This open access book highlights the interdisciplinary aspects of logistics research. Featuring empirical, methodological, and practice-oriented articles, it addresses the modelling, planning, optimization and control of processes. Chiefly focusing on supply chains, logistics networks, production systems, and systems and facilities for material flows, the respective contributions combine research on classical supply chain management, digitalized business processes, production engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mathematical optimization. To celebrate 25 years of interdisciplinary and collaborative research conducted at the Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics (LogDynamics), in this book hand-picked experts currently or formerly affiliated with the Cluster provide retrospectives, present cutting-edge research, and outline future research directions.

The key to success and reaching peak performance is integrating three processes to optimize business through the use of human performance improvement tools, lean thinking, operational excellence, along with a strong organizational culture as the underpinning. These components form the basis of the Peak Performance Model. The tools presented in this book, along with the case studies, demonstrate how the model is applied and integrated into company practices. Companies and organizations want to improve their performance, but many have not integrated the right tools and processes. Through the application of the Peak Performance Model, every company can achieve and sustain Peak Performance.

Building from the previous two successful editions, The Procurement Models Handbook is an essential resource for everyone working in the procurement profession, including those selling directly to it. The authors provide the reader with a useful guide to the business models most frequently applied in the procurement and supply chain arena. Procurement and supply chain management are two of the highest contributors to corporate success in the modern world. This third edition is a new revised international version with additional tools that reflect the value of procurement in our globally-connected world. The authors have included over 50 well-established strategic and operational models that have a proven track record of delivering value over years of practice. Each model is presented pictorially, with explanatory commentary on its practical application to support. These models are designed to save unnecessary cost and deliver significant benefits for their user and have been carefully selected by the authors based on their originality and usefulness for practical application in the context of procurement and the supply chain. The Procurement Models Handbook is an invaluable and enduring source of reference for practitioners and business managers, as well as an essential learning support for business and procurement students.

Supply Chain 4.0 has introduced automation into logistics and supply chain processes, exploiting predictive analytics to better match supply with demand, optimizing operations and using the latest technologies for the last mile delivery such as drones and autonomous robots. Supply Chain 4.0 presents new methods, techniques, and information systems that support the coordination and optimization of logistics processes, reduction of operational costs as well as the emergence of entirely new services and business processes. This edited collection includes contributions from leading international researchers from academia and industry. It considers the latest technologies and operational research methods available to support smart, integrated, and sustainable logistics practices focusing on automation, big data, Internet of Things, and decision support systems for transportation and logistics. It also highlights market requirements and includes case studies of cutting-edge applications from innovators in the logistics industry.

A supply chain is the process of all parties involved in fulfilling a customer request, while a value chain is a set of interrelated activities a company uses to create value and a competitive advantage. In Strategic Value Chain Management the authors bring together a variety of disciplines, showing how to move from traditional supply chain management to value chain management. Research from the (ISM) International School of Management, Germany, originating from a network of companies in a range of sectors, is integrated with case studies to demonstrate particular concepts. Strategic Value Chain Management brings together theory and practice and presents tangible ways of creating competitiveness in a changing world through the use of effective models and frameworks. Challenging the traditional Porters Five Forces Model, the authors introduce the important academic disciplines of cybernetics and systems sciences as essential drivers of strategy within the supply chain, supported by case studies illustrating their implementation.

Strategic Operations Management, 4th Edition, shows how vital it is to have world-class operations management in any organisation. In the past, where organisations tended to be more hierarchical than today, the words, "strategy" and "operations" were almost mutually exclusive. In today's highly competitive environment, though, strategic operations capabilities must be in place for organisations to provide goods and services that meet and exceed customer requirements. Key issues such as cost, speed, quality, flexibility and constant innovation are all part of strategic operations. However, achieving such capabilities does not come by chance - instead a range of factors need to　be put in place.

