Stefan Mutke

Towards an Integrated Simulation Approach for Planning Logistics Service Systems

The planning of complex logistics service systems is increasingly characterized as a collaborative process with various participants involved. The planning process of a logistics service system can be rendered by a Fourth Party Logistics Service Provider (4PL) together with an existing network of logistics partners. Simulation can be used to improve the decision-making process in the planning phase and to detect errors that can become cost intensive in the future. This paper outlines how simulation is integrated into a planning approach for a 4PL. The focus is on the derivation of goals and requirements from the specific characteristics of a 4PL. Based on these goals and requirements an initial integrated planning and simulation procedure is presented.

Towards Real-Time Data Acquisition for Simulation of Logistics Service Systems

Driven by rising competition pressure companies began to outsource at least parts of their logistics functions to specialized logistics providers in order to concentrate on the core competences. Hence, new business models emerged like the fourth party logistics provider who acts like a coordinator of arising logistics networks. One of the main tasks of the provider is the planning of such logistics networks, which have a very collaborative and dynamic character. In this paper an efficient way to integrate process modeling and simulation as part of the planning phase is introduced. Furthermore, an integrated approach is introduced for supporting the planning by a better data acquisition in order to provide reliable results at an affordable effort using simulation techniques. Therefore, complex event processing is used to gather real-time data and provides the data as service profiles for simulation.

Model-Based Integrated Planning for Logistics Service Contracts

In the past, logistics used to be a core function of production and trading companies but many of them started to outsource at least parts of their logistics functions to specialized logistics service providers in terms of logistics contracts. With this, sophisticated business models such as value added logistics service providers evolved which concentrate on tasks of planning, coordination and monitoring of entire supply chains. Most of these tasks encompass a variety of isolated steps in order to deliver efficient logistics processes. In this paper, an approach that supports the integrated planning of logistics contracts is presented. A mechanism for integrating different models which are used during isolated planning tasks is described in detail. Further, an example shows how to generate a simulation model starting from a process description and hence how to make consistently reuse of models.

Continuous Quality Improvement in Logistics Service Provisioning

Driven by rising competitive constraints companies began to outsource at least parts of their internal activities to specialized external logistics providers in terms of contracts. Thereby, new business models like the fourth party logistics evolved, which acts like coordinator of the emerging logistics networks. The main task of the provider is the planning, monitoring and measurement of the different networks of its customers. Based on a method to integrate process modeling and their simulation, complex event processing to gather real-time information about process executions and service profiles to measure subsequent service providers’ quality – a closed loop approach for improving the quality of service provisioning is presented.

Engineering and Evaluation of Process Alternatives in Tactical Logistics Planning

The objective of tactical planning in logistics is the engineering and evaluation of processes within a given set of possible alternatives. Due to outsourcing and a division of labor, a high number of participants, available services and thus possible process alternatives arises within logistics networks. The additional wide range of service description and annotation methods result in a complex planning process. In order to support planning, a semi-automated approach is presented in this paper that is based on a combined catalog and construction system (for engineering) and a generic simulation approach (for evaluation) that are able to handle the variety of description and annotation methods. The basic concepts are presented and afterward associated by a model-driven approach in order to connect them and make them compatible to work with each other. Finally, a method is developed to foster a semi-automated engineering and evaluation of process alternatives.

Planning of Composite Logistics Services: Model-Driven Engineering and Evaluation

Tactical planning of composite services in heterogeneous logistics networks is facing two major problems. First, existing planning methods lack in concreteness as they instruct to compare different alternatives of possible composite services in order to find the best solution, but they do not state how to develop and engineer those alternatives. Second, the planning and evaluation of composite services via simulation is difficult, because services are offered and processed by different logistics service providers of the network and thus are based on different information sources and different kind of models. In this paper both issues are addressed with a comprehensive method. Engineering is supported by the service map that is an electronic catalog and construction system for services to create alternatives of process models from composite services automatically. Evaluation is assisted by an automated transformation of process models to simulation models. Information exchange between both concepts is realized with a model-driven integration approach.

Real-time information acquisition in a model-based integrated planning environment for logistics contracts.

In the past, logistics used to be a core function of production and trading companies but many of them started to outsource at least parts of their logistics functions to specialized logistics service providers in terms of logistics contracts. With this, sophisticated business models such as value added logistics service providers evolved which focus on tasks of planning, coordination and monitoring of entire supply chains involving multiple logistics providers. Challenges remain though, for instance how a complex logistics contract can be planned and how it can be assured that the providers comply with the planned process. In this article, we present a conceptual as well as technical solution to the monitoring of logistics services and show how to reuse this information in a model for the integrated planning of logistics contracts. A simulation model thereby ensures validity of the overall planning. An approach for integrating different models helps to overcome the problem of utilizing multiple models. Finally, an example scenario shows how each part contributes to a successful planning process for logistics contracts.

Real-timeservice profiling for the efficient simulation of logistics networks

Driven by rising competitive constraints companies began to outsource at least parts of their internal activities to specialized external logistics providers in terms of contracts. Thereby, new business models like the fourth party logistics provider evolved, who acts like coordinator of the emerging logistics networks. The main tasks of the provider are the planning, monitoring and measurement of such networks. In this contribution a holistic method to integrate process modeling and their simulation within the planning phase is introduced. Furthermore, an integrated approach to support the planning with real-time information to overcome the challenges from simulation is outlined. Due to this approach, the simulation generates more reliable results and contemporary reduces the effort using simulation techniques. Therefore, complex event processing is used to gather real-time information about process executions and provides this information as service profiles for simulation.