نوع مقاله : پژوهشی
تازه های تحقیق
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
This paper presents a guaranteed-service model for the strategic safety stock placement in a multi-echelon distribution network. Unlike conventional guaranteed-service models, which are designed to minimize costs, the proposed model seeks to maximize the minimum service level provided to all nodes under a fixed budget constraint. To achieve this, a mixed-integer linear programming model with precomputed risk-exposure coefficients is embedded within a bisection search algorithm, enabling the max–min problem to be solved exactly. The model’s performance is evaluated on a four-echelon election distribution network in Iran, comprising three provinces with distinct geographic and demographic characteristics. The results show that, under a realistic budget, the model can achieve a uniform service level of 99%, substantially outperforming the common practice of maintaining a fixed 10% safety-stock policy. The analysis also reveals that increasing the distance between local distribution centers and demand points reduces the effectiveness of risk pooling and shifts a larger share of safety stock to the lower echelons of the network. Furthermore, the study quantifies the cost of equity, demonstrating the extent of efficiency loss that must be accepted to guarantee equal access to resources. Overall, the research provides decision-makers with a rigorous tool for balancing equity and cost in resource-constrained multi-echelon distribution networks.
کلیدواژهها English
Copyright © Shahram Aliyari, Milad Hashemi, Ebrahim Teimoury
License
This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.
