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Purpose Given the progressive growth of e-commerce sales and the rising interest in omni-channel (OC) retailing amongst academics and practitioners, the purpose of this paper is to provide an up-to-date literature review on the logistics involved when moving towards OC retailing. Specifically, we have examined the main issues relating to e-fulfilment and distribution, highlighting how the topic has been developed over time, and identifying the most promising research streams for the near future. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review methodology is adopted. The review is based on 58 papers published from 2002 to 2017 in 34 international journals. The papers were analysed and categorised according to their defining characteristics, methodologies adopted and themes addressed. Findings This paper provides an overview of the main issues relating to e-fulfilment and distribution experienced by companies shifting towards OC, mapped along three dimensions: distribution network design, inventory and capacity management, delivery planning and execution. Despite the growing interest in OC retailing, many key topics are still under-represented, including the evolution of retail distribution networks, assortment planning over multiple channels, the logistics role played by stores in the delivery process and the interplay between different logistics aspects. Originality/value The paper offers insights into the main logistics issues in MC and OC retailing, as well as highlights potential fields for further investigation. From a managerial perspective, this paper is useful for retailers adopting an OC approach to guide their future efforts concerning their business logistics model.
Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Monica Rasini; Elena Tappia. E-fulfilment and distribution in omni-channel retailing: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2018, 48, 391 -414.
AMA StyleMarco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Monica Rasini, Elena Tappia. E-fulfilment and distribution in omni-channel retailing: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 2018; 48 (4):391-414.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Monica Rasini; Elena Tappia. 2018. "E-fulfilment and distribution in omni-channel retailing: a systematic literature review." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 48, no. 4: 391-414.
Purpose Companies are currently moving from multi-channel strategies to offer their customers an omni-channel (OC) experience. So far, OC research has been mainly tackled from a sales-based view, with numerous operational challenges to be fully investigated yet. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies set the logistics variables in their OC management strategy and the business logistics models currently most adopted. Design/methodology/approach A two-step methodology was adopted. First, a systematic combining approach with scientific literature review and case studies allowed to derive a framework for classifying the key logistics variables and the related options. The framework was then used to conduct a qualitative survey targeting 92 Italian companies operating in food manufacturing, food retailing and non-food retailing. Collected data were analysed by means of cluster analysis. Findings Implementing an OC management strategy requires to set 11 logistics variables belonging to four strategic areas: delivery service, distribution setting, fulfilment strategy and returns management. A broad empirical investigation showed the choices made by companies when setting the logistics variables to implement an OC management strategy. Lastly, four business logistics models, differing in terms of both business sector and OC maturity, were discussed. Originality/value The proposed framework extends earlier studies by including additional significant logistics variables. The empirical analysis provides new insights on how to re-structure the business logistics model in OC, suggesting channel integration and the coexistence of multiple configurations as main enablers of an OC proposition.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Monica Rasini; Elena Tappia. Business logistics models in omni-channel: a classification framework and empirical analysis. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2018, 48, 439 -464.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Monica Rasini, Elena Tappia. Business logistics models in omni-channel: a classification framework and empirical analysis. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 2018; 48 (4):439-464.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Monica Rasini; Elena Tappia. 2018. "Business logistics models in omni-channel: a classification framework and empirical analysis." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 48, no. 4: 439-464.
Although logistics outsourcing is recognised as a competitive parameter, so far there has been no adequate research on the types of logistics outsourcing and their implications in terms of the third-party logistics (3PL) buying process. This paper fills the gap by focussing on two key issues, i.e., required competitive advantages and 3PL selection criteria. The aim is to provide a comprehensive investigation of such factors and study if and how they vary depending on the outsourcing type. After a literature review and a focus group, a survey of 482 logistics managers was conducted, and a statistical analysis of results was performed. The findings are of interest to both shippers and 3PL providers because they help the former understand which outsourcing type is the most suitable to achieve the desired competitive advantages, and the latter to evaluate the key factors to focus on depending on the required type of outsourcing.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Chiara Sassi. Types of logistics outsourcing and related impact on the 3PL buying process: empirical evidence. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 2018, 30, 139 .
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Chiara Sassi. Types of logistics outsourcing and related impact on the 3PL buying process: empirical evidence. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management. 2018; 30 (2):139.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Chiara Sassi. 2018. "Types of logistics outsourcing and related impact on the 3PL buying process: empirical evidence." International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 30, no. 2: 139.