This new edition pays equal attention to manufacturing and service sectors. It includes numerous references to, and discusses, major changes taking place in the business world, including 3-D printing; virtual organisations; Cloud – Big Data and the Internet of Things; Servitization, global markets, ongoing innovation and managing within complex supply networks. Cases are included from a range of settings across the globe.

Students taking MBA, MSc and MBM classes on operations management, advanced operations management, and strategic operations management will find this textbook fulfills all their requirements whilst advanced undergraduate classes in these areas will also find the book an essential read.

Table of Contents

Preface, Chapter 1: - Introduction to Operations Management, Chapter 2: - Strategic operations Management, Chapter 3: - Managing Services, Chapter 4: - Managing Innovation, Chapter 5: - Managing Supply, Chapter 6: - Managing inventory (MRP), JIT, Chapter 7: - Managing Layout and Process Choice, Chapter 8: - Managing HRM in Operations, Chapter 9: - Managing Improvements through TQM BPR and Process Mapping, Chapter 10: - Strategic Capacity and Scheduling, Chapter 11: - Managing Sustainability in Operations, Chapter 12: - The Future of Operations, Index

The book takes the inventory control perspective to tackle empty container repositioning logistics problems in regional transportation systems by explicitly considering the features such as demand imbalance over space, dynamic operations over time, uncertainty in demand and transport, and container leasing phenomenon. The book has the following unique features. First, it provides a discussion of broad empty equipment logistics including empty freight vehicle redistribution, empty passenger vehicle redistribution, empty bike repositioning, empty container chassis repositioning, and empty container repositioning (ECR) problems. The similarity and unique characteristics of ECR compared to other empty equipment repositioning problems are explained. Second, we adopt the stochastic dynamic programming approach to tackle the ECR problems, which offers an algorithmic strategy to characterize the optimal policy and captures the sequential decision-making phenomenon in anticipation of uncertainties over time and space. Third, we are able to establish closed-form solutions and structural properties of the optimal ECR policies in relatively simple transportation systems. Such properties can then be utilized to construct threshold-type ECR policies for more complicated transportation systems. In fact, the threshold-type ECR policies resemble the well-known (s, S) and (s, Q) policies in inventory control theory. These policies have the advantages of being decentralized, easy to understand, easy to operate, quick response to random events, and minimal on-line computation and communication. Fourth, several sophisticated optimization techniques such as approximate dynamic programming, simulation-based meta-heuristics, stochastic approximation, perturbation analysis, and ordinal optimization methods are introduced to solve the complex stochastic optimization problems. The book will be of interest to researchers and professionals in logistics, transport, supply chain, and operations research.

This book focuses on three essential elements of agricultural supply chains: Planting and Growing, Processing and Selling, and Government Interventions. For decades, most agricultural economists applied macro-economic theory in decisions pertaining to the optimization of food production and distribution. However, few researchers used micro-economic theory to examine how individual farmers respond to market information, incentive pricing mechanisms and different market structures in the trade of agricultural goods. Examining challenges in agricultural supply chain operations through the lens of micro-economic theory is imperative because it can enable policymakers and social enterprises to develop and design market information provision policy, incentive contracts and market structures for improving farmer and consumer welfare. In each chapter, contributing authors motivate their research questions by providing the context and articulating the importance of their questions. They present their analysis to examine the respective research questions and explain their results. At the end of each chapter, they provide a short list of future research questions.

