Ronald S. Tibben-Lembke

Differences between forward and reverse logistics in a retail environment

This paper compares and contrasts forward and reverse logistics in a retail environment, with the focus on the reverse flow of product. Many differences between forward and reverse flows of logistics systems are presented. The impact of these factors depends to some extent on the supply chain position of a firm. Unlike much reverse logistics research, which is written from the perspective of the firm which will remanufacture or refurbish the product in the reverse flow, we consider the issues from the perspective of the firm generating the reverse flow.

Life after death: reverse logistics and the product life cycle

Managing the reverse flow of product is an important ability for any company, as the recent experiences of many online retailers illustrate. Reverse logistics is a growing and important area of strategic advantage for many companies. For a long time, the product life cycle has been a valuable source of insight about the changing needs of marketing and logistics over the life of a product. In this paper, we study the way that reverse logistics is impacted by changes in sales over the product’s life cycle.

The Impact of Reverse Logistics on the Total Cost of Ownership

Reverse logistics can have a significant impact on the cost of owning an item, and is an important factor to consider in calculating the total cost of ownership (TCO), when making a purchasing decision. Frameworks for calculating TCO are presented from the literature. Then, the impact of reverse logistics on each of these costs is discussed. The importance of including disposal and end-of-life costs in any total cost of ownership calculation is also discussed.Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a structured approach for determining the total costs associated with the acquisition and subsequent use of a given item or service from a given supplier (Carr and Ittner, 1992). An important area for consideration in TCO is the cost associated with product returns (LaLonde and pohlen, 1996). Reverse logistics (RL) is the process of moving products the “wrong way,” from the customer back to the supplier. Many of these costs are affected by the presence of a reverse logistics system, and this should be taken into accou...

An inventory model for delayed customization: A hybrid approach

We present a variant of the delayed customization problem in which the company considers using both regular production and postponement. We determine the optimal inventory levels for the generic product (to be used for postponement) and the regular products. Even when the use of the generic product is significantly more expensive than other products, maintaining an inventory of the generic product significantly increases profits. We present an algorithm to optimally solve the single period and heuristically solve the infinite horizon problems for any number of products, and present computational results.

N-period contracts with ordering constraints and total minimum commitments: Optimal and heuristic solutions

Abstract We consider long-term supply contracts with commitments and purchasing constraints. Under a commitment, the buyer agrees that the quantities purchased over the length of the contract will exceed a pre-specified amount. Purchasing constraints restrict the size of the quantity purchased each period. We present the optimal purchasing policy for an N -period contract, and a more readily implementable heuristic policy. By computing the expected profits of following such a policy, the user can easily choose between contracts with different commitments, constraints, and prices. We present computational results demonstrating this procedure.

Real options: applications to logistics and transportation

Purpose – Changes over the last 30 years have given companies increased flexibility and control over their logistics activities. During this same period of time, financial markets have embraced stock options, which allow buyers the right but not the obligation to purchase a stock at a specified price in the future. Recent technological developments could enable the trading of formalized options around transportation and logistics services. This paper aims to propose a framework for enabling managers to extend the use of options to the future use of logistics resources.Design/methodology/approach – Presents a conceptual model that is based on research within the field.Findings – This paper presents a framework for using transportation options in a similar manner to stock or commodity options: a shipper would buy a transportation option from a carrier, or a carriers agent, which would give the shipper the right but not the obligation to send a shipment in a particular freight lane at a specified future tim...

« Reverse logistics » : stratégies et techniques

Les gestionnaires accordent un interet grandissant a la « reverse-logistics » . Celle-ci occupe une place beaucoup plus importante qu’il y a quelques annees. Le present document decrit synthetiquement plusieurs strategies et technologies nouvelles que les responsables de « reverse-logistics » peuvent utiliser aujourd’hui pour ameliorer les « flux a rebours », et dont ils devraient disposer dans le futur.

Theory of constraints at UniCo: analysing The Goal as a fictional case study

As a fictional case study, Eliyahu Goldratts novel about manufacturing, The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, presents a constraint-focused approach to production management. As a novel, the book does not emphasise the quantitative details of the plant improvements. However, a great amount of information about the plant is spread throughout the book. By collecting and analysing this data, a concrete picture of the plants capacity and its improvements may be developed, which can greatly help the books readers understand and evaluate the cumulative impact from the plants ‘process of ongoing improvement’.