Kuninori Suzuki

A Study on the Optimum Location of the Central Post Office in Bangkok: Applying the Travelling Salesman Problem

Many post offices can be seen in Thailand and most Thai people use post offices to send their packages. However customers do not get good service from post offices as expected and many problems can be found, such as the big problem of package lateness. Therefore, the post offices in Thailand are required to think of a new system of effective delivery to bring back reliability from customers. In order to find a solution of these problems, the central post office is focused on in this study and to achieve this study of purposes, the travelling salesman problem will be applied in this chapter.

A Study on the Location Selection of Industrial Wastes Treatment Facilities: A Case of Intermediate Treatment Facilities in Chiba, Japan

This chapter attempts to raise the awareness of the recycling-based society through the creation of efficient strategy for reverse logistics by searching for the optimal location for collecting centers of the intermediate treatment facilities. Generally, the efficiency of collecting center can be improved by relocating the facilities and by changing the collection and transport routes. The optimal location of collecting centers for treatment facilities are found by the density method. The case study searches for the optimal location of the collecting centers for the intermediate waste treatment facilities in Chiba prefecture. The results show that the efficiency of waste collection can be improved with leading collection routs from the collecting center to all other treatment facilities.

A Suggestion of an Effective Reverse Logistics System for Discarded Tires in Japan

This chapter analyzes the current issues and proposes an effective reverse logistics system for discarded tires, which considers collection, transportation, and intermediate treatment enterprises, elements that are not involved in forward logistics. The possibility of constructing a reverse logistics network over a wide area is examined from a viewpoint based on previous studies and practices concerning the construction of a forward logistics network. The result revealed that these improvement measures for the reverse logistics can be effectively functioned.

A Study on the Changing Structure of Retail Logistics

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the changing structure of retail logistics in Japan through the comparison with that from the UK. The grocery retail supply chain in Japan and UK is quite advanced, and the focus is on the retailers of the grocery. This chapter consists of four sections. In the first section, the research on the theory of retail logistics and marketing is presented. In the second section, the logistical transformation at Tesco is explained. Tesco is a biggest supermarket in the UK and had changed the logistics strategy and adopted a strategy to sell private brand goods (PB). In the third section, the logistics and marketing strategy are described about Japanese retailer, Daiei, Seven-Eleven, and AEON. In the fourth section, a description is given on how the retailer of the grocery has the power over the manufacturers by using IT and selling PB. The conclusions of the study are given in the last section.

Literature Study Overseas on SCM Strategy with a State of Art SCM Strategy Model

There are a lot of research works as well as books written about SCM strategy, but few books are based on strategic theory of management in a pure sense. As a result, theories themselves are shallow and not in depth. In other words, SCM focuses on a strategic area of supply chain activities while, however, there are few books written on a basis of the theoretical or traditional articles of management strategy in a pure sense. The aims of this article are to review the theoretical strategy formulation concepts out of 50 books published in 2004 through 1990 while we had made logistics literature studies in the middle of 1995 with almost same approach and contributed to academic journals in Japan. This type of SCM literature study is a brand new research and the first attempt of research activity in Japan. As a survey result, it has made clear that most of books paid little attention to structural aspects of SCM strategy formulation as a state of art SCM model linked with management strategy theory. Therefore, we have reviewed the contents of SCM strategy written in fifty books and finally proposed our own SCM strategy structure and formulation based on strategic theories extracted from traditional international management theory as well as strategic theory of classical management.

A Consideration on the Functions of Logistic Parks Against Great Disasters

The big issue in disaster logistics such as transport relief supplies in the affected or later has been pointed out. In addition, an enormous amount of waste caused by the tsunami left in the coastal areas. It is necessary to visualize the mechanism to efficiently handle disaster waste. In this chapter, from the point of view of urban regeneration with the environment in mind, introducing previous studies, anti—disaster city planning focused on logistic parks is discussed. Firstly, the existing research of disaster logistics/SCM is introduced. In this chapter, the concept of urban planning focused on logistics parks with the environment in mind is considered. To the lessons to Sendai, which became the central areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, Kobe taken up as an example. These considerations above lead the conclusions.

