Reuse practices contribute to the environmental and economical sustainability of production and distribution systems. Surprisingly, reuse closed-loop supply chains (CLSC) have not been widely researched for the moment. In this paper, we explore the scientific literature on reuse and we propose a...

In this chapter we discuss inventory systems where several demand classes may be distinguished. In particular, we focus on single-location inventory systems and we analyse the use of a so-called critical level policy. With this policy some inventory is reserved for high-priority demand. A number...

In this paper we present a new distribution concept called ‘floating stocks’, which uses intermodal transport to deploy inventories in a supply chain in advance of retailer demand. Supplying part of the demand directly by road compensates the longer transit time of this transport. First an...

Steel structures like bridges, tanks and pylons are exposed to outdoor weathering conditions. In order to prevent them from corrosion they are protected by organic coating systems. This paper focuses on modelling the deterioration of the organic coating layer that protects steel structures from...

In this paper we define and compare Reverse Logistics definitions. We start by giving an understanding framework of Reverse Logistics: the why-what-how. By this means, we put in context the driving forces for Reverse Logistics, a typology of return reasons, a classification of products,...

This paper presents a case study of applying a Bayesian approach to forecast demand and subsequently determine the appropriate parameter S of an (S-1,S) inventory system for controlling spare parts of electronic equipment. First, the problem and the current policy are described. Then, the basic...

In equipment-intensive industries such as truck manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, photo copiers, and airliners, service parts are often slow moving items for which, in some cases, the transshipment time is not negligible. However, this aspect is hardly considered in the existing spare...

Products which are sold through E-commerce or mail sales catalogues tend to have a much higher return rate than traditional products. The returns are especially problematic for seasonal products. To support decision making in these situations we study various options, which may be considered as...

In most multi-item inventory systems, the ordering costs consist of a major cost and a minor cost for each item included. Applying for every individual item a cyclic inventory policy, where the cycle length is a multiple of some basic cycle time, reduces the major ordering costs. An efficient...

The capacitated vehicle routing problem is to find a routing schedule describing the order in which geographically dispersed customers are visited to satisfy demand by supplying goods stored at the depot, such that the traveling costs are minimized. In many practical applications, a long term...