Many business-to-business (B2B) managers think that customers act rationally and base decisions mostly on price, customer loyalty isn't considered. Companies outsource various activities, which enable them to improve efficiency, reduce costs, focus more on core competencies and improve their innovation capabilities. Supply Chain Management synchronizes the efforts of all parties-particularly suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, dealers, customers-involved in achieving customer's needs. Despite much research, the relationship between customer loyalty and the supply chain strategy remains insufficiently explored and understood by practitioners and academics, while the theme has been extensively developed within marketing literature. Customer Loyalty and Supply Chain Management is the result of years of work by the authors on different projects concerning the overlapping areas of supply chains, logistics and marketing, drawing a connection between the literature to provide a holistic picture of the customer loyalty framework. Emphasis is given to the B2B context, where recent research has provided some clues to support the fact that investment in operations, new technologies and organizational strategy have had a significant role in understanding B2B loyalty, particularly in the context of global supply chains. Moreover, the book provides a modernized and predictive model of B2B loyalty, showing a different methodological approach that aims at capturing the complexity of the phenomenon. This book will be a useful resource for professionals and scholars from across the supply chain who are interested in exploring the dimension of customer loyalty in the challenging supplier and customer context.

Against this current trend of low growth and high uncertainty, business directors must work with their shareholders to set strategic objectives and define business models. The great number of possible strategies makes this type of management very complex, and the actual deployment of strategic choices is often limited by a lack of overall coherence within the organization. This problem calls for an appropriate and renewed response. In strategic management today, a closer, permanent dialogue is needed between operational and financial performance. Based on a supply chain approach, the Value Added Supply Chain (VASC) model focuses on driving operational performance, but aims to achieve a greater and more dynamic integration between these two dimensions of the company's value creation.

This book deals with the improvement of suppliers in order to increase a company's top and bottom-line. The enhancement of suppliers can be accomplished in a series of steps when conditions warrant intervention. They can also be generated through direct quality mentoring when the supplier does not have the basic skills or abilities to adequately address impending problems. Also included are guideline activities which will aid in achieving and attaining improved profitability and competitiveness in the world market. Packed with examples, problems, and forms to allow easy establishment of systems, makes the information presented more easily understood, interesting, and useful.

Disruptive technologies have the power to upend supply chains, adding uncertainty, cost, and complexity to any business. These technologies can also create competitive advantage, but only if organizations strategically build them into their supply chains. Supply Chain Disruption, with a foreword by John Gattorna, provides the vital knowledge that supply chain managers need in order to implement disruptive technologies strategically. This essential book avoids a one-size-fits-all approach and encourages the reader to consider customer needs first before aligning appropriate technologies with each supply chain application. Supply Chain Disruption focuses on information systems, analysing how companies currently integrate and implement potentially disruptive technologies into their supply chain roadmaps. It presents new ways of planning more effectively and efficiently through the use of new tools and techniques, creating improvements in agility, customer service and cost.

The supply chain is a complex system of numerous, integrated stakeholders. These stakeholders are responsible for the transportation, storage, documentation, and handling of material goods and cargo. Each entity has its own unique relationship with and role within the chain-as well as its own unique security requirements. The challenge of trying to secure the supply chain at every level is both a domestic and global concern. In this global economy, companies must be able to integrate security into supply chain logistics to protect their employees, assets, and clients from incidents of theft and other damaging events. Supply Chain Security: A Comprehensive Approach provides security professionals the tools necessary to ensure supply chain security. The book demonstrates how to establish and enforce security policies and protocols, including rapid responses that must be deployed in the event of a theft or security incident. Most importantly, it enables professionals to integrate business practices into the planning, development, and successful operation of supply chains to ensure security and protect assets. Drawn from the experience of a recognized leader in domestic and international supply chain logistics, trade, and transportation security, the book illustrates through a series of case studies how security professionals can institute sound security practices. By demonstrating to their stakeholders and potential customers that they provide a secure environment for materials, products, goods, and cargo, companies can increase their customer base and improve their bottom line.

The role of a contracting professional begins well before the award of a contract and doesn't end until the benefits of the acquisition have been realised, long after the deliverables arrive in a box on a loading dock. Global Contract Logistics tackles the growing complexity of contracting in a technologically accelerating world. The author looks at the common errors and the ten phases of a successful acquisition. Global Contract Logistics examines what it takes to be an intelligent client, one who employs contracting or procurement professionals to obtain goods and services on their behalf. It debunks many commonly held myths involving contracting, procurement and acquisition and outlines ten vital steps towards success for intelligent clients and their supporting acquisition professionals. The text is supported by case studies of projects that the author Steve Morgan has led, during his time with the Ministry of Defence and BAA. Online supporting resources include contract templates for procurement and acquisition projects.

