IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/snopef/v4y2023i2d10.1007_s43069-023-00211-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Prepositioning Emergency Inventories Under Uncertainties of Time, Location, and Quantity

Author

Listed:
  • Baruch Keren

    (Shamoon College of Engineering (SCE))

Abstract

An emergency incident will occur in the coming years, somewhere. It will be an earthquake, a landslide, a volcanic eruption, an epidemic of infectious disease, or some other disaster. Positioning an emergency or humanitarian inventory in advance is a response that can greatly mitigate the effects of the expected incident. However, the problem is to put the emergency inventory in the right location to use the right quantity and to do so at the right time—taking into account that the location, timing, and magnitude of the incident may be random variables. This paper presents a model for the triple uncertainty of the inventory problem (location, timing, and quantity) and shows how the solution can be optimized analytically and numerically, even in cases where there is a statistical dependence between the random variables. An important contribution of the paper is the addition of the dimension of timing to the inventory problem. One result of the model can be an immediate establishment of an emergency inventory with the optimal quantity and location of materials, another can be a “wait and see” strategy with periodic updating of the model as newer information becomes available. The paper provides benchmark solutions that can help decision-makers make wiser choices about the timing, location, and quantity of inventories positioned in anticipation of an emergency incident. The model is useful especially for disasters with a long mean time between occurrences (years), which motivate decision-makers to adopt the wait and see strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Baruch Keren, 2023. "Prepositioning Emergency Inventories Under Uncertainties of Time, Location, and Quantity," SN Operations Research Forum, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 1-25, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:snopef:v:4:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s43069-023-00211-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s43069-023-00211-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43069-023-00211-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43069-023-00211-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Khouja, Moutaz, 1999. "The single-period (news-vendor) problem: literature review and suggestions for future research," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 537-553, October.
    2. Clay Whybark, D., 2007. "Issues in managing disaster relief inventories," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1-2), pages 228-235, July.
    3. Hu, Shaolong & Dong, Zhijie Sasha, 2019. "Supplier selection and pre-positioning strategy in humanitarian relief," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 287-298.
    4. Coskun, Abdullah & Elmaghraby, Wedad & Karaman, M. Muge & Salman, F. Sibel, 2019. "Relief aid stocking decisions under bilateral agency cooperation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 147-165.
    5. Balcik, Burcu & Beamon, Benita M. & Krejci, Caroline C. & Muramatsu, Kyle M. & Ramirez, Magaly, 2010. "Coordination in humanitarian relief chains: Practices, challenges and opportunities," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(1), pages 22-34, July.
    6. Baskaya, Serhat & Ertem, Mustafa Alp & Duran, Serhan, 2017. "Pre-positioning of relief items in humanitarian logistics considering lateral transhipment opportunities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 50-60.
    7. Jingxian Chen & Liang Liang & Dong-Qing Yao, 2017. "Pre-positioning of relief inventories for non-profit organizations: a newsvendor approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 259(1), pages 35-63, December.
    8. Tofighi, S. & Torabi, S.A. & Mansouri, S.A., 2016. "Humanitarian logistics network design under mixed uncertainty," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 250(1), pages 239-250.
    9. Sabbaghtorkan, Monir & Batta, Rajan & He, Qing, 2020. "Prepositioning of assets and supplies in disaster operations management: Review and research gap identification," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(1), pages 1-19.
    10. Keren, Baruch, 2009. "The single-period inventory problem: Extension to random yield from the perspective of the supply chain," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 801-810, August.
    11. Rawls, Carmen G. & Turnquist, Mark A., 2010. "Pre-positioning of emergency supplies for disaster response," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 521-534, May.
    12. Wenjun Ni & Jia Shu & Miao Song, 2018. "Location and Emergency Inventory Pre†Positioning for Disaster Response Operations: Min†Max Robust Model and a Case Study of Yushu Earthquake," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(1), pages 160-183, January.
