Selection of the Transport Mode Using the AHP Method Within Distribution Logistics of Motor Fuels

To remain competitive and respond to rapidly changing markets, we need to increase flexibility in today's global marketplace. In this respect, the selection of the appropriate mode of transport is one of the most important functions to be performed by logistics. The selection of the appropriate mode of transport is a multi-criteria problem involving both quantitative and qualitative criteria. This paper deals with the selection of the mode of transport using the Analytic Hierarchy Process method (AHP). AHP is a method of decomposing a complex unstructured situation into simpler components to create a hierarchical system problem. This paper describes a general model of selection of transport mode using AHP including its application to a manufacturing company that selects the appropriate mode of transport from three potential transport modes. The aim of this paper is to create a useful decision support tool for selection of the transport mode using the AHP method within distribution logistics of motor fuels. This tool helps companies to make the right decision on the choice of transport mode by taking into account different importance of the different criteria that influence the decision-making process.

COVID Vaccine Rollout for Older People: East Meets West

Older adults should be one of the first groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines, because the risk of dying from COVID-19 increases with age. However, it takes time to distribute the vaccines to different countries, and the challenges in administering vaccines may differ by health system characteristics and local culture. This international symposium will discuss the vaccine rollout issues in eight countries (Isreal, Japan, South Korea, China, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States). We will use an interview and dialog format, instead of presentations. We will cover extensive topics including: Availability - What vaccines? Access, Acceptance, Caregivers – How are providers responding/handling caregivers wanting to be vaccinated?Cost/Financing Issues, Distribution Logistics/Transport/Safety, Lessons Learned, Mutations/Variants, Partnerships needed to vaccinate homebound patients (community partners; home health agencies, etc.), Who can/should provide vaccination? The situation with COVID-19 is still very fluid. Countries are at different stages of vaccinating older people. The chair didn't ask the speakers to write an abstract now, instead, the speakers will collect more information during the next few months and plan to have a prep meeting one month before the Annual Meeting.

Promising Strategies to Support COVID-19 Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel: Insights from the VHA National Implementation

Background As of August 2021 up to 30% of Americans were uncertain about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Some healthcare personnel (HCP) also delayed or declined vaccination. Objective Identify barriers and facilitators of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) HCP vaccination program Design: Key informant interviews with employee occupational health (EOH) providers Participants: 38 VHA EOH providers representing 26 of VHA’s regionally diverse healthcare systems. Approach: Thematic analysis elucidated 5 key themes, and specific strategies recommended by EOH Key Results: Implementation themes included: 1) Leverage diverse skillsets through multidisciplinary effort, specifically COVID-19 vaccination teams with clear goals/roles. 2) “Focus like a laser”: invest in processes and align resources with priorities, including specific strategies of: creating detailed processes, eg. logistics plan to prevent wastage and allocate excess vaccine doses; addressing time trade-offs for personnel involved in vaccine clinics by suspending everything non-essential; designating process/authority to shift personnel where needed; and proactively involving leaders to support resource allocation/alignment. 3) Expect and accommodate vaccine buy-in occurring over time, including specific strategies of: preparing for some HCP slow buy-in; aligning buy-in facilitation with identities and motivation; encouraging word-of-mouth and hyper-local testimonials. 4) Overcome misinformation through trustworthy communication, with specific strategies including: tailoring communication to individuals and addressing COVID vaccines “in every encounter”; leveraging proactive institutional messaging (e.g., townhalls, Q&As) to reinforce information; inviting bi-directional conversations about hesitancy. 5) Use existing and newly developed communication channels to foster sharing and learning across teams and sites, eg. a national VHA EOH listserv. Conclusions Expecting deliberation allows systems to prepare for complex distribution logistics, and conversations that are trustworthy, bi-directional, and identity-aligned - overall supporting mandate goals. Ideally, organizations 1) provide time for conversations about vaccines; those conversations would 2) address individual concerns and foster bi-directional shared decision-making, 3) be informed by identity-based motivation, and 4) delivered by identity-concordant individuals.

Multi-Level Optimization Process for Rationalizing the Distribution Logistics Process of Companies Selling Dietary Supplements

The commission sales form is a very significant channel of sales today, which is especially true in the field of dietary supplements. In parallel, the prevailing digitalization trends have opened up further new opportunities for this form of distribution. The multi-level optimization process presented in the publication makes it possible to optimize the distribution logistics processes of companies producing food supplements at a high level by exploiting these new possibilities. The operation of the procedure is also illustrated through a practical example.

