as well as decision-making models from operational, tactical, and strategic management perspectives. Sustainable Transportation and Smart Logistics also covers best practices for practical corporate policy implementation, making it a comprehensive and vital resource for researchers, graduate students, practitioners, and policy makers in transportation, logistics, urban planning, economics, engineering, and environmental science.

Internal and external forces such as globalization, global interconnectivity, automation, and other technological advancements are making today's supply chains highly sophisticated and complex. For organizations that produce, manufacture or distribute products, there's often a high level of interdependence and connectivity with their suppliers and their customers and business partners. Although the interconnectedness of these organizations can be beneficial (increased revenues, expanded market opportunities, and cost reduction), the ability of organizations to meet their goals is often increasingly dependent on events, processes, and controls that are not visible and are often beyond their control - such as a supplier's controls. That's why the demand for transparency in supply chains is now higher than ever before, and why this is the perfect time for you to help organizations assess their supply chain risks, evaluate the system controls within their manufacturing, production, or distribution systems, and communicate their supply chain management efforts to those with whom they do business. Accountants and financial managers can also increase the credibility of the supply chain information communicated by the organization by providing an opinion on the organization's supply chain efforts. This guide enables the accountant and financial manager to examine and report on the description of a system for manufacturing, producing and distributing goods as well as on the controls within that system using a dynamic, proactive, and agile approach. It will show how to conduct this examination in accordance with the attestation standards. The guide may also be helpful when providing readiness assessments to clients, who are not quite ready for an examination level service and need help to get there. The guide also includes excerpts from the two distinct, but complementary sets of criteria developed by the AICPA to assist practitioners with SOC for Supply Chain engagements: the description criteria and the 2017 trust services criteria.

Introduction to Operations Management: A Supply Chain Process Approach details how firms buy, make, deliver, and return goods and services around the globe, providing students with a solid foundation of operations management concepts and techniques. The text offers a set of activities that guide the effectiveness of organizations and prepare operations managers and other employees to ensure their firms are competitive. The book is organized from a strategic to a tactical perspective, beginning with foundational concepts and ending with broader discussions of managing supply chains. Dedicated chapters address corporate strategy, services design, inventory management, aggregate planning, forecasting, lean systems, quality management, integrating processes along the supply chain, and more. Numerous real-world examples, cases, and engaging exercises allow students to place themselves in the shoes of working operations management professionals. The second edition features examples of real companies using analytical tools in decision-making situations, as well as extensive web-based content including flashcards, YouTube videos, and graded chapter quizzes. The textbook's coverage also includes emerging trends for most chapters, such as sustainability, customer relationships, and working in the global marketplace. Written for today's students and the exciting, ever-evolving marketplace, the second edition of Introduction to Operations Management is the text to bring operations management into the modern era.

Using e-business technologies to manage supply chains increases the efficiency and performance of logistics, production, distribution and other related activities. E-Business and Supply Chain Integration explains how a number of tools can be used to produce an e-supply chain and achieve higher productivity. This essential book examines supply chain theories along with real life cases and examples from industry to illustrate how e-business can enhance supply chain integration and highlights the negative outcomes when it is poorly managed. Dr Ozlem Bak and a team of expert contributors from practice and academia assess the impact of e-business on numerous different sectors, such as automotive, healthcare, logistics, higher education, and professional services. E-Business and Supply Chain Integration explains the strategic implications of new technologies and provides guidance on effective supply chains in e-businesses.