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In today’s multi-channel distribution environment, it is crucial for the competitiveness of retail stores and companies to improve efficiency of dedicated logistics centers (DLCs) servicing types of retail outlets such as large retail-stores, super supermarkets, and convenient stores. This paper derives efficiency improvement strategies for DLCs through efficiency analyses. To this end, this paper empirically analyzes the efficiency of DLCs by applying DEA (data envelopment analysis) approaches using real data from a Korean distribution company. In detail, this paper analyzes operations, finance, and service efficiencies of DLCs and performs a comparison analysis on the efficiency between DLCs. Finally, this paper discusses the analysis results considering the DLCs’ characteristics and derives managerial and operational implications.

This paper discusses a case of truck sharing as an application of the sharing economy. This case study examines a real mixed feed company with multiple factories. In this company’s operation, bulk trucks located in a factory had not previously been shared for delivery with other factories to their pre-assigned customers of stock farms. Therefore, this paper suggests a new delivery system that facilitates truck-sharing and analyzes its effects on the transport cost and trucks’ CO2 emissions. To this end, this paper develops vehicle routing models to represent the current delivery practice and the new truck-shared delivery (TSD). In addition, models are developed for a carbon control policy of an emission trading scheme (ETS) and the effects of the ETS on truck-sharing are investigated. Numerical analysis is conducted to identify the effects of the TSD and the carbon control policy and draw practical implications.

This article analyzes an intermodal transportation network for international container cargoes in Korea. The actual transportation situation in Korea is formulated by a linear programming model. The model is validated first by comparing the model output with actual performance, and then the model is extended by incorporating various externalities arising from inland transport modes such as air pollution, congestion, accidents, noise pollution, and wear and tear. Moreover, the model is extended for assessing the effects of complying with carbon taxation and emission trading schemes, which loom large in international shipping communities. Test results of the models using the data obtained from reliable sources are presented and policy directions are discussed from an environmental perspective.

We study the ship speed optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the total fuel consumption. We consider multiple time windows for each port call as constraints and formulate the problem as a nonlinear mixed integer program. We derive intrinsic properties of the problem and develop an exact algorithm based on the properties. Computational experiments show that the suggested algorithm is very efficient in finding an optimal solution.

This paper presents a case study on the problems which result when loading air containers onto DHL and Air Hong Kong air express carriers. Problems often arise when trying to determine which containers should be loaded and where the containers should be located in an aircraft in order for it to maintain stability. The objective of this activity is to maximize the revenue obtained from delivering containers. We will present an integer programming model which will attempt to optimally solve the problem. Computational experiments which have been done on a number of randomly generated test instances show that the integer programming model can be a viable tool for generating loading plans within the companies since optimal or near-optimal solutions were obtained during the test instances within a reasonable amount of computation time.

The strategic location of city logistics facilities may help to establish more efficient urban logistics systems, reduce social and environmental costs of urban freight transport, and improve urban traffic conditions. In addition, it may allow a number of shippers or freight carriers to jointly operate freight vehicles and terminals or information systems while allowing them to have the capability to provide higher levels of services to their customers. This paper considers the problem of selecting a location for a city logistics facility while considering linguistic factors. This paper identifies the important factors in the selection of a location for a city logistics facility by performing a case study which applies the analytic hierarchy process method on data from Chongqing, China. The optimal location in Chongqing is then determined by using the fuzzy synthetic evaluation method. The results of this paper are expected to help municipal governments select appropriate locations for city logistics facilities and quantify the advantages and disadvantages of alternative locations.

H maritime company in Korea had a long history of difficulty in obtaining enough empty containers to transport its commodities. Despite efforts to resolve the problem, the repositioning of empty containers between depots was still planned manually, which consumed much worker time. To automate the generation of reposition plans, we developed a planning system to optimize the company’s reposition of empty containers between global depots with a linear programming model functioning as a key decision engine in the system. The model determines the route, volume and mode of transportation for repositioning empty containers from depots with surplus containers to those requiring containers, as well as the empty space of ships generated from the unloading or loading of full and empty containers. The system has been in operation in the company’s global network since March 2008.

Dynamic lot sizing is the problem of determining the quantity and timing of ordering items while satisfying the demand over a finite planning horizon. This paper considers the problem with two practical considerations: minimum order size and lost sales. The minimum order size is the minimum amount of items that should be purchased and lost sales involve situations in which sales are lost because items are not on hand or when it becomes more economical to lose the sale rather than making the sale. The objective is to minimize the costs of ordering, item , inventory holding and lost sale over the planning horizon. To solve the problem, we suggest a heuristic algorithm by considering trade-offs between cost factors. Computational experiments on randomly generated test instances show that the algorithm quickly obtains near-optimal solutions.

This paper considers the problem of determining the disassembly schedule (quantity and timing) of products in order to satisfy the demand of their parts or components over a finite planning horizon. The objective is to minimize the sum of set-up, disassembly operation, and inventory holding costs. As an extension of the uncapacitated versions of the problem, we consider the resource capacity restrictions over the planning horizon. An integer program is suggested to describe the problem mathematically, and to solve the problem, a heuristic is developed using a Lagrangean relaxation technique together with a method to find a good feasible solution while considering the trade-offs among different costs. The effectiveness of the algorithm is tested on a number of randomly generated problems and the test results show that the heuristic suggested in this paper can give near optimal solutions within a short amount of computation time.

This paper focuses on an arc-welding robot scheduling problem, which is the problem of determining the sequence of welding operations while avoiding heat-caused distortion for the objective of minimizing the time required to complete a given set of welding operations. Each welding operation is specified by a weld line with two end points, each of which can be a possible starting point of the welding operation for that weld line. Because of the heat-caused distortion, there must be a certain period of time (delay) between welding operations associated with weld lines near each other. We develop several heuristic algorithms, in which heuristics for the travelling salesman problem are modified to cope with characteristics of the problem considered here. To show the performance of the heuristics suggested in this paper, computational experiments are performed on a number of randomly generated test problems and results are reported.

Porous silicon materials have been shown to have bright prospects for applications in light emitting, solar cell, as well as light- and chemical-sensing devices. In this report, structures of porous silicon prepared by anodic etching in HF-based solution with various etching times were studied in detail by Atomic Force Microscopy and Small Angle X -ray Scattering technique using the high energy beam line at Pohang Light Source in Korea. The results showed the coexistence of the various pores with nanometer and submicrometer scales. For nanameter size pores, the mixed ones with two different shapes were identified: the larger ones in cylindrical shape and the smaller ones in spherical shape. Volume fractions of the cylindrical and the spherical pores were about equal and remained unchanged at all etching times investigated. On the whole uniform values of the specific surface area and of the size parameters of the pores were observed except for the larger specific surface area for the sample with the short etching time. The results implies that etching process causes the inner surfaces to become smoother while new pores are being generated. In all SAXS data at large Q vectors, Porod slope of -4 was observed, which supports the fact that the pores have smooth surfaces.