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Publications

Publications by SEM

2020

The multi-period vehicle routing problem with refueling decisions: Traveling further to decrease fuel cost?

Authors
Neves Moreira, F; Amorim Lopes, M; Amorim, P;

Publication
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART E-LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION REVIEW

Abstract
Most vehicle routing approaches disregard the need to refuel fleets. However, planners search for opportunities to refuel at lower prices even if, counter-intuitively, distant fuel stations need to be visited. We propose a novel mathematical formulation and develop branch-and-cut and matheuristic algorithms to efficiently tackle this problem. Results indicate that, to minimize costs, detour distances may increase up to 6 percentage points when fuel stations with lower prices are farther away from the depot. For practice, these insights imply that current policies disregarding station location and/or fuel prices along with "myopic" planning horizons may lead to sub-optimal decisions.

2020

Integrated planning of inbound and outbound logistics with a Rich Vehicle Routing Problem with backhauls

Authors
Marques, A; Soares, R; Santos, MJ; Amorim, P;

Publication
OMEGA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE

Abstract
This paper addresses the integration of the planning decisions concerning inbound logistics in an industrial setting (from the suppliers to the mill) and outbound logistics (from the mill to customers). The goal is to find the minimum cost routing plan, which includes the cost-effective outbound and inbound daily routes (OIRs), consisting of a sequence of deliveries of customer orders, pickup of a full truck-load at a supplier, and its delivery to the mill. This study distinguishes between three planning strategies: opportunistic backhauling planning (OBP), integrated inbound and outbound planning (IIOP) and decoupled planning (DIOP), the latter being the commonly used, particularly in the case of the wood-based panel industry under study. From the point of view of process integration, OBP can be considered as an intermediate stage from DIOP to IIOP. The problem is modelled as a Vehicle Routing Problem with Backhauls, enriched with case-specific rules for visiting the backhaul, split deliveries to customers and the use of a heterogeneous fleet. A new fix-and-optimise matheuristic is proposed for this problem, seeking to obtain good quality solutions within a reasonable computational time. The results from its application to the wood-based panel industry in Portugal show that IIOP can help to reduce total costs in about 2.7%, when compared with DIOP, due to better use of the delivery truck and a reduction of the number of dedicated inbound routes. Regarding OBP, fostering the use of OIRs does not necessarily lead to better routing plans than DIOP, as it depends upon a favourable geographical configuration of the set of customers to be visited in a day, specifically, the relative distance between a linehaul that can be visited last in a route, a neighboring backhaul, and a mill. The paper further provides valuable managerial insights on how the routing plan is impacted by the values of business-related model parameters which are set by the planner with some degree of uncertainty. Results suggest that increasing the maximum length of the route will likely have the largest impact in reducing transportation costs. Moreover, increasing the value of a reward paid for visiting a backhaul can foster the percentage of OIR in the optimal routing plan.

2020

A generic mathematical formulation for two-echelon distribution systems based on mobile depots

Authors
Oliveira, B; Ramos, AG; De Sousa, JP;

Publication
Transportation Research Procedia

Abstract
The negative impacts of urban logistics have fostered the search for new distribution systems in inner city deliveries. In this context, interesting solutions can be developed around two-echelon distribution systems based on mobile depots (2E-MD), where loads arriving from the periphery of the city are directly transferred, at intermediate locations, from larger to smaller vehicles more suited to operate in the city centre. Four types of 2E-MD can be identified, according to the degree of mobility of larger vehicles and their accessibility to customers. In this paper, we propose a generic three-index arc-based mixed integer programming model, for a two-echelon vehicle routing problem, with synchronisation at the satellites and multi-trips at the second echelon. This generic base model is formulated for the most restrictive type of problems, where larger vehicles visit a a single transfer location and do not perform direct deliveries to customers, but it can be easily extended to address the other types of 2E-MD. The paper presents how these extensions account for the characteristics of the different types of 2E-MD. The generic model, its extensions and the impact of a set of valid inequalities are tested using problem instances adapted from the VRP literature. Results show that the proposed extensions do adequately address the specific features of the different types of 2E-MD, including multiple visits to satellites, and direct deliveries to customers. Nevertheless, the resulting models can only tackle rather small instances, even if the formulations can be strengthened by adding the valid inequalities proposed in the paper. © 2020 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V.

