Optimal Supplier Selection in a Supply Chain with Predetermined Loading/Unloading Time Windows and Logistics Truck Share

Abstract

Rapid population growth and increasing demand of transportation necessitate more efficient transportation and logistics processes. Efficient logistics processes in a supply chain can help the supplier selection procedure be more proficient in terms of delivery time. This paper studies a three-stage supply chain which enables truck sharing for delivery. All suppliers and the manufacturer have a time window for loading and unloading the material. A nonlinear programming model is developed to find the optimal truck share among different suppliers. A numerical example shows the applicability of the proposed model.