Open Tracing Container Repositioning Simulation Optimization: A Case Study of FMCG Supply Chain

The industry and retail chain use a huge number of low cost assets such as pallets, crates, plastic boxes... Until now the lack of affordable technology, in comparison with the cost of a single asset, stopped efforts to manage them in open loop supply chain (where the assets is not coming back to sender after usage). As part of a project to implement an affordable and efficient communication technology to publish the information from the logistics assets used in Fast Moving Consumer Goods’ supply chains, we demonstrate with a simulation optimization approach the benefit of knowing the position of the assets. The published events from the logistics supports are used to optimize their repositioning. A specific simulation optimization model is presented and the results are commented.