Purpose The resources and mechanisms required to complete a value proposition are generally considered as crucial aspects in designing a company business model. However, research in the third party logistics (3PL) arena concerned with studying how 3PL providers define their value creation architecture to meet different shippers’ requirements has so far been inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap, providing a detailed investigation on how the 3PL providers’ capabilities and logistics expertise can add value to their shippers’ processes. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory research was conducted involving, first, a systematic combining process to understand the main factors and operational strategies whereby 3PL providers can create value and build a comprehensive framework of their value creation architecture. Second, a qualitative survey was conducted on 44 leading 3PL providers operating in Italy to understand how these providers can organise themselves to create value for shippers. Findings The 3PL providers’ value creation architecture is presented within a clear and comprehensive framework, together with 30 potential operational strategies that can be used by 3PL providers and the related factors that enable value to be created for shippers. Three main value creation models (volume-oriented 3PL providers, process-oriented 3PL providers and innovation-oriented 3PL providers) are identified. The importance of the different factors enabling value creation is highlighted for each model, identifying the distinctive operational strategies and those adopted most frequently. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, 3PL providers will find these results useful for developing suitable strategies to compete on the market. From their side, shippers can understand and evaluate how 3PL providers are able to offer value to their logistics processes, allowing them to select the logistics partner who best fits their needs. Originality/value The present paper fulfils the identified need of examining the 3PL providers’ business model in detail. A set of distinct value creation models is identified and thoroughly investigated to reveal the different competitive advantages available to shippers.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Chiara Sassi; Elena Tappia. Value creation models in the 3PL industry: what 3PL providers do to cope with shipper requirements. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2017, 47, 472 -494.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Chiara Sassi, Elena Tappia. Value creation models in the 3PL industry: what 3PL providers do to cope with shipper requirements. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 2017; 47 (6):472-494.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Chiara Sassi; Elena Tappia. 2017. "Value creation models in the 3PL industry: what 3PL providers do to cope with shipper requirements." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 47, no. 6: 472-494.
Proposal of a standard taxonomy and classification of internal logistics resources (warehousing in particular) that is expressed into object-oriented modelling.The object-oriented modelling is ready to be included into OWL ontology models, in particular it is proposed as extension to support the logistics field representation of the Manufacturing Systems Ontology (MSO).The paper suggests the role of ontologies and semantic representation as supporting elements of the modularity and flexibility of internal logistics systems.The concepts of Storage and Transporters are analysed, classified and hierarchically represented also in relation to other relevant concepts.The paper reports also an industrial example to show how the proposed modelling can be declined in reality. Industry is facing an era characterised by unpredictable market changes and by a turbulent competitive environment. The key to compete in such a context is to achieve high degrees of responsiveness by means of high flexibility and rapid reconfiguration capabilities. The deployment of modular solutions seems to be part of the answer to face these challenges. Semantic modelling and ontologies may represent the needed knowledge representation to support flexibility and modularity of production systems, when designing a new system or when reconfiguring an existing one. Although numerous ontologies for production systems have been developed in the past years, they mainly focus on discrete manufacturing, while logistics aspects, such as those related to internal logistics and warehousing, have not received the same attention. The paper aims at offering a representation of logistics aspects, reflecting what has become a de-facto standard terminology in industry and among researchers in the field. Such representation is to be used as an extension to the already-existing production systems ontologies that are more focused on manufacturing processes. The paper presents the structure of the hierarchical relations within the examined internal logistics elements, namely Storage and Transporters, structuring them in a series of classes and sub-classes, suggesting also the relationships and the attributes to be considered to complete the modelling. Finally, the paper proposes an industrial example with a miniload system to show how such a modelling of internal logistics elements could be instanced in the real world.
Elisa Negri; Sara Perotti; Luca Fumagalli; Gino Marchet; Marco Garetti. Modelling internal logistics systems through ontologies. Computers in Industry 2017, 88, 19 -34.
AMA StyleElisa Negri, Sara Perotti, Luca Fumagalli, Gino Marchet, Marco Garetti. Modelling internal logistics systems through ontologies. Computers in Industry. 2017; 88 ():19-34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisa Negri; Sara Perotti; Luca Fumagalli; Gino Marchet; Marco Garetti. 2017. "Modelling internal logistics systems through ontologies." Computers in Industry 88, no. : 19-34.
Internationalisation has increasingly become a strategic issue for companies. Ample evidence confirms the key role of logistics in supporting the company internationalisation process, especially in today's context characterised by growing demand in speed and flexibility. Setting the logistics strategy in line with corporate objectives for each export area over time is crucial and represents a challenge for logistics directors worldwide. The aim of this paper is to address this gap by providing empirical-based evidence on how the international logistics strategy should be shaped accordingly with company internationalisation choices. The research is based on case studies with a sample of 14 exports areas of six companies. Results offer a new approach with respect to previous contributions that studied specific logistics issues separately. From a practical viewpoint, managers can benefit from a full picture of both the variables to be set up and the potential alternatives to be selected when designing the international logistics strategy.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. Shaping the international logistics strategy in the internationalisation process. International Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Resilience 2016, 2, 72 .