2020

Using hurdle models to appraise the non-linear effect of age in entrepreneurship

Authors
Costa, J; Xavier, A; Pita, M; Guimarães, C;

Publication
Proceedings of the European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management Studies

Abstract
Senior entrepreneurship is getting increasing prominence in research, academia, and business. Given the demographic shifts occurring in Western Europe, it is also becoming a nuclear topic of interest for policymakers. Still, existing literature overlooked the emergent trend encompassing older individuals which, with different leitmotifs, starting-up new enterprises after decades as employees. In doing so, they convey formal and informal knowledge, networks, experience, savoir faire, and financial endowments, nurtured along the years, which is an evident advantage compared to the younger counterparts. Due to the raising number of negative experiences in the job market, either in getting or maintaining a position, senior workers look up for alternatives. Sometimes being pushed by necessity, other times pulled by opportunity identification and independence, seniors are increasingly making their best to overcome unsatisfying or insufficient conditions as employees. Enhancing entrepreneurial initiative across older individuals is urgent for policy makers due to the need to find occupation for an aging population and their contribution to income generation, at the same time, social and human capital will be leveraged, multiplying the effects of other policy actions such as education. Using the GEM database, this article aims to offer an overview on the role of age in entrepreneurial intention and its nature, addressing the nonlinearities of the effect. This new methodological framework can be used as a basis for future empirical research on the topic of senior entrepreneurship; additionally, it aims contributing to a better understanding of the role of age in shifting the individual reasons for starting a business, controlling for other individual characteristics. The identification of the particular features of the different age cohorts along with gender, education, social context or macro-economic contexts will shed some light on the specific policy packages needed to reinforce the entrepreneurial initiative as a vehicle to promote sustainable and inclusive growth along the European Countries.

2020

A Production Scheduling Support Framework

Authors
Reis, P; Santos, AS; Bastos, JA; Madureira, AM; Varela, LR;

Publication
Intelligent Systems Design and Applications - 20th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications (ISDA 2020) held December 12-15, 2020

Abstract

2020

From the business model to business processes design and technological support: A project-based learning approach

Authors
Azevedo A.;

Publication
International Research Symposium on PBL

Abstract
This paper focuses on the drivers, curriculum and Project-Based Learning (PBL) learning strategies applied to the Business Process Modelling course, part of the Master in Services Engineering and Management (MESG), while presenting critical reflections on said course. The curriculum unit aims to develop skills that we consider essential in the analysis, design, management and improvement of processes that support the services provided by an organisation to its customers. Since the creation of the course, the main objective has been to motivate students to look into exploratory approaches to address specific challenges. In this sense, the PBL approaches explored have proved to be quite successful. Students are organised into larger teams and asked to come up with an innovative business idea. Then, they ought to carry out a project focused on the analysis and design of the business processes of the organisation/company, as well as specifying the respective supporting technological elements. The project, carried out as a team, is of medium/high complexity and long duration (throughout the semester). Each team is encouraged to use appropriate digital tools to support the collaborative work, namely, to facilitate information sharing, activity coordination, documentation management and communication. In this paper, we focus on the implementation and evaluation of the PBL practice, as well as on the analysis and consideration of the lecturers and students’ experience. We’ve adopted a cooperative and student-centred teaching and learning strategy since the beginning, in order to provide the right conditions to put into effect the skills of "doing" and "learning", without neglecting “knowledge”. Accordingly, we point out the main challenges, the lessons learned and the future views regarding the PBL practice.

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