Many academics have studied the steel industry with the aim of implementing improvements in the s... more Many academics have studied the steel industry with the aim of implementing improvements in the sector. Although these provide snapshots of the structure of the supply chain, the evolution that has occurred is less well understood. This paper studies, primarily using process ...
An emerging business model, known as Electronic Logistics Marketplace (ELM), is increasingly bein... more An emerging business model, known as Electronic Logistics Marketplace (ELM), is increasingly being recognised for its potential to address the issue of poor vehicle utilisation. This research investigates the feasibility of setting up a neutral government-supported regional ELM which will fully exploit the potential of such a collaborative network across industries and achieve transport optimisation at a regional level. There has been a lack of studies in this particular field. A qualitative research method is deployed. The findings suggest that while many companies are positive towards the concept of a regional ELM, mixed feelings exist in different sectors, in particular in the haulage industry. We note that most concerns and barriers are commensurate with previous generic research on ELM, although such issues as anti-competitiveness are specific to a regional ELM..
Relatively little attention has been given to methodological issues in the logistics literature. ... more Relatively little attention has been given to methodological issues in the logistics literature. In logistics, ‘we need to take more account of the views of practitioners in the field by supporting quantitative data with qualitative data’ [New, S.J. and Payne, P. (1995). Research frameworks in logistics: three models, seven dinners and a survey. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 25(10), 60–77]. The aim of this paper is to provide a guide on how to deploy focus groups as a supportive method to achieve industrial relevance without compromising the academic rigour of logistics research. We develop a framework that highlights the factors influencing focus groups’ effectiveness in the logistics discipline. Our analysis is based on previous focus groups research applied in logistics and on focus group cases discussed in the paper. We conclude that the focus group method for data collection can be used as a supporting method in logistics research, enabl...
International Journal of Production Economics, 2010
This paper examines how buying organisations can configure their supply networks to achieve suppl... more This paper examines how buying organisations can configure their supply networks to achieve supply chain flexibility. Supply chain flexibility can be rationalised by considering two key antecedents of flexibility, sourcing and vendor flexibility. Network co-ordinators can group their suppliers under three categories, framework agreement suppliers, preferred suppliers and approved suppliers, each with different flexibility implications. It is possible to maintain a suitable level of supply chain flexibility by maintaining a pool of suppliers in each category. Case studies from the construction sector are used to explore supply chain flexibility, which include a house building contractor from the UK and six of its suppliers.
Infrastructure modelling is a strategic level activity to make one or more decisions on the optim... more Infrastructure modelling is a strategic level activity to make one or more decisions on the optimum location, number and allocation of service providers. This problem has been intensively researched in academic literature and traditionally focuses on minimizing total logistics costs or maximizing profit. But in many cases the optimum may involve dealing with multiple and sometimes conflicting objectives. Recently, climate change and environmental concerns in logistics network design have been increasingly discussed, and such 'green issues' are the main concern of the present paper. Our aim is to critically examine current techniques for infrastructure modelling and/or performance evaluation on Green Logistics. A comprehensive literature review provides an overview of supply chain modelling and their objectives. In particularly we are interested in techniques that consider both economic (gold) and environmental (green) criteria simultaneously. This paper argues that there is ...
International Journal of Transport Management, 2002
High-speed vessels offer the opportunity for faster and more frequent delivery of smaller quantit... more High-speed vessels offer the opportunity for faster and more frequent delivery of smaller quantities of goods over shorter sea crossings. This paper reviews the role of high-speed vessels in the context of the total supply chain based on Fisher's product categorisation model. A mode choice process is presented here within the context of supply chain transport strategies. The model relates mode choice to volume supply, product cost, shipping distance, frequency of service, transit time and product type. The paper concludes that where the flexibility is the market winner high-speed vessels are required whereas where cost is the market winner conventional ships will suffice.