Authored by a team of experts, the new edition of this bestseller presents practical techniques for managing inventory and production throughout supply chains. It covers the current context of inventory and production management, replenishment systems for managing individual inventories within a firm, managing inventory in multiple locations and firms, and production management. The book presents sophisticated concepts and solutions with an eye towards today s economy of global demand, cost-saving, and rapid cycles. It explains how to decrease working capital and how to deal with coordinating chains across boundaries.

Global capitalism is a precarious system. Relying on the steady flow of goods across the world, trans-national companies such as Wal-Mart and Amazon depend on the work of millions in docks, warehouses and logistics centres to keep their goods moving. This is the global supply chain, and, if the chain is broken, capitalism grinds to a halt. This book looks at case studies across the world to uncover a network of resistance by these workers who, despite their importance, often face vast exploitation and economic violence. Experiencing first hand wildcat strikes, organised blockades and boycotts, the authors explore a diverse range of case studies, from South China dockworkers to the transformation of the port of Piraeus in Greece, and from the Southern California logistics sector, to dock and logistical workers in Chile and unions in Turkey.

Operations may not run the world but make the world run! Learn how a business operates and improves its processes from some of the leading experts in the field. Operations Management, 10th edition is the ultimate guide on the subject, providing you with the best ways and strategies to learn, explore and make sense of how a business works, coming from world-leading experts Nigel Slack, Alistair Brandon-Jones, and Nicola Burgess. Strategic in its perspective and with a clear structure, the latest edition offers a comprehensive and practical way to study key concepts surrounding effective operation processes, from theory to practice. What makes Operations Management, 10th edition work so well? Clear structure, thanks to the "4 Ds" model of Operations Management. Real-life examples that are shown in the "Operations in Practice" boxes and case studies. Worked examples that blend qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Critical commentaries, posing alternative views where appropriate. Summary provided in practical bullet points, answering key questions. A new section in every chapter called "Responsible Operations", that summarises how the topic touches upon social, ethical, and environmental issues. With plenty of new end-of-chapter case studies and a plethora of international examples, this textbook will challenge your critical thinking, both individually and as part of your group discussion in class. Along with the practice cases, summaries, and illustrations, this edition is the definitive guide for your studies in the field of Operations Management. Pearson, the world's learning company.

Inventory management is concerned with matching supply with demand and a central problem in Operations Management. The problem is to find the amount to be produced or purchased in order to maximize the total expected profit or minimize the total expected cost. Over the past two decades, several variations of the formula appeared, mostly in trade journals written by and for inventory managers. A critical assumption in the inventory literature is that the demands in different periods are independent and identically distributed. However, in real life, demands may depend on environmental considerations or the events in the world such as the weather, the state of economy, etc. Moreover, these events are represented by stochastic processes - exogenous or controlled. In Markovian Demand Inventory Models, the authors are concerned with inventory models where these world events are modeled by Markov processes. Their research on Markovian demand inventory models was carried out over a period of ten years beginning in the early nineties. They demonstrate that the optimality of (s, S)-type policies, or base-stock policies (i.e., s = S) when there are no fixed ordering costs with the provision that the policy parameters s and S depend on the current state of the Markov process representing the environment. Models allowing backorders when the entire demand cannot be filled from the available inventory as well as those when the current demand is lost are considered. As for cost criteria, we treat both the minimization of the expected total discounted cost and the long-run average cost. The average-cost criterion is mathematically more difficult than the discounted cost criteria. Finally, wegeneralize the usual assumptions on holding and shortage costs and on demands that are made in the literature.