Risk Propagation of Concentralized Distribution Logistics Plan Change in Cruise Construction

Compared with the ordinary merchant ship building, the concentralized distribution in cruise building is more complex. Plan change is a common phenomenon in cruise building, and it is easy to lead to mismatch between production and logistics, resulting in risks such as production schedule delay and inventory backlog. In order to reduce the adverse effects of plan change on the shipyard, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth study on the risks of a centralized distribution logistics plan. Based on the analysis of the composition of the centralized distribution logistics planning system, risk factors in different plan links are identified in this paper. A system dynamic model is constructed to simulate the propagation of five basic types of planning risk, including procurement plan, warehousing plan, pallet concentralization plan, distribution plan and production plan. In the case study of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) materials, the values of risk factors are estimated though consulting experts with questionnaire. The weight of each risk factor in each subsystem is calculated by a method combined with analytic hierarchy process and coefficient of variation method. Through the simulation experiments carried out in Vensim, it is found that both inventory backlog risk and cruise construction schedule delay risk increase with the increasement of estimated values of risk factors, which is an effective proof of the rationality of the model, and that the most sensitive risk factor for both the two kinds of risk is production planning risk.

MATHEMATICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS PROCESSES OF CONSIGNMENT SELLER DIETARY SUPPLEMENT MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

Consignment sales are a special case of supply chains, as the products are never the property of the seller, so the distribution logistics network and the logic of the structure of the products are radically different from those of normal supply chains. Another problem is that the products have a shelf life. The inventory mechanism (qmin; qmax) is most often used for the commissioned stocks of companies producing food supplements and when checking the central inventory, i.e. replenishment to the maximum stock level when a certain stock level is reached. There are several factors to consider when filling up commission stocks and reviewing them by period. With the mathematical correlations of these factors, it is possible to distribute the commissioned finished products optimally. The paper deals with this problem.

INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES IN LOGISTIC INFRASTRUCTURE MODERNISATION

The purpose of the paper is to determine the impact of innovative technologies of artificial intelligence on the modernization of logistics infrastructure, the formation of new forms of logistics networks of Industry 4.0. Methodology. The survey is based on a study of the main trends in the field of logistics infrastructure development, analysis of the latest forms and methods of using artificial intelligence technologies in various fields. The study considers the forecasts of IDC “IDC Future Scape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2021” and contains an assessment of the volume and effectiveness of investment in this area. The results of the survey showed that in addition to the radical transformation of the logistics network itself, the use of artificial intelligence technologies will lead to qualitative changes in the labor market. There is still the tendency to reduce the need for logisticians performing operational functions – automation of warehousing operations, unmanned stackers, and transporters instead of loaders and pickers will accelerate. Practical implications. The use of artificial intelligence technologies allows companies today to generate significant competitive advantages on this basis. However, soon this will not be an advantage, an indisputable condition for the company’s operation in the market of logistics services in general. Value/originality. The authors have highlighted the minimum quality and competencies required in the future, the presence of which in the company’s resource base will allow to use all the advantages of implementing innovative forms of piece intelligence - multi-competent knowledge in the areas of IT technologies, procurement and warehouse, transport, production and distribution logistics, mathematical analysis, and production management processes based on artificial intelligence.

Accommodating Machine-To-Machine Traffic In IEEE 802.15.4: The Prioritized Wait Time Approach

Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) refers to automated applications executing on smart devices or machines that communicate through a network with little or no human intervention at all. By enabling smart devices to communicate directly with one another, M2M communications technology has the potential to radically change the world around us and the way that we interact with objects. Many applications can benefit from M2M communications, such as transportation, health care, smart energy production, transmission, and distribution, logistics, city automation and manufacturing, security and safety, and others. This work describes an approach to implement M2M communications using the well-known IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee communications standard for low data rate wireless personal area networks. In order to achieve better performance for M2M traffic, we propose some improvements in the protocol. Our simulation results confirm the validity

Accommodating Machine-To-Machine Traffic In IEEE 802.15.4: The Prioritized Wait Time Approach

Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) refers to automated applications executing on smart devices or machines that communicate through a network with little or no human intervention at all. By enabling smart devices to communicate directly with one another, M2M communications technology has the potential to radically change the world around us and the way that we interact with objects. Many applications can benefit from M2M communications, such as transportation, health care, smart energy production, transmission, and distribution, logistics, city automation and manufacturing, security and safety, and others. This work describes an approach to implement M2M communications using the well-known IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee communications standard for low data rate wireless personal area networks. In order to achieve better performance for M2M traffic, we propose some improvements in the protocol. Our simulation results confirm the validity