Proceedings of the 13th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation - GECCO '11, 2011
It is strategically important to design efficient and environmentally friendly distribution netwo... more It is strategically important to design efficient and environmentally friendly distribution networks. In this paper we propose a new methodology for solving the capacitated facility location problem (CFLP) based on combining an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm with Lagrangian Relaxation where financial costs and CO2 emissions are considered simultaneously. Two levels of decision making are required: 1) which facilities to open from a set of potential sites, and 2) which customers to assign to which open facilities without violating their capacity. We choose SEAMO2 (Simple Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization 2) as our multiobjective evolutionary algorithm to determine which facilities to open, because of its fast execution speed. For the allocation of customers to open facilities we use a Lagrangian Relaxation technique. We test our approach on large problem instances with realistic qualities, and validate solution quality by comparison with extreme solutions obtained using CPLEX R ⃝ .
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure that links the causes and co... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure that links the causes and consequences of disruptions in freight transport operations. Such a measure is needed to quantify the scale of impact and identify the root causes of disruptions. Design/methodology/approach ‐ In order to develop this measure, an inductive approach was adopted, using four primary case studies to test the measure in an industrial environment. The case studies are from the fast moving consumer goods sector with primary and secondary distribution networks included. The "Extra Distance" measure has been evaluated against established generic criteria that define the quality of any performance measure. Findings ‐ The research indicates good compliance with the criteria used to evaluate the "Extra Distance" measure. The measure is also found to be useful for practitioners who are able to directly relate the measure to their distribution network operations. Research limitations/implications ‐ Further research should see the "Extra Distance" measure further tested in other freight transport operations and industrial sectors. Practical implications ‐ The measure is directly related to a number of causes of uncertainty which helps freight transport managers to quickly identify potential solutions. The "Extra Distance" measure can be used to quantify the effects of disruptions which can occur in road freight transport networks generate unnecessary cost within distribution networks, potentially eroding profit margins which are known to be very low in the road freight transport industry. Originality/value ‐ This paper presents a novel approach to the assessment of the impact caused by uncertainty within freight transport operations.
International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 2010
Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to refine a logistics triad uncertainty model taking a suppl... more Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to refine a logistics triad uncertainty model taking a supply chain perspective, to determine and assess the different causes and sources of supply chain uncertainty that impact on the sustainability of the UK road freight transport ...
Uncertainty can cause significant disruptions throughout supply chains. This paper focuses specif... more Uncertainty can cause significant disruptions throughout supply chains. This paper focuses specifically on uncertainty within transport operations, an often neglected area within the literature. While the causes of uncertainty are documented, there is a need for research to understand the consequences of uncertainty on the transport operations. This paper introduces the concept of 'Extra distance' as a measure of uncertainty using a case study research approach. The measure is then applied to a distribution operation in South Africa to quantify the link between causes and consequences of uncertainty,. From the results, it is found that 6% of the transport distance actually run does not add value to the end customer, with both economic and environmental implications.
People with seafaring experience and skills are employed in the maritime sector of the UK economy... more People with seafaring experience and skills are employed in the maritime sector of the UK economy in land-based jobs as well as in seagoing ones. This paper examines the balance of supply and demand in the land-based jobs market. It then considers the likely effects of a shortfall in the supply of British ships’ officers to fill net vacancies in
2009 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 2009
Traditionally, the uncapacitated facility location problem (UFLP) is solved as a single-objective... more Traditionally, the uncapacitated facility location problem (UFLP) is solved as a single-objective optimization exercise, and focusses on minimizing the cost of operating a distribution network. This paper presents an exploratory study in which the environmental impact is modelled as a separate objective to the economic cost. We assume that the environmental cost of transport is large in comparison to the impact involved in operating distribution centres or warehouses (in terms of CO2 emissions, for example). We further conjecture that the full impact on the environment is not fully reflected in the costs incurred by logistics operators. Based on these ideas, we investigate a number of "what if?" scenarios, using a Fast Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II), to provide sets of nondominated solutions to some test instances. The analysis is conducted on both two-objective (economic cost versus environmental impact) and three objective (economic cost, environmental impact and uncovered demand) models. Initial results are promising, indicating that this approach could indeed be used to provide informed choices to a human decision maker.
