Protecting Finding Perfecting: Reprint

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April 2000
Best Practice Survey Results
Protecting
your products
with packaging
Finding
the right
shipping container
Perfecting
distribution
networks
N
N
N
N
E
E
E
E
T
T
T
T
W
W
W
W
O
O
O
O
R
R
R
R
K
K
K
K
I
I
I
I
N
N
N
N
Designing Perfect
G
G
G
G
DistribuCthianonenls
Software helps determine optimal plan
By Michael Watson and Jim Morton
In todays competitive market, a companys distribution network
must meet service goals at the lowest possible cost. In some
instances, a company may be able to save millions of dollars in
logistics costs and simultaneously improve service levels by
redesigning its network. To achieve this, an ideal network must
have the optimum number, size and location of warehouses.
To design the best network, one must consider all relevant costs
and service-level constraints. Relevant costs include inbound
and outbound transportation, fixed and variable warehouse costs,
inventory carrying and producing or sourcing from different
locations. Complex trade-offs make these costs difficult to analyze.
For example, as the number of warehouse locations increase,
transportation cost will decrease, but inventory cost will increase.
Moreover, costs are often dependent on the location and capacity
of plants or vendors, as well as the location and demand
characteristics of customers.
Fortunately, commercially
a vailabl e software can
make network redesign a
manageable task. Several
companies make network
design software that can
model your supply chain
and compute the optimum
network configuration.
Among other things, this
sof twar e a llows you to
input facility locations,
product information and
r ele vant cost data as
mentioned above. To use
these models successfully,
you must cons ider all
factors that drive your
supply chain.
software to optimize network performance. LogicNet, PC-based

software from LogicTools, Inc., is used for the analysis. The
case study examines how logistics costs and service criteria
impact design of an optimal network. In addition, the example
shows how to design a network that meets a desired customer
service level by integrating carrier time-in-transit data into the
logistics model.
In this case study, BuyPC.com is a fictitious company that sells
computers via the Internet. BuyPC.com emphasizes next-day
delivery of its products so its distribution network must feature
high availability and one-day transit time. It ships customer
orders using a small package carrier. A network of 15 warehouses
located throughout the US provides next-day ground service to
most customers. A factory in Asia ships replenishment stock to
the port of Los Angeles. From there, products are shipped in
truckload quantities to the warehouses.
Figure 1: Product flow and ground service levels for current network.
Using software
to design networks
The following case study
use s net work desi gn
April 2000
Parcel Shipping & Distribution
Figure 2: Logistics costs versus number of warehouses for an optimum network.
Figure 1 illustrates product flow and

service levels within the existing network.
In this example, map colors are based on
UPS time-in-transit for ground service,
with the assumption that each customer
is served from the warehouse location
that provides fastest service. The pie chart
reflects the percent of orders that can be
delivered relative to ground transit time.
BuyPC.com ships about 90% of customer
orders (customers within red areas)
inexpensively via ground service. The
company upgrades the remaining 10% of
orders (customers within blue or orange
areas) to one-day air service in order to
meet the next-day delivery commitment.
Table 1 summarizes annual logistics costs. Transportation costs
are $3.8 million. Average total inventory is approximately $50
Table 1: Summary of current logistics costs.

Port to Warehouse Shipping Cost
Warehouse to Customer Shipping Cost
Inventory Carrying Cost
Warehouse Fixed Cost
TOTAL COST
$850,984
$2,929,853
$13,291,150
$1,875,000
$18,946,987
between warehouse cost and transportation cost? A single

warehouse? Ten warehouses? Where should the warehouses be
located? And what financial impact is expected?
Logistics problems such as this one are complex because there
are so many possible combinations of the underlying variables.
It is virtually impossible to find the optimal solution without the
aid of network design software. Optimization-based software
models use a mixed-integer programming (MIP) algorithm that
intelligently sorts the myriad of possible combinations to find the
minimum-cost network. However, in our example, BuyPC.com
must minimize total cost and satisfy the service constraint
one-day delivery to all customers. Consequently, it is necessary
to set up the model such that it meets both goals simultaneously.
millio n, sufficient to ensure high product availability.