Volume 2 of Logistics, Supply Chain and Procurement Case Study Collection contains new case studies tackling Supply Chain and Procurement issues, aiming to provide solutions affecting a range of different businesses. Comprehensive in scope and scrupulous in detail, this collection includes actual events experienced by businesses of every size, from SMB's to some of the most successful corporations in manufacturing, transportation, maritime and other industries. Readers will discover proven tactics and innovative solutions for handling uncertainties, solving problems and circumventing risk, plus a wealth of information to guide strategy and decision making. Readers involved in logistics and supply chain management will find the Logistics, Supply Chain and Procurement Case Study Collection full of: immediate application of strategies and tactics to situations and challenges; valuable tools for testing management proficiency in crisis mitigation and resolution; independent learning modules and professional training programmes; expanded question-and-answer sections designed to measure knowledge transfer and lessons learned; engaging, topical situations highly relevant to the fields of logistics, supply chain management and operations. Students and prospective managers will learn crucial skills to meet current challenges, qualify for professional advancement and achieve success.

A guide to help readers meet the demands of an evolving competitive business environment, Modeling of Responsive Supply Chain outlines novel concepts and strategies for implementing a fully integrated system of business improvement methodologies. This self-contained reference covers various key aspects of supply chain management, which is crucial to boosting industrial growth in the face of expanding globalization in the manufacturing and transportation sectors. The book focuses on topics that could potentially improve the free flow of goods and services between nations by helping users assess the performance of logistic systems deployed to achieve this end. Chapters present a conventional and evolutionary approach to coordinating all elements of the supply chain to optimize an enterprise's competitive advantage. The authors explore different models associated with transportation, facility location, and assignments, as well as planning and scheduling. They also address diverse technologies, such as RFID tags used to monitor product flow within the supply chain network. This book addresses the importance of: Recognizing responsiveness as a metric of supply chain performance Domain interfaces for solving the optimization problem by making supply chains more responsive Coordination through contracts to enhance responsiveness System dynamics methodology to achieve responsiveness, as well as management principles, control theory, and computer simulation The use of different types of technologies to build a better supply chain that achieves higher responsiveness Few, if any, single volumes provide the detailed explanation of practical and conceptual approaches found in this book. It covers the entire spectrum of topics and will be equally useful as a reference for scholars and graduate studen

For MBA or senior level undergraduate supply chain management courses. A Strategic Framework for Understanding Supply Chain Management Borne from a course on supply chain management taught at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, Supply Chain Management introduces high-level strategy and concepts while giving students the practical tools necessary to solve supply chain problems. The Sixth Edition weaves in compelling case study examples, providing students with clear insight into how good supply chain management offers a competitive advantage. On the flip side, students also learn the dangers of poor supply chain management, and how it can damage an organization's overall health and performance. Using a strategic framework, students are guided through all of the key drivers of supply chain performance, including facilities, inventory, transportation, information, sourcing, and pricing. By the end of the course, students will walk away with a deep understanding of supply chains and a firm grasp on the practical managerial levers to pull in order to improve supply chain performance.

Get the inside story of American Artificial Intelligence (AI) failure and fall: Learn how to reassume American AI leadership and win against China On the eve of the Sino-American great power competition General Mattis challenged America to move forward at the speed of relevance. To compete effectively America needed to excel in its AI capacity. The call fell on deaf ears - and years later the nation found itself sliding towards a state of irrelevance on the global stage. A series of blunders contributed to what President Biden calls American AI's "failing and falling behind." This is the story of American AI's fall from grace. Capturing the live moments of American excitement and mastery of AI to the tragedy of ending up behind China, the authors give a behind the scenes account of what transpired. Get an inside view on who dropped the ball at a time when America needed its best leadership. As the mystery unravels, it shows the great misses and deceptions, colossal mistakes, policy failures, and negligence that cost America its leadership position. This story could become the story of America's own decline and fall. But there is hope. In the past America has shown resilience to bounce back from the agony of defeat to win in the long run. This book gives a path to rebuild American AI and secure such a victory. Whether you are a business leader or a policy analyst, a supply chain expert or an academic, a congressmember or an agency head At the Speed of Irrelevance: How America Blew Its AI Leadership Position and How to Regain It will change your thinking about your responsibility to your firms, agencies, and the country. This will be the most timely and patriotic book you will ever read.