2009 International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering, 2009
ABSTRACT Supply chains face varied disturbances which affect their efficiency and customer servic... more ABSTRACT Supply chains face varied disturbances which affect their efficiency and customer service provision. An endemic disturbance which has a significant impact on both upstream as well as downstream supply chain operations arises from capacity constraints in one or more echelons. This study uses a dynamic simulation model of the Beer game (four echelon production distribution system) to investigate the impact of these constraints on the dynamics of supply chain variables. Shipping constraints on the distribution echelons (retailer, wholesaler and distributor) and production constraints on the factory are individually applied on the supply chain and the order, shipment and net inventory profiles obtained are explained. Profiles are subsequently clustered to identify cluster membership patterns associated with the location of a constrained echelon in the chain for which a related look up table has been suggested.
... 1 Hartanto Wong is an RCUK Academic Fellow at the Cardiff University's Innov... more ... 1 Hartanto Wong is an RCUK Academic Fellow at the Cardiff University's Innovative Manufac-turing Research Centre (CUIMRC ... The study, in particular, pre-sents a series of ongoing supply chain redesign strategies in the company includ-ing just-in-time, interplant logistics and ...
Recent demands put on supply chains are huge and constantly in a state of flux regarding the nume... more Recent demands put on supply chains are huge and constantly in a state of flux regarding the numerous variables that interact to influence supply chain performance. The use of technology may go some way to assist in dealing with these demands. Manufacturing planning and control systems (MPC) form part of such technologies. These technologies link the front and back end
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 2014
We propose an efficient evolutionary multi-objective optimization approach to the capacitated fac... more We propose an efficient evolutionary multi-objective optimization approach to the capacitated facility location-allocation problem (CFLP) for solving large instances that considers flexibility at the allocation level, where financial costs and CO 2 emissions are considered simultaneously. Our approach utilizes suitably adapted Lagrangian Relaxation models for dealing with costs and CO 2 emissions at the allocation level, within a multi-objective evolutionary framework at the location level. Thus our method assesses the robustness of each location solution with respect to our two objectives for customer allocation. We extend our exploration of selected solutions by considering a range of trade-offs for customer allocation.
Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 2012
This paper explores the concept of workplace organisation and the role of safety. Specifically, t... more This paper explores the concept of workplace organisation and the role of safety. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify the role of safety within 5S and to test how the extension of the method (to 6S) can explicitly and effectively integrate safety with productivity and quality. An action research approach enabled the development, execution and data collection
Many academics have studied the steel industry with the aim of implementing improvements in the s... more Many academics have studied the steel industry with the aim of implementing improvements in the sector. Although these provide snapshots of the structure of the supply chain, the evolution that has occurred is less well understood. This paper studies, primarily using process ...
An emerging business model, known as Electronic Logistics Marketplace (ELM), is increasingly bein... more An emerging business model, known as Electronic Logistics Marketplace (ELM), is increasingly being recognised for its potential to address the issue of poor vehicle utilisation. This research investigates the feasibility of setting up a neutral government-supported regional ELM which will fully exploit the potential of such a collaborative network across industries and achieve transport optimisation at a regional level. There has been a lack of studies in this particular field. A qualitative research method is deployed. The findings suggest that while many companies are positive towards the concept of a regional ELM, mixed feelings exist in different sectors, in particular in the haulage industry. We note that most concerns and barriers are commensurate with previous generic research on ELM, although such issues as anti-competitiveness are specific to a regional ELM..
Relatively little attention has been given to methodological issues in the logistics literature. ... more Relatively little attention has been given to methodological issues in the logistics literature. In logistics, ‘we need to take more account of the views of practitioners in the field by supporting quantitative data with qualitative data’ [New, S.J. and Payne, P. (1995). Research frameworks in logistics: three models, seven dinners and a survey. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 25(10), 60–77]. The aim of this paper is to provide a guide on how to deploy focus groups as a supportive method to achieve industrial relevance without compromising the academic rigour of logistics research. We develop a framework that highlights the factors influencing focus groups’ effectiveness in the logistics discipline. Our analysis is based on previous focus groups research applied in logistics and on focus group cases discussed in the paper. We conclude that the focus group method for data collection can be used as a supporting method in logistics research, enabl...
International Journal of Production Economics, 2010
This paper examines how buying organisations can configure their supply networks to achieve suppl... more This paper examines how buying organisations can configure their supply networks to achieve supply chain flexibility. Supply chain flexibility can be rationalised by considering two key antecedents of flexibility, sourcing and vendor flexibility. Network co-ordinators can group their suppliers under three categories, framework agreement suppliers, preferred suppliers and approved suppliers, each with different flexibility implications. It is possible to maintain a suitable level of supply chain flexibility by maintaining a pool of suppliers in each category. Case studies from the construction sector are used to explore supply chain flexibility, which include a house building contractor from the UK and six of its suppliers.
