Today, tracking the growing interest in closed-loop supply chain shown by both practitioners and academia is easily possible. There are many factors, which transform closed-loop supply chain issues ...into a unique and vital subject in supply chain management, such as environmental legislation, customer awareness, and the economical motivations of the organizations. However, designing and planning a closed-loop supply chain is an NP-hard problem, which makes it difficult to achieve acceptable results in a reasonable time. In this paper, we try to cope with this problem by proposing a new and effective solution methodology. On the other hand, this research considers improving closed-loop supply chain network optimization processes through dealing with mathematical programming tools; developing a deterministic multi-product, multi-echelon, multi-period model; and finally presenting an appropriate methodology to solve various sizes of instances. Both design and planning decision variables (location and allocation) are considered in the proposed network. Besides, in order to have a reliable performance evaluation process, large-scale instances are regarded in computational analysis. Two popular meta-heuristic algorithms are considered to develop a new elevated hybrid algorithm: the genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Analyzing the above-mentioned algorithms’ strengths and weaknesses leads us to attempt to improve the GA using some aspects of PSO. Therefore, a new hybrid algorithm is proposed and a complete validation process is undertaken using CPLEX and MATLAB software. In small instances, the global optimum points of CPLEX for the proposed hybrid algorithm are compared to genetic algorithm, and particle swarm optimization. Then, in small, mid, and large-size instances, performances of the proposed meta-heuristics are analyzed and evaluated. Finally, a case study involving an Iranian hospital furniture manufacturer is used to evaluate the proposed solution approach. The results reveal the superiority of the proposed hybrid algorithm when compared to the GA and PSO.
•Proposed a dual-recycling mode for a two-echelon reverse supply chain.•Investigated collecting competition between the recyclable dealer and recycler considering consumer behavior.•Incorporated the ...consumer preference into the customer collection channel choice model.•Examined the optimal recycling channel configuration of the recyclable dealer.
In this paper, we consider a two-echelon reverse supply chain with dual-recycling channels where the recyclable dealer acts as a Stackelberg game leader and the recycler acts as a follower. Due to the price competition between these two channels, the dominant dealer always faces a challenge on how to strategically design the reverse channel structure. By introducing consumer preference for the online recycling channel into the model, we examine the challenge in three scenarios: single traditional recycling channel, single online-recycling channel, and a hybrid dual-recycling channel with both centralized and decentralized cases. We investigate two problems that are comprised of designing and coordinating a reverse supply chain with a traditional and an online recycling channel. The results show that the dual-recycling channel always outperforms its single channel counterparts from the recyclable dealer's and system's perspectives. In the coordination problem, a contract with transfer and online recycling prices can coordinate the dual-recycling channel reverse supply chain but harms the dealer. Therefore, we propose two complementary contracts – a two-part tariff contract and a profit sharing contract – which succeed in coordinating the reverse supply chain system and create a win-win situation. Finally, numerical examples illustrate the model, and results show that the consumer preference for online recycling affects the acceptance of the above contracts for the recyclable dealer.
Green supply chain management has emerged as an important organizational philosophy to reduce environmental risks. We develop a model of the drivers affecting the implementation of green supply chain ...management using an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) framework. The various drivers of green supply chain management (GSCM) are identified based on the GSM literature and on consultations with experts in the industry. The model developed is validated on a case study involving a manufacturing firm in southern India.
One of novel manners to achieve sustainable development is concentrating on circular economy in order to manage greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and waste. It also helps to protect the ...environment and optimize usage of input resources. The main element of circular economy is closed‐loop supply chain which covers both forward and reverse products flows. This study aims to outsource logistics operations in a closed‐loop supply chain. An innovative analytical multi‐step fuzzy decision‐making method is proposed to rank sustainable third‐party logistics service providers (3PLSPs). Fuzzy Decision‐Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is first used to evaluate the relationships among the main criteria. Then, fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) is applied to weight the determined set of criteria. In order to develop the hybrid fuzzy DEMATEL‐ANP method and to simplify the computation, the expert judgment method is used between the two techniques as a middle step to reduce the number of criteria. As many of the criteria overlap with each other on content and context, expert opinions are used to shortlist and rank the criteria. Finally, the 3PLSPs are ranked through the fuzzy complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method. To validate the practicability and applicability of the improved decision‐making model, a household appliance case study is applied with data obtained from industry experts. In this case, five service providers are considered and ranked, while the first one gets the best score. A sensitivity analysis is performed by altering the criteria weights to validate the proposed approach, data, and the obtained results. In terms business and the environment, this study provides success critical criteria for decision‐making problems in circular economy for addressing sustainable development.
This paper addresses the design and planning of a supply chain (SC) system for power generation from biomass by using various technologies. A two-stage stochastic programming model is developed to ...find an effective design strategy under stochastic and highly seasonal biomass supply. The biomass usage, as a renewable energy source, for the power generation affects the environment and society in multiple ways, such as social expectations, life-threatening issues, and greenhouse gas emissions. As a consequence, in the stochastic model, by the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) approach, the SC's social impact is guaranteed to be larger than a minimum acceptable rate. Furthermore, the environmental risk of the SC is quantified based on its air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions and mitigated. To deal with the biomass supply uncertainty, discrete scenarios are generated using a backward scenario reduction approach. Computational results are presented on a real-life case study in Iran to show the stochastic model's applicability in evaluating the economic potential, the sustainability aspects, and the required infrastructure for the planning of the SC system. In addition, to drive managerial insights, sensitivity analysis on key parameters of the optimisation problem is done.