THE PRACTICAL, EASY INTRODUCTION TO MODERN SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT FOR EVERY PROFESSIONAL AND STUDENT! COVERS CORE CONCEPTS, PLANNING, OPERATIONS, INTEGRATION, COLLABORATION, NETWORK DESIGN, AND MORE SHOWS HOW TO MEASURE, CONTROL, AND IMPROVE ANY SUPPLY CHAIN INCLUDES PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR JUMPSTARTING YOUR OWN SUPPLY CHAIN CAREER This easy guide introduces the modern field of supply chain and logistics management, explains why it is central to business success, shows how its pieces fit together, and presents best practices you can use wherever you work. Myerson explains key concepts, tools, and applications in clear, simple language, with intuitive examples that make sense to any student or professional. He covers the entire field: from planning through operations, integration and collaboration through measurement, control, and improvement. You'll find practical insights on hot-button issues ranging from sustainability to the lean-agile supply chain. Myerson concludes by helping you anticipate key emerging trends-so you can advance more quickly in your own career. Trillions of dollars are spent every year on supply chains and logistics. Supply chain management is one of the fastest growing areas of business, and salaries are rising alongside demand. Now, there's an easy, practical introduction to the entire field: a source of reliable knowledge and best practices for students and professionals alike. Paul A. Myerson teaches you all you'll need to start or move forward in your own supply chain career. Writing in plain English, he covers all the planning and management tasks needed to transform resources into finished products and services, and deliver them efficiently to customers. Using practical examples, Myerson reviews the integration, collaboration, and technology issues that are essential to success in today's complex supply chains. You'll learn how to measure your supply chain's performance, make it more agile and sustainable, and focus it on what matters most: adding customer value. MASTER NUTS-AND-BOLTS OPERATIONAL BEST PRACTICES Improve procurement, transportation, warehousing, ordering, reverse logistics, and more BUILD A BETTER GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN Manage new risks as you improve sustainability STRENGTHEN KEY LINKAGES WITH YOUR PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS Get supply chains right by getting collaboration right PREVIEW THE FUTURE OF SUPPLY CHAINS-AND YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN CAREER Discover "where the puck is headed"-so you can get there first

Delivering excellent service to all customers is the key imperative for many sustainable businesses. So why do so many supply chains struggle to fulfill customer requirements at competitive costs? The answer is simple: traditional supply chain planning, which was tailored to a predominantly stable and predictable business environment, cannot handle the new challenges in the world of variability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity-the VUCA world. Companies can either accept the drawbacks that often result in high inventories, poor asset utilization, and unsatisfactory customer service or, they can change their view of the fundamental approach to supply chain management. LEAN Supply Chain Planning: The New Supply Chain Management Paradigm for Process Industries to Master Today's VUCA World introduces a new paradigm and a new approach to managing variability, uncertainty, and complexity in today's planning processes and systems. Introducing a cutting-edge supply chain management concept that addresses current problems in the process industry's supply chains, the book presents powerful methods developed by leading research institutes, process industry champions, and supply chain experts. It explains how readers can change their approach to the fundamental planning paradigms in a manner that will help their organizations achieve higher levels of responsiveness, improved levels of customer service, and substantial increases in cost-efficiencies. This holistic practitioner's guide describes how to establish the right accountabilities for performance management and also provides a set of meaningful metrics to help measure your progress. Supplying detailed guidelines for transforming your supply chain, it includes first-hand reports of leading organizations that have already adopted some of the facets of this paradigm and used the relevant instruments to achieve unprecedented improvements to customer service, supply chain agility, and overall equipment effectiveness.