Logistics
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher:
DIEGO D'URSO
Expected Learning Outcomes
The goal is to provide students with a general overview of supply chain analysis, focusing on logistics as an integrated approach to supporting the processes of production and distribution of goods and services.
Course Structure
The teaching methodology consists of lectures, written exercises and cases of study models coded using a Microsoft Excel® software application.
Required Prerequisites
None.
Attendance of Lessons
Students are required to attend at least 70% of the course lectures,
see Section 3.3 of the Academic Regulations of the Master’s Degree in
Management Engineering, unless new or additional provisions related to pandemic
emergency management are issued.
Detailed Course Content
Modulo
|
Rif. testo
|
0. A general overview about the supply chain management.
|
[1] (cha.1)
[6] (cha.1)
|
1. Development of the logistics concept - productive systems breakdown. Process mapping and re-engineering analysis
|
[2] (cha.1)
[6] (cha.1)
|
2. Supply chain performances measures: principle levels of service definition.
|
[1] (cha.15)
[3] (cha.5)
[6] (cha.2)
|
3. Logistics costs breakdown and modelling. Activity based costing definition and application.
|
[6] (cha.3)
|
4. Supply chain dynamics: the Forrester's lesson.
|
[6] (cha.4)
[8] (cha. 5; App.A)
|
5. Forecasting. Definition, application and discussion of the principle time series models.
|
[1] (cha.6)
[5] (App.C)
[6] (cha.5)
[8] (cha.2)
[9] (cha.4)
|
6. Material management: material requirement vs inventory management. Managerial implications in material management under the focus of the Pareto law.
|
[1] (cha.7)
[6] (cha.6)
|
7. Inventory management: economic lot size model (EOQ-OP), periodic review policy (IE). Safety stocks design under stochastic demand conditions.
|
[1] (cha.7)
[4] (cha.5-6)
[6] (cha.7)
[8] (cha.2)
[9] (cha. 16)
|
|
|
Case of studies
E1. Process mapping of the Moon enterprise.
E2. Modelling of a single-channel queue system.
E5. Application of exponential smoothing forecasting models to a single item time series data.
E7. Simulation of the EOQ-OP and IE inventory management models.
|
Textbook Information
Course Planning
| | Subjects | Text References |
|---|
| 1 | Introduction: Logistics as an integrated process
perspective. Historical evolution of logistics: from its origins to the present
day (3 h). | [1] (cap.1); [6] (cap.1) |
| 2 | 1. Classification of production systems: the Brandolese
and Wortmann models. Introduction to industrial process analysis. Discussion of
the key phases of business process reengineering (3 h). | [2] (cap.1); [6] (cap.1) |
| 3 | 2. Performance of
logistics-production systems: definition and calculation of the main indicators
of customer service levels (10 h). | [3] cap.5; [6] (cap.2); [1] (cap.15) |
| 4 | 3. Logistics costs: key terminology and calculation
models. Application of Activity-Based Costing in production management
accounting (6 h). | [6] (cap.3) |
| 5 | 4. Integrated planning of the logistics system (overview).
Introduction to the dynamics of complex systems. The Forrester effect and
managerial mitigation strategies (3 h). | [6] (cap.4); [8] (cap.5; App.A) |
| 6 | 5. Commercial demand forecasting: overview of demand
forecasting techniques and time series analysis. Definition and application of
key forecasting models based on time series extrapolation (10). | [1] (cap.6); [5] (App. C); [6] (cap.5); [8] (cap.2); [9] (cap.4) |
| 7 | 6. Materials planning: understanding stock-based and
requirement-based materials management. Concepts of inventory, inventory
dynamics, key logistics variables, and management indicators. Application of
Pareto’s law to design materials management strategies (10). | [1] (cap.7); [6] (cap.6) |
| 8 | 1.
7. Inventory management: analysis and implementation
of fixed-order quantity and fixed-order period models, including the
calculation of safety stocks under stochastic demand conditions (18 h). | [1] (cap.7); [4] (cap. 5-6); [6] (cap.7); [9] (cap.16) |
| 9 | 1. 8. Material handling and storage systems: overview of
equipment, key performance indicators, and their calculation. The design
process of a material handling and storage system, including principal
strategies for material assignment (12 h). | [1] (cap.9/10); [5] (cap.1-5); [6] (cap.8); [8] (cap.2) |
| 10 | 1. Exercises:
E1. Process design and
classification of the corresponding production system.
E2. Modeling of a
single-channel queue production system. Calculation of the main simulated
service levels.
E5. Application of key demand
forecasting models based on time series extrapolation.
E7. Simulation of EOQ-OP and IE inventory management
models (12 h). | [7] |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Students can choose from the following assessment methods:
1. two partial written and numerical exams (the first scheduled for the first week of November, and the second for the first week of December), along with an assessment of their understanding of theoretical topics through a questionnaire administered during the last academic week of December 2024.
2. a written and numerical exam and an oral exam during the scheduled examination sessions.
The final grade will be the average of the results from the written numerical exams.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
As regard to the inventory management topic:
1. Write the Harris formula;
2. Comment on the factors allowing the use of the Harris formula, specifying what information is necessary to find for their quantitative evaluation;
3. Prove Harris' formula.
(Each of the three questions may be presented sequentially; Question 3 will precede Question 2 if Question 1 is not answered. Therefore, memorizing the formula is not strictly necessary)
