Design of Distribution Chain

In today s buyers' market, the enterprises that are
able to win the market will win the competition.
That is why the study on distribution chain is
attracting extensive attentions from academics
and industry. In this book, an integrated
methodology is developed to design a distribution
chain. A distribution chain will be designed in three
phases. In the pre-design phase, all possible
distributors are evaluated quantitatively, and a set
of eligible distributors are selected to design a
distribution chain. In the design phase, a set of
models are developed to design a distribution chain.
The main design results include: configuration of the
distribution chain (including number and
location of distributors), inventory control
parameters at each node, and product delivery routes
between different nodes. In the post-design
phase, to verify the design results, the
distribution chain designed above is simulated, and
its performance is evaluated. This book should be
especially useful to managers, practitioners,
researchers, and consultants who are concerned with
distribution chain (or supply chain) planning,
operation and performance evaluation.

Autorentext

Ph.D: studied at Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Main research areas: supply chain planning and operation, process modeling and simulation, partner evaluation, SAP application, etc. Current position: consultant at Accenture.

Klappentext

In today's buyers' market, the enterprises that areable to win the market will win the competition. That is why the study on distribution chain is attracting extensive attentions from academics and industry. In this book, an integrated methodology is developed to design a distribution chain. A distribution chain will be designed in threephases. In the pre-design phase, all possibledistributors are evaluated quantitatively, and a setof eligible distributors are selected to design adistribution chain. In the design phase, a set ofmodels are developed to design a distribution chain.The main design results include: configuration of thedistribution chain (including number and location of distributors), inventory control parameters at each node, and product delivery routes between different nodes. In the post-design phase, to verify the design results, the distribution chain designed above is simulated, and its performance is evaluated. This book should be especially useful to managers, practitioners, researchers, and consultants who are concerned with distribution chain (or supply chain) planning, operation and performance evaluation.