Management estimates the inventory carrying cost (ICC) is
25% of the value of the Figure 3: Product flow and ground service levels for new network.
i n v e n t o r y. This estimate
includes the cost of capital,
depreciation, obsolescence,
damage and also shrinkage.
Therefore, annual inventory
carrying costs are about $13
million. Warehouse fixed
costs, including leases, utilities,
security and also staffing, are
about $1.8 million. To t a l
logistics cost is $18.9 million.
Management wants to reduce
total logistics cost by reducing
the number of warehouses.
Consolidating the network
should reduce inventory, ICC
expense and brick and mortar
expense. Unfortunately, having
fewer sites will also increase
transportation cost because
more orders will be fulfilled via
one-day air service. So, what
network configuration will
achieve the ideal balance
Parcel Shipping & Distribution
April 2000
Setting rates
Among other things, LogicNet requires carrier rates for every
possible warehouse-to-customer lane. For the model to consider
both cost and service levels, the rate assigned to each lane must
reflect the carrier service level required for one-day delivery. For
example, consider Chicago as a warehouse location. Using
ground service, Chicago can reach Milwaukee customers in one
day. Consequently, the rate for the Chicago to Milwaukee lane
is set to the ground service rate. However, Chicago requires two
days to reach Atlanta customers via ground service. The
warehouse must upgrade these customers to one-day air service
to meet the service goal. The rate for the Chicago to Atlanta lane
is set to the one-day air rate. Each lane is assigned an appropriate
rate in this manner.
BuyPC.com needs a rate structure that guarantees next-day
service. Using the above approach, one can design mixedmode networks to meet different customer service levels. For
example, an optimum two-day network consists of a blend of
ground service and two-day air service. An optimum three-day
network consists of a blend of ground service and a guaranteed
three-day service. In each case, the rate assigned to a lane
reflects the carrier service level required to meet the desired
customer service level. Integrating carrier time-in-transit
information using the rate structure enables the software to
examine the complex trade-off between the number and location
of distribution centers and the proper mix of ground and
premium services.
Optimizing the distribution network
Once all data has been entered into the model, the optimizer is run.
In general, LogicNet determines the best set of warehouse locations
from a list of potential locations. BuyPC.com wants to consolidate
its network by selectively eliminating warehouse locations.
Consequently, LogicNet will consider only existing warehouse
locations as potential locations in the redesigned network.
Figure 2 depicts optimization results for BuyPC.com. This graph
shows how total logistics cost varies with the number of warehouse
locations. It clearly illustrates the trade-off between warehouserelated costs and transportation cost. Having just one or two
warehouses results in excessive transportation cost. Too many
orders are shipped using one-day air service. Conversely, having
much more than five warehouses results in excessive inventory and
brick-and-mortar costs. A five-warehouse network represents a
good compromise and minimizes total logistics cost.
Figure 3 shows the optimum five-warehouse network, including
product flow and ground service time-in-transit. This new network
costs $15 million annually, a savings of $4 million (about 20%)
from the original network. Table 2 shows the source of the savings.
With fewer warehouse locations, transportation cost increases by
$2.9 million. However, warehouse fixed costs and inventory
carrying costs decrease by a combined $6.9 million. Clearly, the
savings in warehouse costs more than compensates for the
increase in transportation costs. BuyPC.com will now ship about
44% of orders using air service.
Table 2: Summary of revised logistics costs.

Plant to Warehouse Shipping Cost
$783,328
Warehouse to Customer Shipping Cost
$5,899,685
Warehouse to Customer Variable/Holding Cost
$7,679,331
Warehouse Fixed Cost

TOTAL COST
$625,000
$14,987,344
Decreasing ground transportation costs

Note that the Los Angeles warehouse has a particularly large
service area. Los Angeles serves some customers, including
locations in the Dakotas, which are actually closer to the Chicago
warehouse. This may not make sense unless one considers
inbound transportation costs. Intuitively, it is more costly to ship
a one-day air package to Sioux Falls from Los Angeles than from
Chicago. However, the inbound line haul cost to Los Angeles is much
less expensive than the line haul cost to Chicago. With regards to
total transportation cost, Los Angeles is the better choice for
serving customers such as those in Sioux Falls.
Putting it all together
Network design software is a valuable tool in the design of optimal
distribution networks. In our example, BuyPC.com can redesign
its network, substantially reducing logistics costs while
maintaining a one-day service level. Software models allow you
to incorporate all costs relevant to your supply chain. Typically,
these models seek to minimize total logistics cost. However, by
integrating carrier time-in-transit data with carrier rates, a model
can minimize cost while meeting a desired service level, such as
next-day delivery. Properly configured, the model is able to find
the ideal number and location of warehouses and determine the
proper mix of ground and premium services.
Michael Watson, PhD, is a vice president at LogicTo o l s
(www .logic-tools.com), where he concentrates on helping clients
implement and use strategic network design software and is a
member of Northwesterns adjunct faculty. Contact Michael at
773-935-2626 or by e-mail at michael.watson@logic-tools.com.
Jim Morton manages network optimization consulting services
for UPS Professional Services (www.ups-psi.com). He has an
extensive background in technology and has been awarded patents
for his design work. He holds BS and ME degrees in electrical
engineering from the University of Virginia. Contact him at
jmorton@ups.com.
www.logic-tools.com
Copyright 2000 by RB Publishing Inc. A reprinted excerpt from Parcel Shipping & Distribution Magazine 2424 American Lane, Madison WI
53704-3102; 608-241-8777; Fax 608-241-8666; Email rbpub@chorus.net; www.psdmag.com.

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Best Practice Survey Results

software to optimize network performance. LogicNet, PC-based

Parcel Shipping & Distribution

Figure 2: Logistics costs versus number of warehouses for an optimum network.

Figure 1 illustrates product flow and

Table 1: Summary of current logistics costs.

between warehouse cost and transportation cost? A single

millio n, sufficient to ensure high product availability.

Table 2: Summary of revised logistics costs.

Warehouse to Customer Shipping Cost

Warehouse to Customer Variable/Holding Cost

Warehouse Fixed Cost

Decreasing ground transportation costs

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