Jacqueline Bloemhof

Today most flowers physically pass through the auction houses on their fixed routes from (inter)national growers to (inter)national customers. Physical presence is necessary to allow for physical inspection, quality control and break-bulk activities. Several developments, such as new markets in Eastern Europe and increased virtualization, stimulate the chain to become an efficient florticultural hub-network, in which cut flowers, plants and

In this article we investigate the role of locally produced products in four future scenarios for the agrifood sector, and we discuss which logistical innovations will be needed to cope with future trends. The main factors affecting the agrifood sector include the growing world population, the declining population numbers in Western Europe, increasing urbanisation, climate change, and the need to

repub logo erasmus logo. EUR > Economics & Management > ERIM > View Book. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/2298. Reverse Logistics Network Design. Fleischmann, M. Bloemhof-Ruwaard, JM; Beullens, P. Dekker, R. January ...

ABSTRACT This paper discusses and typifies logistics decision making in a highly complex system, namely an international fresh product supply chain network. Taking the floricultural sector as example case, we develop a conceptual model that incorporates the important system characteristics (e.g. network design, inventories), context factors (e.g. demand and supply uncertainty, perishability) and performance indicators (e.g. costs and responsiveness). We review literature and present quantitative modeling techniques that are used to design, plan and control a supply chain network. Given an assessment on the suitability of modeling techniques for specific characteristics of fresh products, we present a hybrid simulation and optimization modeling approach for the design and control of a fresh product supply chain network.

Plastic waste is a special category of municipal solid waste. Plastic waste collection is featured with various alternatives of collection methods (curbside/drop-off) and separation methods (source-/post-separation). In the Netherlands, the collection routes of plastic waste are the same as those of other waste, although plastic is different than other waste in terms of volume to weight ratio. This paper aims for redesigning the collection routes and compares the collection options of plastic waste using eco-efficiency as performance indicator. Eco-efficiency concerns the trade-off between environmental impacts, social issues and costs. The collection problem is modeled as a vehicle routing problem. A tabu search heuristic is used to improve the routes. Collection alternatives are compared by a scenario study approach. Real distances between locations are calculated with MapPoint. The scenario study is conducted based on real case data of the Dutch municipality Wageningen. Scenarios are designed according to the collection alternatives with different assumptions in collection method, vehicle type, collection frequency and collection points, etc. Results show that the current collection routes can be improved in terms of eco-efficiency performance by using our method. The source-separation drop-off collection scenario has the best performance for plastic collection assuming householders take the waste to the drop-off points in a sustainable manner. The model also shows to be an efficient decision support tool to investigate the impacts of future changes such as alternative vehicle type and different response rates.

ABSTRACT We address the use and value of time and temperature information to manage perishables in the context of a retailer that sells a random lifetime product subject to stochastic demand and lost sales. The product's lifetime is largely determined by the temperature history and the flow time through the supply chain. We compare the case in which information on flow time and temperature history is available and used for inventory management to a base case in which such information is not available. We formulate the two cases as Markov Decision Processes and evaluate the value of information through an extensive simulation using representative, real world supply chain parameters. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ABSTRACT Intrinsic characteristics of food products and processes along with growing sustainability concerns lead to the need for decision support tools that can integrate economic considerations with quality preservation and environmental protection in food supply chains. In this study, we develop a multi-objective linear programming (MOLP) model for a generic beef logistics network problem. The objectives of the model are (i) minimizing total logistics cost and (ii) minimizing total amount of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation operations. The model is solved with the εε-constraint method. This study breaks away from the literature on logistics network models by simultaneously considering transportation emissions (affected by road structure, vehicle and fuel types, weight loads of vehicles, traveled distances), return hauls and product perishability in a MOLP model. We present computational results and analysis based on an application of the model on a real-life international beef logistics chain operating in Nova Andradina, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil and exporting beef to the European Union. Trade-off relationships between multiple objectives are observed by the derived Pareto frontier that presents the cost of being sustainable from the point of reducing transportation emissions. The results from the pie chart analysis indicate the importance of distances between actors in terms of environmental impact. Moreover, sensitivity analysis on practically important parameters shows that export ports' capacities put pressure on the logistics system; decreasing fuel efficiency due to the bad infrastructure has negative effects on cost and emissions; and green tax incentives result in economic and environmental improvement.

ABSTRACT The Dutch potted plant sector has a dominant international position, but new marketing channels and emerging markets on distance call for new logistics concepts. This paper explores the potential of an advanced logistics concept, i.e. logistics orchestration, that aims for improved collaboration between supply chain actors. A mixed integer linear programming model is developed to investigate the benefits of logistics orchestration in three scenarios. In these scenarios, the effects of network design and logistics consolidation on logistics costs, working times and CO2 emissions are quantified. Modelling assumptions and data were validated in collaboration with business partners. Results show that logistics costs, working time and emissions can be significantly reduced by use of a hub network and consolidation. The better the European economic centre can be reached through the hub network, the larger the benefits can be. Embodying a substantial part of European goods flows is required to realise these b

The recovery of used products and materials is receiving growing attention as a result of depleted landfill and incineration capacities. From a logistical point of view these reuse opportunities give rise to a goods flow from the user back to the sphere of the producers. “Reverse logistics” is concerned with the management of this “reverse” goods flow. In this paper issues in reverse logistics are addressed from an operational research perspective. Recent contributions related to the areas of distribution planning and inventory management are discussed, and compared with traditional logistical settings.

ABSTRACT Plastic recycling is a legal requirement and can yield environmental benefits. In the Netherlands, there is a complex network of various collection methods, separation centers, sorting centers and reprocessors. The first step of the recycling system, separating plastics from other waste, can occur within households (source-separation) or in separation centers (post-separation), making a difference in collection channel choice and technology requirements. The purpose of this paper is to provide decision support on choosing the most suitable combination of separation methods in the Netherlands. Decision support is given through optimized reverse logistics network design which makes the overall recycling system more efficient and sustainable, while taking into account the interests of various stakeholders (municipalities, households, etc.). A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model, which minimizes both transportation cost and environmental impact, is used in this network design. The research follows the approach of scenario study; the baseline scenario is the current situation and other scenarios are designed with various strategic alternatives. Modeling is conducted by using a graphical optimization tool IBM LogicNet Plus 7.1. Comparing these scenarios, the results show that the current network settings of the baseline situation is efficient in logistics terms but has a potential to adapt to strategic changes, depending on the assumptions regarding availability of the required processing facilities to treat plastic waste. In some of the tested scenarios, a separate collection channel for Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles is cost efficient and saves carbon emission. Although the figures differ depending on the separation method choices of municipalities, our modeling result of all the tested scenarios shows a saving of more than 25 % carbon emission compared to the current network.