Does size really matter? Dual distribution channel with vans and autonomous delivery devices
E-commerce sales worldwide are expected to skyrocket in future years, increasing freight traffic in cities. In this context, sidewalk autonomous delivery devices (ADDs) show great potentialities to decrease carriers’ last-mile operation costs. Nevertheless, because their speed, size and range will b...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/358192 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/358192 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2021.11.036 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Urban transportation--Freight Urban logistics Last-mile autonomous delivery robot Continuous approximation Barcelona (Spain) Transport de mercaderies Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Infraestructures i modelització dels transports::Transport urbà Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses::Direcció d'operacions::Modelització de transports i logística |
| Sumario: | E-commerce sales worldwide are expected to skyrocket in future years, increasing freight traffic in cities. In this context, sidewalk autonomous delivery devices (ADDs) show great potentialities to decrease carriers’ last-mile operation costs. Nevertheless, because their speed, size and range will be limited, ADDs seem more adapted to the delivery of small items. The objective of this paper is to estimate the carrier’s total operation costs in a dual delivery channel. If its size is lower than a given threshold, the parcel is delivered to the customer via a logistics micro-hub and ADDs. Otherwise, if the parcel is bigger than the given threshold, it is delivered through a conventional supply chain with delivery vans. The carrier’s total operation costs are the sum of the costs induced by the two distribution channels. Assuming that the parcel size follows a known probability distribution function, the carrier’s total operation costs are estimated using the continuous approximation methodology. Different probability distribution functions modelling the size of the parcels are studied in the paper. Finally, the dual distribution channel is optimized considering the size threshold as a decision variable of the system. |
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