Kenth Lumsden, Fabrizio Dallari and Remigio Ruggeri
The Hub and Spoke system (H&S), initially applied to the airline industry, is an innovative distribution approach which has proved to be successful especially in transportation…
Abstract
The Hub and Spoke system (H&S), initially applied to the airline industry, is an innovative distribution approach which has proved to be successful especially in transportation systems dealing with several origins and destinations and with balanced good flows in both directions. This paper provides an overview of Hub and Spoke theory and proposes some possible improvements to this practice for freight transportation (trucking industry). In particular, the re allocation of transportation resources and the direct connection between pairs of nodes in the distribution network (short cut) have been applied in a case study involving the SKF European distribution network. All aspects of feasibility have been discussed and alternative solutions have been compared to the present configuration in terms of average lead times, goods flow, truck utilisation rate and transportation costs. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed interventions, mainly in terms of cost reduction and system flexibility.
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Gunnar Stefansson and Kenth Lumsden
The purpose of this paper is to use the conceptual model of the Smart Transportation Management (STM) system and analyze how the included factors change the performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use the conceptual model of the Smart Transportation Management (STM) system and analyze how the included factors change the performance of distribution activities and what management issues are at stake.
Design/methodology/approach
To prepare the paper, a literature study was made and case studies carried out in companies and organizations that are included in advanced transportation setups, including infrastructure providers, carriers, truck manufacturers, software providers, shippers, and more.
Findings
The main finding of the study is a model that includes three major components of smart transportation management, namely, smart goods, smart vehicles and smart infrastructure. These components embrace some factors that have effects on supply chain performance; however, to different extents.
Research limitations/implications
The paper uses a framework for the smart transportation management system that is useful when studying advanced transportation management systems, the functions that need to be supported and what factors have effects on supply chain performance.
Practical implications
Practical implications are mainly based on the structure of the smart transportation system that is used and the identified factors that affect the performance of the supply chain, as these factors can be influenced by logistics management.
Originality/value
The framework used in this research is a new development that collects advanced functions of goods identification, vehicle information systems and infrastructure systems into one conceptual model for smart transportation management that include some factors that are affecting supply chain performance.
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Kenth Lumsden and Vahid Mirzabeiki
The paper aims to define the most beneficial types of information within a supply chain and their level of value for different partners in the supply chain. A secondary objective…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to define the most beneficial types of information within a supply chain and their level of value for different partners in the supply chain. A secondary objective of this study is to compare the literature focus with the practitioners' perception concerning the value adding information types and their value level in the supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, by reviewing published papers and textbooks on functionality and the value of information in supply chains, the most important types of information beneficial for the different partners of the supply chain depending on their position are identified. The value levels are quantified for the different partners through the supply chain by interviews with practitioners in different segments of the chains. A comparison between values of significant information types in the supply chains, concluded from the literature and the practitioners' interviews, is presented in this paper.
Findings
The study indicates the warehouse operations information as the most valuable information type from the practitioner's perspective. Also the result of this paper indicates increasing value of information further down the supply chain.
Practical implications
The result of this study could be applied for prioritizing the need for different information types in designing a supply chain.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the literature on the value of information and supply chain information by identifying and categorizing different types of information which are made available to create value for different partners in the supply chain. Also, this study identifies the benefit share of different supply chain partners from information. A comparison of the ideas of the literature and practitioner's on value of information is shown in this study.
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Roger A. Lindau, Thomas Kanflo and Kenth R. Lumsden
In a system where two material flows with sequence dependency arematched, the use of real‐time information to monitor and control thesequencing buffer improves the system′s…
Abstract
In a system where two material flows with sequence dependency are matched, the use of real‐time information to monitor and control the sequencing buffer improves the system′s ability to schedule many different models, compared with a system with no information at all. In the latter case, the system is upset considerably when more than four different models enter the system. Shows how the performance of a car‐body shop is affected when real‐time information about progress in sub‐systems is available to the scheduler. A case study at a car plant and a simulation study were carried out.
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Henrik Sternberg, Andreas Hagen, Paolo Paganelli and Kent Lumsden
Today, the transport industry is facing increasing demands on reducing both the environmental impact and cost of freight transports. Another demand, coming from the end consumers…
Abstract
Today, the transport industry is facing increasing demands on reducing both the environmental impact and cost of freight transports. Another demand, coming from the end consumers, is the demand for ecological accountability, so‐called ecological foot‐printing, meaning that the emission of every freight movement is distributed to the freight. Previous research shows that transport planning, system integration and control are some of the key factors to achieve more sustainable transport setups. One of the major obstacles preventing these factors is the complexity of international supply chains, with several involved actors. Smart Freight is a holistic concept, integrating transport management and state‐of‐the‐art technologies for freight tracking and vehicle monitoring, in order to enable improved management and accountability of freight transportation. The purpose of this research is to explore how Smart Freight can be used to control, track and reduce the environmental impact of goods transportation. This research is based on two in‐depth case studies and a demonstration prototype of one of the studied transport setups. An extensive amount of data was collected between 2006 and 2008 through interviews, video filming, document studies, physical travel with the freight flows, seminars, prototype building, literature and desktop studies. The result of this research highlights the weaknesses in today’s control of transport operations and presents a model for how Smart Freight enables a more environmentally friendly and accountable transport system.