Distribution network design: a literature review and a research agenda

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it classifies research on distribution network design (DND) according to the methodologies adopted and themes tackled. Second, it discusses the main implications for practitioners. Finally, it proposes a few promising directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach -The review is based on 126 papers published from 1972 to 2013 in international peer-reviewed journals in the Business, Management and Economics field. The academic papers have been analyzed and classified based on the main research methods used and the themes tackled. Findings -It was found that most of the earlier research adopted quantitative models to deal with different decisions on DND, whereas the number of conceptual papers, proposing frameworks and classifications, is still limited. In all, 42 factors that affect DND have been identified and classified into five groups, and the relationships between factor groups and strategic decisions have been investigated. This study revealed that some important areas have not received much attention in the literature and, therefore, three potential directions for further research have been identified. Research limitations/implications -Due to the extremely large number of papers on DND, it is possible that a few papers may have inadvertently been missed. Despite the possibility of not being all-inclusive, the authors firmly believe that the general picture presented in this paper is precise and trustworthy. Originality/value -This review offers valuable insights for practitioners: a clear understanding of the main decisions related to DND; a comprehensive analysis of the main factors that affect the distribution network structure; a clear understanding of the relationships between factor groups and key decisions; and a guide to the models that can be used to support the different phases of DND.

Intermodal supply chains methodology and economic efficiency study of its implementation (using the example of an Iron and Steel Company)

“…Second, it discusses the main implications for practitioners. Finally, it proposes a few promising directions for future research [20].…”

Consumer-driven e-commerce

“…Regarding the latter, Boyer et al (2009), for example, performed a simulation analysis of two independent variables (consumer density and delivery window size) and one dependent variable (delivery cost). The most common contingency-reported variables to have a direct impact on the structural form of LML distribution are listed below and commentary on them are summarised in Table III: • Consumer geographical density: the number of consumers per unit area (Boyer and Hult, 2005;Boyer et al, 2009;Mangiaracina et al, 2015).…”

“…• Order response time: the time difference between order placement and order delivery (Kämäräinen et al, 2001;Mangiaracina et al, 2015). Consumer geographical density is closely related to modes of delivery.…”

“…Hitherto, existing studies provide limited or no guidance on how contingency variables influence the selection of LML configurations (Agatz et al, 2008;Fernie et al, 2010;Mangiaracina et al, 2015;Lagorio et al, 2016;Savelsbergh and Van Woensel, 2016). Our paper addresses this knowledge deficiency by reviewing the disparate academic literature to capture key contingency and structural variables characterizing the different forms of last-mile distribution.…”

“…Some papers focused on specific areas, such as the evolution of British retailing (Fernie et al, 2010) and distribution network design (Mangiaracina et al, 2015), whereas others discussed several topics at once (Agatz et al, 2008;Lagorio et al, 2016;Savelsbergh and Van Woensel, 2016). Narrowly focused papers identified limited LML structural types or variables influencing distribution network design, while more broadly focused papers examined wider issues in urban, city, or multichannel logistics.…”