    13. E J Lodree Jr & S Taskin, 2008. "An insurance risk management framework for disaster relief and supply chain disruption inventory planning," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 59(5), pages 674-684, May.
    14. J Robert Buchanan, 2012. "An Undergraduate Introduction to Financial Mathematics," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number 8495, February.
    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. Liu, Kanglin & Zhang, Hengliang & Zhang, Zhi-Hai, 2021. "The efficiency, equity and effectiveness of location strategies in humanitarian logistics: A robust chance-constrained approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Sabbaghtorkan, Monir & Batta, Rajan & He, Qing, 2020. "Prepositioning of assets and supplies in disaster operations management: Review and research gap identification," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(1), pages 1-19.
    3. Aghajani, Mojtaba & Ali Torabi, S. & Altay, Nezih, 2023. "Resilient relief supply planning using an integrated procurement-warehousing model under supply disruption," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    4. Wang, Yusheng & Dong, Zhijie Sasha & Hu, Shaolong, 2021. "A stochastic prepositioning model for distribution of disaster supplies considering lateral transshipment," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Yusen Ye & Wen Jiao & Hong Yan, 2020. "Managing Relief Inventories Responding to Natural Disasters: Gaps Between Practice and Literature," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(4), pages 807-832, April.
    6. Abhishek Behl & Pankaj Dutta, 2019. "Humanitarian supply chain management: a thematic literature review and future directions of research," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 283(1), pages 1001-1044, December.
    7. Zhang, Yuwei & Li, Zhenping & Zhao, Yuwei, 2023. "Multi-mitigation strategies in medical supplies for epidemic outbreaks," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    8. Guo, Penghui & Zhu, Jianjun, 2023. "Capacity reservation for humanitarian relief: A logic-based Benders decomposition method with subgradient cut," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 311(3), pages 942-970.
    9. Chen, Yingzhen & Zhao, Qiuhong & Huang, Kai & Xi, Xunzhuo, 2022. "A Bi-objective optimization model for contract design of humanitarian relief goods procurement considering extreme disasters," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Akbarpour, Mina & Ali Torabi, S. & Ghavamifar, Ali, 2020. "Designing an integrated pharmaceutical relief chain network under demand uncertainty," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    11. Fan, Yu & Shao, Jianfang & Wang, Xihui & Liang, Liang, 2024. "Contract design between relief organisations and private-sector vendors: A humanitarian logistics framework," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    12. Hu, Shaolong & Dong, Zhijie Sasha, 2019. "Supplier selection and pre-positioning strategy in humanitarian relief," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 287-298.
    13. Abazari, Seyed Reza & Aghsami, Amir & Rabbani, Masoud, 2021. "Prepositioning and distributing relief items in humanitarian logistics with uncertain parameters," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    14. Patra, T. Devi Prasad & Jha, J.K., 2021. "A two-period newsvendor model for prepositioning with a post-disaster replenishment using Bayesian demand update," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Hasti Seraji & Reza Tavakkoli-Moghaddam & Sobhan Asian & Harpreet Kaur, 2022. "An integrative location-allocation model for humanitarian logistics with distributive injustice and dissatisfaction under uncertainty," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 319(1), pages 211-257, December.
    16. Zhang, Guowei & Jia, Ning & Zhu, Ning & He, Long & Adulyasak, Yossiri, 2023. "Humanitarian transportation network design via two-stage distributionally robust optimization," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    17. Hu, Shaolong & Hu, Qingmi & Tao, Sha & Dong, Zhijie Sasha, 2023. "A multi-stage stochastic programming approach for pre-positioning of relief supplies considering returns," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    18. Coskun, Abdullah & Elmaghraby, Wedad & Karaman, M. Muge & Salman, F. Sibel, 2019. "Relief aid stocking decisions under bilateral agency cooperation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 147-165.
    19. Hu, Shaolong & Han, Chuanfeng & Dong, Zhijie Sasha & Meng, Lingpeng, 2019. "A multi-stage stochastic programming model for relief distribution considering the state of road network," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 64-87.
    20. Hu, Shaolong & Dong, Zhijie Sasha & Dai, Rui, 2024. "A machine learning based sample average approximation for supplier selection with option contract in humanitarian relief," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).

    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:spr:snopef:v:4:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s43069-023-00211-w. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.