Infrastructure modelling is a strategic level activity to make one or more decisions on the optim... more Infrastructure modelling is a strategic level activity to make one or more decisions on the optimum location, number and allocation of service providers. This problem has been intensively researched in academic literature and traditionally focuses on minimizing total logistics costs or maximizing profit. But in many cases the optimum may involve dealing with multiple and sometimes conflicting objectives. Recently, climate change and environmental concerns in logistics network design have been increasingly discussed, and such 'green issues' are the main concern of the present paper. Our aim is to critically examine current techniques for infrastructure modelling and/or performance evaluation on Green Logistics. A comprehensive literature review provides an overview of supply chain modelling and their objectives. In particularly we are interested in techniques that consider both economic (gold) and environmental (green) criteria simultaneously. This paper argues that there is ...
International Journal of Transport Management, 2002
High-speed vessels offer the opportunity for faster and more frequent delivery of smaller quantit... more High-speed vessels offer the opportunity for faster and more frequent delivery of smaller quantities of goods over shorter sea crossings. This paper reviews the role of high-speed vessels in the context of the total supply chain based on Fisher's product categorisation model. A mode choice process is presented here within the context of supply chain transport strategies. The model relates mode choice to volume supply, product cost, shipping distance, frequency of service, transit time and product type. The paper concludes that where the flexibility is the market winner high-speed vessels are required whereas where cost is the market winner conventional ships will suffice.
Proceedings of the 13th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation - GECCO '11, 2011
It is strategically important to design efficient and environmentally friendly distribution netwo... more It is strategically important to design efficient and environmentally friendly distribution networks. In this paper we propose a new methodology for solving the capacitated facility location problem (CFLP) based on combining an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm with Lagrangian Relaxation where financial costs and CO2 emissions are considered simultaneously. Two levels of decision making are required: 1) which facilities to open from a set of potential sites, and 2) which customers to assign to which open facilities without violating their capacity. We choose SEAMO2 (Simple Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization 2) as our multiobjective evolutionary algorithm to determine which facilities to open, because of its fast execution speed. For the allocation of customers to open facilities we use a Lagrangian Relaxation technique. We test our approach on large problem instances with realistic qualities, and validate solution quality by comparison with extreme solutions obtained using CPLEX R ⃝ .
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 2014
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure that links the causes and co... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure that links the causes and consequences of disruptions in freight transport operations. Such a measure is needed to quantify the scale of impact and identify the root causes of disruptions. Design/methodology/approach ‐ In order to develop this measure, an inductive approach was adopted, using four primary case studies to test the measure in an industrial environment. The case studies are from the fast moving consumer goods sector with primary and secondary distribution networks included. The "Extra Distance" measure has been evaluated against established generic criteria that define the quality of any performance measure. Findings ‐ The research indicates good compliance with the criteria used to evaluate the "Extra Distance" measure. The measure is also found to be useful for practitioners who are able to directly relate the measure to their distribution network operations. Research limitations/implications ‐ Further research should see the "Extra Distance" measure further tested in other freight transport operations and industrial sectors. Practical implications ‐ The measure is directly related to a number of causes of uncertainty which helps freight transport managers to quickly identify potential solutions. The "Extra Distance" measure can be used to quantify the effects of disruptions which can occur in road freight transport networks generate unnecessary cost within distribution networks, potentially eroding profit margins which are known to be very low in the road freight transport industry. Originality/value ‐ This paper presents a novel approach to the assessment of the impact caused by uncertainty within freight transport operations.
International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 2010
Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to refine a logistics triad uncertainty model taking a suppl... more Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to refine a logistics triad uncertainty model taking a supply chain perspective, to determine and assess the different causes and sources of supply chain uncertainty that impact on the sustainability of the UK road freight transport ...
