IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i20p8774-d1496313.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Micro Fulfilment Centers in Alleviating, in a Sustainable Way, the Urban Last Mile Logistics Problem: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas Karaoulanis

    (Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution, Lithuania, Pramones pr. 20, LT-50468 Kaunas, Lithuania)

Abstract

This systematic literature review has as its aim to discuss how the use of micro fulfilment centers can help logistics and supply chain professionals in alleviating the urban last mile logistics problem. This systematic literature review adapts the SALSA approach, the PRISMA 2009 checklist, and the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, while its validity is based on the utilization of the qualitative CASP checklist. In addition to the above, certain inclusion/exclusion criteria were used. The findings of this review underline that micro fulfilment centers are a key new approach in terms of alleviating the last mile logistics problem, in urban areas where space is extremely limited via a reduction in CO 2 emissions, the use of new technologies not only in operations but also in the delivery of goods and the increase in customer satisfaction. This is an original and breakthrough literature review as it covers a gap in the existing literature that has to do with the role of micro fulfilment centers in urban areas in terms of alleviating the last mile logistics problem, a topic about which not much have been written until now as it is quite novel. This literature review gives a clear path for the researcher of the future in terms of approaching the urban last mile logistics problem via the lens of the use of micro fulfilment centers, while it contributes to the urban logistics industry in several ways.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Karaoulanis, 2024. "The Role of Micro Fulfilment Centers in Alleviating, in a Sustainable Way, the Urban Last Mile Logistics Problem: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-25, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8774-:d:1496313
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8774/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8774/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yael Deutsch & Boaz Golany, 2018. "A parcel locker network as a solution to the logistics last mile problem," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(1-2), pages 251-261, January.
    2. Leonor Teixeira & Ana Luísa Ramos & Carolina Costa & Dulce Pedrosa & César Faria & Carina Pimentel, 2023. "SOLFI: An Integrated Platform for Sustainable Urban Last-Mile Logistics’ Operations—Study, Design and Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Stephan L.K. Freichel & Neumair Annika & Johannes Wörtge, 2019. "The Role Of Urban Logistics Real Estate In Last Mile Deliveries: Opportunities, Challenges And Success Factors For Integration," Business Logistics in Modern Management, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, vol. 19, pages 441-457.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lin, Yun Hui & Wang, Yuan & He, Dongdong & Lee, Loo Hay, 2020. "Last-mile delivery: Optimal locker location under multinomial logit choice model," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    2. Bartosz Sawik, 2024. "Optimizing Last-Mile Delivery: A Multi-Criteria Approach with Automated Smart Lockers, Capillary Distribution and Crowdshipping," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-30, May.
    3. Liu, Yubin & Ye, Qiming & Escribano-Macias, Jose & Feng, Yuxiang & Candela, Eduardo & Angeloudis, Panagiotis, 2023. "Route planning for last-mile deliveries using mobile parcel lockers: A hybrid q-learning network approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Haider, Zulqarnain & Hu, Yujie & Charkhgard, Hadi & Himmelgreen, David & Kwon, Changhyun, 2022. "Creating grocery delivery hubs for food deserts at local convenience stores via spatial and temporal consolidation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PB).
    5. Magdalena Mucowska, 2021. "Trends of Environmentally Sustainable Solutions of Urban Last-Mile Deliveries on the E-Commerce Market—A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-26, May.
    6. Schaefer, Jaclyn S. & Figliozzi, Miguel A., 2021. "Spatial accessibility and equity analysis of Amazon parcel lockers facilities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    7. Amira Saker & Amr Eltawil & Islam Ali, 2023. "Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search Metaheuristic for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Parcel Lockers," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-27, October.
    8. Patrick Klein & Bastian Popp, 2022. "Last-Mile Delivery Methods in E-Commerce: Does Perceived Sustainability Matter for Consumer Acceptance and Usage?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-27, December.
    9. Leung, Abraham & Lachapelle, Ugo & Burke, Matthew, 2023. "Spatio-temporal analysis of Australia Post parcel locker use during the initial system growth phase in Queensland (2013–2017)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    10. Anna Sciomachen & Maria Truvolo, 2023. "An Exact Approach for Selecting Pickup-Delivery Stations in Urban Areas to Reduce Distribution Emission Costs," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, April.
    11. Kahr, Michael, 2022. "Determining locations and layouts for parcel lockers to support supply chain viability at the last mile," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. dos Santos, André Gustavo & Viana, Ana & Pedroso, João Pedro, 2022. "2-echelon lastmile delivery with lockers and occasional couriers," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    13. Buldeo Rai, Heleen & Verlinde, Sara & Macharis, Cathy, 2021. "Unlocking the failed delivery problem? Opportunities and challenges for smart locks from a consumer perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    14. Ranjbari, Andisheh & Diehl, Caleb & Dalla Chiara, Giacomo & Goodchild, Anne, 2023. "Do parcel lockers reduce delivery times? Evidence from the field," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    15. Ashu Kedia & Diana Kusumastuti & Alan Nicholson, 2019. "Establishing Collection and Delivery Points to Encourage the Use of Active Transport: A Case Study in New Zealand Using a Consumer-Centric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-23, November.
    16. Björn Asdecker, 2021. "Building the E-Commerce Supply Chain of the Future: What Influences Consumer Acceptance of Alternative Places of Delivery on the Last-Mile," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-17, December.
    17. Gabriele Iannaccone & Edoardo Marcucci & Valerio Gatta, 2021. "What Young E-Consumers Want? Forecasting Parcel Lockers Choice in Rome," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-16, August.
    18. Schwerdfeger, Stefan & Boysen, Nils, 2020. "Optimizing the changing locations of mobile parcel lockers in last-mile distribution," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 285(3), pages 1077-1094.
    19. Kexin Bi & Mengke Yang & Latif Zahid & Xiaoguang Zhou, 2020. "A New Solution for City Distribution to Achieve Environmental Benefits within the Trend of Green Logistics: A Case Study in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-25, October.
    20. Łukasz Sułkowski & Katarzyna Kolasińska-Morawska & Marta Brzozowska & Paweł Morawski & Tomasz Schroeder, 2022. "Last Mile Logistics Innovations in the Courier-Express-Parcel Sector Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-25, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8774-:d:1496313. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.