Intelligent warehousing and transportation

ISEG, Pós graduação em International Business 2ªed, 2011-2012
Intelligent warehousing and transportation: the retail reality
The perspective of integration in the supply chain and how to add value to it
Pedro Costa
Abstract
Warehouse and transport management are two nodes of a large network of companies. That network structure which is composed of autonomous or semi-autonomous enterprises is a supply chain. The fast changing environment dictates de rules of the game. Our capacity to adapt, respond positively and in time to costumers requests, is a key element to stay in business. The value added operations that both warehousing and transportation can provide to customers, defines if, and when they are chosen to provide such services. Ownership costs reduction is one of the most important services that storers and transporters can provide. These ownership costs can be significantly reduced through the use of better information flows between the agents upstream and downstream of the supply chain.
In this paper, we will discuss how intelligent information can be used to generate value, and help build long term relations between the nodes adjacent to both warehouses and transportation. Giving examples related to the retail sector, connecting the information between the actors present in a given SC from the manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers, we intend to show how information can flow through the SC, reducing the bullwhip effect and therefore create value added operations. By doing this, we intend to show that this type of informational structure can help to push the decoupling point upstream closer to the raw materials suppliers, making all the supply chain downstream