Analysis of Effective Recycle System for Used Personal Computers in Japan

Regarding the lifecycle of wastes/valuable materials, the efficiency of a strategic flow, including collection, transportation, intermediate treatment, and final disposal/recycle is expected to improve from the viewpoint of environmental symbiosis. A forward logistics network is constructed mainly of physical distribution enterprises. In the case of reverse logistics, however, collection, transportation, and intermediate treatment enterprises, elements that are not involved in forward logistics play the main roles in the network’s construction. Industrial wastes discharged from factories or similar facilities are collected and transported to intermediate treatment facilities for recycling. Therefore, a network that covers forward and reverse logistics is difficult to construct. Moreover, although the efficiency of forward logistics has greatly improved recently, no noteworthy progress has been seen in the efficiency of reverse logistics, even though there are several differences in the characteristics and constraint conditions between forward and reverse logistics. In this chapter, the possibility of constructing a reverse logistics network over a wide area is examined. As the example for this study, the chapter analyzes the current issues and to propose an effective reverse logistics system for used personal computers. An effective system to collect used personal computers over a wide area with a correct time window is required. The computer simulation includes a collection system algorithm with cluster-first/route-second method and local search method. This procedure consists of three factors. The first is the collection of used personal computers and their transportation to the logistics centers. The second is the improvement of the actual reverse logistics system for used personal computers. The final factor is the design of the improved reverse logistical system. This chapter clearly points out the importance of collection of used personal computers over a wide area with a correct time window with a numerical experiment.

A Consideration of a Reverse Logistics Network Over a Wider Area

Regarding the lifecycle of wastes/valuable materials, the efficiency of a strategic flow, including collection, transportation, intermediate treatment, and final disposal/recycle is expected to improve from the viewpoint of environmental symbiosis. A forward logistics network is constructed mainly of physical distribution enterprises. In the case of reverse logistics, however, collection, transportation, and intermediate treatment enterprises, elements that are not involved in forward logistics play the main roles in the network’s construction. Industrial wastes discharged from factories or similar facilities are collected and transported to intermediate treatment facilities for recycling. Therefore, a network that covers forward and reverse logistics is difficult to construct. Moreover, although the efficiency of forward logistics has greatly improved recently, no noteworthy progress has been seen in the efficiency of reverse logistics, even though there are several differences in the characteristics and constraint conditions between forward and reverse logistics. In this chapter, the possibility of constructing a reverse logistics network over a wide area is examined. As the example for this study, the chapter analyzes the current issues and to propose an effective reverse logistics system for used personal computers. An effective system to collect used personal computers over a wide area with a correct time window is required. The computer simulation includes a collection system algorithm with cluster-first/route-second method and local search method. This procedure consists of three factors. The first is the collection of used personal computers and their transportation to the logistics centers. The second is the improvement of the actual reverse logistics system for used personal computers. The final factor is the design of the improved reverse logistical system. This chapter clearly points out the importance of collection of used personal computers over a wide area with a correct time window with a numerical experiment.

Analysis and Suggestion of an e-Commerce Logistics Solution: Effects of Introduction of Cloud Computing Based Warehouse Management System in Japan

It has become increasingly important to have both visible and accurate real-time inventory management tools when managing merchandising/logistics in the clothing industry. A comprehensive, sophisticated, and company-wide inventory management system, which can integrate incoming inventory, logistics center inventory, store inventory and return goods inventory is required. The capability to deal with and analyze massive amount of sales data for thousands of stores, for each store, area, and brand in a short period of time, by unit control (e.g. color, size), is also a requirement. In order to meet these requirements to control and manage inventory, an expensive and heavily-featured warehouse management system (WMS) is being conventionally used today. However, an ever-more sophisticated clothing market, with a shortened fashion cycle and diversified trends and tastes, has increased the demand for more advanced and inexpensive IT-driven logistics services. The ability to promptly introduce and upgrade state-of-the-art IT logistics systems is essential, not only for establishing actual physical stores, but also for developing web-based clothing stores. Using case studies, this chapter will discuss the possibilities for a Cloud Computing based WMS and services in the fashion and apparel industry and business.

The Design and the Improvement of Reverse Logistics for Discarded Tires in Japan

In this study, which focuses on discarded tires, the possibility of constructing a reverse logistics network over a wide area and the integration or aggregation of logistical bases is examined. This simulation employs cluster-first/route-second method, and local search. This procedure consists of three stages. The first is to analyze how to collect discarded tires and how to transport them to the factories as thermal fuels. The second portion is to consider how to improve the actual reverse logistics system for discarded tires with the numerical results of the simulation. The third is the design and the improvement of the reverse logistics system with the suggestion of the cost-reduction measures.