Sustainable supply chain management has received much attention from practitioners and scholars over the past decade owing to the significant attention given by consumers, profit and not-for-profit ...organizations, local communities, legislation and regulation to environmental, social and corporate responsibility. Sustainable supply chain initiatives like supplier environmental and social collaboration can play a significant role in achieving the “triple bottom line” of social, environmental, and economic benefits. Supplier selection plays an important role in the management of a supply chain. Traditionally, organizations consider criteria such as price, quality, flexibility, etc. when evaluating supplier performance. While the articles on the selection and evaluation of suppliers are abundant, those that consider sustainability issues are rather limited. This paper explores sustainable supply chain initiatives and examines the problem of identifying an effective model based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach (economic, environmental, and social aspects) for supplier selection operations in supply chains by presenting a fuzzy multi criteria approach. We use triangular fuzzy numbers to express linguistic values of experts' subjective preferences. Qualitative performance evaluation is performed by using fuzzy numbers for finding criteria weights and then fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) is proposed for finding the ranking of suppliers. The proposed approach is illustrated by an example.
Purpose
– Third-party logistics (3PL) plays a main role in supply chain management and, as a result, has experienced remarkable growth. The demand for 3PL providers has become a main approach for ...companies to offer better customer service, reduce costs, and gain competitive advantage. This paper identifies important criteria for 3PL provider selection and evaluation, and the purpose of this paper is to select 3PL providers from the viewpoint of firms which were already outsourcing their logistics services.
Design/methodology/approach
– This study utilized the grey decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to develop 3PL provider selection criteria. Because human judgments are vague and complicated to depict by accurate numerical values, the grey system theory is used to handle this problem.
Findings
– The findings revealed the structure and interrelationships between criteria and identified the main criteria for 3PL provider selection. The most important criteria for 3PL provider selection are on time delivery performance, technological capability, financial stability, human resource policies, service quality, and customer service, respectively.
Practical implications
– The paper’s results help managers of automotive industries, particularly in developing countries, to outsource logistics activities to 3PL providers effectively and to create a significant competitive advantage.
Originality/value
– The main contributions of this paper are twofold. First, this paper proposes an integrated grey DEMATEL method to consider interdependent relationships among the 3PL provider selection criteria. Second, this study is one of the first studies to consider 3PL provider selection in a developing country like Iran.
A large and growing body of literature to supplier evaluation and selection exists. Literature on green supplier evaluation that considers environmental factors are relatively limited. Recently, in ...supply chain management decision making, approaches for evaluating green supplier performance have used both qualitative and quantitative environmental data. Given this evolving research field, the goal and purpose of this paper is to analyze research in international scientific journals and international conference proceedings that focus on green supplier selection. We propose the following questions that will be answered: (i) which selection approaches are commonly applied?, (ii) what environmental and other selection criteria for green supplier management are popular?, (iii) and what limitations exist? Published research from 1997 to 2011 is structurally reviewed based on the first two questions. We find that the applied techniques are mostly fuzzy based single model approaches. The most common criterion considered for green supplier selection was “environmental management systems”. A further critical analysis is completed and gaps in the current literature are identified. These gaps help us to identify improvements for green supplier selection process and possible future directions.
•Focused on design and planning of a biofuel supply chain (SC) network.•Proposed a cost-efficient multi-stage stochastic program model.•Rolling horizon procedure is presented to evaluate the proposed ...model.
We focus on design and planning of a biofuel supply chain (SC) network from biomass to demand centers where biomass supply is stochastic and seasonal, and facilities’ capacity varies randomly because of possible disruptions. We propose a cost-efficient multi-stage stochastic program in which the greenhouse gas emissions are mitigated and the social impact of the SC is considered. A rolling horizon procedure is presented to implement and evaluate the stochastic model solution. Computational results on a real-life case study demonstrate the proposed optimization tools’ applicability as well as the effect of disruption risk and sustainability dimensions on biofuel SC planning.
Currently, production systems and consumption patterns are based on conventional courses of action and utilize methods and technologies that are generally not sustainable. As a result, Sustainable ...Consumption and Production (SCP) is becoming an important means by which business organizations prepare for sustainable development. Achieving sustainable consumption and production trends in supply chains is difficult due to the presence of several related barriers. In this contribution, we aim to identify and prioritize the barriers pertaining to the achievement of sustainable consumption and production trends in a supply chain context. In this work, firstly, 30 barriers related to implementing SCP trends in supply chain are recognized. These barriers are derived from a literature survey and from field and industrial experts' inputs. Secondly, an operational model is suggested using the fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process to prioritize the identified barriers with the goal of improving overall performance. The fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process helps determine the priority of concerns of the identified barriers under fuzzy surroundings. Inputs in this work are based upon an ancillary auto manufacturing firm in India. Research findings indicate that the Organizational barriers dimension obtains the highest priority (i.e., it serves as a key hurdle in achieving SCP trends in supply chains. This work also performs a sensitivity analysis to analyze the priority stability of the given SCP implementation focused barriers. This work presents the most important barrier to efficiently manage SCP initiatives. Accordingly, the proposed model is useful for regulatory bodies, policy makers, and industry managers/practitioners not only to recognize a set of related hurdles they will reasonably encounter, but also to provide a means by which to structure their efforts for the effective accomplishment of SCP trends in a supply chain context.
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