Supply Chain Frontiers issue #39
As part of its commitment to generate knowledge that helps Colombia and Latin America to meet current and future logistics challenges, the Center for Latin American Logistics Innovation (CLI) held its second Logistics Research Festival of the year in Bogotá, Colombia, this November.
During the one-day event attendees from academia and the private sector learned about a wide range of CLI research projects. The aim is to help companies become more competitive by providing tools that enable them to better understand the demands of building and managing supply chains in the region.
Projects are carried out by CLI researchers in collaboration with faculty members and research staff from the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL). The MIT CTL staff work closely with research groups at universities that are members of the Academic Partners Network.
The event featured eight ongoing projects developed by CLI with strategic partner companies in three major research areas: sustainability, logistics catalyst and supply chain management in emerging markets.
The project goals are described below.
- Carbon footprint. To define and apply an adaptable methodology for quantifying value chain carbon emissions in Colombian markets. The researchers are identifying various strategies for reducing emissions and accessing financial green markets.
- Analysis of the fruit and vegetables supply chain in the region. To create a tool for evaluating the impact of decisions on value chain operations, and help improve the decision making process and outcomes for small/medium stakeholders and the final consumer.
- Logistics benchmarking. To identify the information, product, and financial flows needed to give Latin American companies a competitive advantage in respective countries and the region. The study is focused on financial indicators impacted by logistics.
- EPC/RFID for liquids and metals. To define the most suitable logistics process model for these industries. The researchers aim to impact the most important logistic variables through analyzing and testing RFID technology.
- RFID in textile and clothing. To measure the impact of RFID technology implementations in the textile and clothing value chain from the distribution center to the POS (point of sale). The researchers are also looking at critical variables such as product shrinkage, inventory accuracy, and POS operational efficiency. The project team is developing a case study of a successful RFID implementation.
- Transportation visibility. To achieve improved visibility, traceability and the real-time exchange of information through the introduction of a collaborative technology platform. The platform integrates information flows in the logistics process.
- Distribution strategies in emerging markets. To develop innovative distribution strategies that support a large proportion of small, independent, and fragmented distribution channels that supply 40% to 60% of the products to consumers.
- Demand Planning Products. To identify a demand planning methodology for generating more accurate forecasts for launching new mass market product in two multinational companies.
For more information on CLI Research Projects, contact Ana María Prieto, CLI Public Relations, at email: aprieto@logyca.org, or telephone: +57 1 4270999, Ext. 191; or go to http://www.logyca.org/en/en-us/servicesandsolutions/research/researchproyects.aspx