Gregory A Harris

An Exploration of Fisher's Framework for the Alignment of Supply Chain Strategy With Product Characteristics

Abstract: In his 1997 Harvard Business Review article, Fisher suggests that supply chain improvement efforts have not produced expected results due to misalignment of products with supply chain strategies. His framework appeals logically and researchers rapidly moved into modifications of Fishers premise. A critical missing component, however, is a quantitative analysis of the benefits of the proper classification of products and alignment with the appropriate supply chain strategies to optimize performance. Quantifiable proof of Fishers framework can strengthen the validity of the initial premise and expansions of his theory. This article presents such a quantitative analysis exploring the validity of Fishers framework for improving performance.

Using Aggregated Federal Data to Model Freight in a Medium-Sized Community

In most urban areas, freight volumes are not explicitly considered in the transportation planning process. This is primarily due to the proprietary nature of freight data, causing any freight data that are released to be highly aggregated. This paper examines a multitiered methodology to utilize freight data from a federally available, highly aggregated source within an urban planning model to accurately model truck transportation. A case study is included that demonstrates the modeling methodology for a medium-sized urban area, complete with international port, and contains validation results of the freight transportation in the area.

A Simulation Approach to Evaluating Productivity Improvement at a Seaport Coal Terminal

The use of simulation in evaluating the impact of productivity improvement activities at the McDuffie Coal Terminal located at the Alabama State Docks in Mobile, Alabama, is discussed. Simulations are being employed for port and terminal operations at an increasing rate because of the value derived as decision support tools. A description of the productivity improvement events, the conceptual framework of the simulation model, and an analysis of the simulation results are presented.

Resources to Minimize Disruption Caused by Increased Security Inspection of Containers at an Intermodal Terminal Application of Simulation

This paper presents the application of simulation to determine the inspection resources needed to minimize disruption resulting from increased security inspection of containers at an intermodal terminal. The initial simulation run intentionally started with a large number of resources. Additional simulation runs were made with a continual reduction of inspection resources until entity throughput at the terminal dropped below allowable limits. Simulation Run 9, with six tailgate inspection stations, three intensive inspection stations, and one general purpose inspector, provided the minimum resources that did not disrupt container throughput. This paper includes the description of the conceptual model framework, the simulation model, the experimental design, and simulation results.

Freight Data Mining Strategy Using Socio-economic Variables for Metropolitan Planning

Infrastructure investment decisions consider future infrastructure demand projections from freight models, the quality of which depends on fidelity of input freight data. The Freight Analysis Framework Version 2.2 (FAF2.2) being a primary source of freight data for infrastructure planning provides commodity origin-destination flows for 114 zones within the USA. Freight disaggregation approaches using demographic and economic variables can be used to obtain county-level freight distribution. Freight distributions at both the levels: federal and county are insufficient for incorporating the effect of freight-related traffic on metropolitan-level transportation infrastructure. This paper describes a clusters-based freight data mining strategy using socio-economic variables to aggregate the most granular representations of freight flows called Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZs) in the Mobile Metropolitan Area (MMA). Such aggregation results in an intermediate level of freight distribution between the county and traffic zone levels, at a resolution meaningful for metropolitan-level planning.

Approach to Collecting Local Freight Information

The use of local freight data in transportation planning is essential to ensure accuracy in the travel demand modeling process. Although extensive research work has been performed into the collection and use of household travel data for passenger transportation, limited research work has been performed to collect and use local freight travel data. This paper examines a structure developed to collect and summarize local freight data in an urban area to be used in the transportation planning process within a metropolitan planning organization. The paper concludes that the appropriate collection and analysis of freight data can be performed and the output can be used to support transportation planning activities.