Uncertainty can cause significant disruptions throughout supply chains. This paper focuses specif... more Uncertainty can cause significant disruptions throughout supply chains. This paper focuses specifically on uncertainty within transport operations, an often neglected area within the literature. While the causes of uncertainty are documented, there is a need for research to understand the consequences of uncertainty on the transport operations. This paper introduces the concept of 'Extra distance' as a measure of uncertainty using a case study research approach. The measure is then applied to a distribution operation in South Africa to quantify the link between causes and consequences of uncertainty,. From the results, it is found that 6% of the transport distance actually run does not add value to the end customer, with both economic and environmental implications.
People with seafaring experience and skills are employed in the maritime sector of the UK economy... more People with seafaring experience and skills are employed in the maritime sector of the UK economy in land-based jobs as well as in seagoing ones. This paper examines the balance of supply and demand in the land-based jobs market. It then considers the likely effects of a shortfall in the supply of British ships’ officers to fill net vacancies in
2009 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 2009
Traditionally, the uncapacitated facility location problem (UFLP) is solved as a single-objective... more Traditionally, the uncapacitated facility location problem (UFLP) is solved as a single-objective optimization exercise, and focusses on minimizing the cost of operating a distribution network. This paper presents an exploratory study in which the environmental impact is modelled as a separate objective to the economic cost. We assume that the environmental cost of transport is large in comparison to the impact involved in operating distribution centres or warehouses (in terms of CO2 emissions, for example). We further conjecture that the full impact on the environment is not fully reflected in the costs incurred by logistics operators. Based on these ideas, we investigate a number of "what if?" scenarios, using a Fast Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II), to provide sets of nondominated solutions to some test instances. The analysis is conducted on both two-objective (economic cost versus environmental impact) and three objective (economic cost, environmental impact and uncovered demand) models. Initial results are promising, indicating that this approach could indeed be used to provide informed choices to a human decision maker.
2009 International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering, 2009
ABSTRACT Supply chains face varied disturbances which affect their efficiency and customer servic... more ABSTRACT Supply chains face varied disturbances which affect their efficiency and customer service provision. An endemic disturbance which has a significant impact on both upstream as well as downstream supply chain operations arises from capacity constraints in one or more echelons. This study uses a dynamic simulation model of the Beer game (four echelon production distribution system) to investigate the impact of these constraints on the dynamics of supply chain variables. Shipping constraints on the distribution echelons (retailer, wholesaler and distributor) and production constraints on the factory are individually applied on the supply chain and the order, shipment and net inventory profiles obtained are explained. Profiles are subsequently clustered to identify cluster membership patterns associated with the location of a constrained echelon in the chain for which a related look up table has been suggested.
... 1 Hartanto Wong is an RCUK Academic Fellow at the Cardiff University's Innov... more ... 1 Hartanto Wong is an RCUK Academic Fellow at the Cardiff University's Innovative Manufac-turing Research Centre (CUIMRC ... The study, in particular, pre-sents a series of ongoing supply chain redesign strategies in the company includ-ing just-in-time, interplant logistics and ...
Recent demands put on supply chains are huge and constantly in a state of flux regarding the nume... more Recent demands put on supply chains are huge and constantly in a state of flux regarding the numerous variables that interact to influence supply chain performance. The use of technology may go some way to assist in dealing with these demands. Manufacturing planning and control systems (MPC) form part of such technologies. These technologies link the front and back end
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 2014
We propose an efficient evolutionary multi-objective optimization approach to the capacitated fac... more We propose an efficient evolutionary multi-objective optimization approach to the capacitated facility location-allocation problem (CFLP) for solving large instances that considers flexibility at the allocation level, where financial costs and CO 2 emissions are considered simultaneously. Our approach utilizes suitably adapted Lagrangian Relaxation models for dealing with costs and CO 2 emissions at the allocation level, within a multi-objective evolutionary framework at the location level. Thus our method assesses the robustness of each location solution with respect to our two objectives for customer allocation. We extend our exploration of selected solutions by considering a range of trade-offs for customer allocation.
Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 2012
This paper explores the concept of workplace organisation and the role of safety. Specifically, t... more This paper explores the concept of workplace organisation and the role of safety. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify the role of safety within 5S and to test how the extension of the method (to 6S) can explicitly and effectively integrate safety with productivity and quality. An action research approach enabled the development, execution and data collection
Uploads
Papers by Mohamed Naim