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Elena Tappia. Shaping the international logistics strategy in the internationalisation process. International Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Resilience. 2016; 2 (1):72.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. 2016. "Shaping the international logistics strategy in the internationalisation process." International Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Resilience 2, no. 1: 72.
The aim of this research is to investigate the state of the art in the adoption of order picking systems (OPS) and provide a broad empirical analysis built on a cross-section of 40 Italian distribution or factory warehouses. The analysis is based on multiple case studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with management at leading companies operating in different industries, and results are discussed with reference to the literature. The study provides an insight into the types of OPS adopted at distribution or factory warehouses. Results show the OPS type implemented, their automation level, and the main information and communication technology systems in place to support picking activities. The findings offer interesting views on how and where the different types of OPS may be appropriate based on contextual requirements.The paper fulfils an identified need for in-depth case studies on OPS focusing on their adoption level and implementation process (i.e. motivations and barriers to adoption) in warehouses and suggests areas for future research.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti. Investigating order picking system adoption: a case-study-based approach. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications 2014, 18, 82 -98.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti. Investigating order picking system adoption: a case-study-based approach. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications. 2014; 18 (1):82-98.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti. 2014. "Investigating order picking system adoption: a case-study-based approach." International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications 18, no. 1: 82-98.
A company may face the international challenge by tackling several issues, such as international sales and marketing, international sourcing, and foreign direct investments (FDI). The academic literature firstly focused on the reasons behind company internationalisation and then adopted the above-mentioned issues related to the international challenge as perspectives in the investigation of the company internationalisation process. However, the literature review showed that the internationalisation process from a logistics perspective has not been fully investigated so far. Specifically, the relationship between company internationalisation choices and international logistics strategies has not adequately taken into account. This paper represents a first attempt to fill this gap by studying the relationship between the evolutionary stages of the company internationalisation and the key variables defining its international logistics strategy by providing empirical-based evidence.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. Setting the International Logistics Strategy: Empirical Investigation of Its Evolutionary Stages. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV 2014, 50 -58.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Elena Tappia. Setting the International Logistics Strategy: Empirical Investigation of Its Evolutionary Stages. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV. 2014; ():50-58.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. 2014. "Setting the International Logistics Strategy: Empirical Investigation of Its Evolutionary Stages." Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV , no. : 50-58.
In today’s competitive environment with increasingly faster deliveries and smaller order sizes, material handling providers are progressively developing new solutions. A more recent development in automated material-handling technology for unit load storage and retrieval is the autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval system (AVS/RS). The paper investigates the main design trade-offs for this new solution using simulation, and proposes a comprehensive design framework. Using data from a recently implemented AVS/RS, the application of the proposed framework is presented and the key design differences between the two types of AVS/RS configuration (i.e. tier-captive versus tier-to-tier) are identified.
Gino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. Development of a framework for the design of autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems. International Journal of Production Research 2013, 51, 4365 -4387.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Marco Melacini, Sara Perotti, Elena Tappia. Development of a framework for the design of autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems. International Journal of Production Research. 2013; 51 (14):4365-4387.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Marco Melacini; Sara Perotti; Elena Tappia. 2013. "Development of a framework for the design of autonomous vehicle storage and retrieval systems." International Journal of Production Research 51, no. 14: 4365-4387.
Sara Perotti. Conveyors: applications selection, and integration, by Patrick M. McGuire, P.E. Production Planning & Control 2010, 21, 794 -795.
AMA StyleSara Perotti. Conveyors: applications selection, and integration, by Patrick M. McGuire, P.E. Production Planning & Control. 2010; 21 (8):794-795.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSara Perotti. 2010. "Conveyors: applications selection, and integration, by Patrick M. McGuire, P.E." Production Planning & Control 21, no. 8: 794-795.
Gino Marchet; Alessandro Perego; Sara Perotti. An exploratory study of ICT adoption in the Italian freight transportation industry. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 2009, 39, 785 -812.
AMA StyleGino Marchet, Alessandro Perego, Sara Perotti. An exploratory study of ICT adoption in the Italian freight transportation industry. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 2009; 39 (9):785-812.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGino Marchet; Alessandro Perego; Sara Perotti. 2009. "An exploratory study of ICT adoption in the Italian freight transportation industry." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 39, no. 9: 785-812.