最优库存控制与零售外文翻译.doc

外文翻译 原文 Optimal Inventory Control with Retail Pre-Packs MaterialSource：Department of Supply Chain Information Systems Author：Michael B. Freimer Douglas J. Thomas . A pre-pack is a collection of items used in retail distribution. By grouping multiple units of one or more stock keeping units (SKU), distribution and handling costs can be reduced, however, ordering flexibility at the retail outlet is limited. When the pre-pack contains units of a single SKU, and the retailer can only order integer numbers of pre-packs, the well- studied (R, nQ) policy is optimal. For a single-item system, we consider the case where the retailer can order both pre-packs and individual units (at increased cost). We show that the optimal policy for this case is to order into a “band,” ordering as few individual units as possible. We then investigate the case where the pre-pack contains more than one SKU. For the multiple-SKU case,we characterize the optimal policy and computationally investigate the impact of demand variability, correlation of demand across multiple SKUs and the size of the pre-pack. Since the optimal policy may be di?cult to implement, we investigate the relative performance of a strict order-up-to policy as well as the pre-pack only policy. Introduction In production and distribution systems, materials often flow in fixed batch sizes. For example, finished goods may be transported in full truckloads, and work-in-process (WIP) is usually processed in some convenient lot size. Goods that are produced and shipped in large quantities are often disaggregated at a “break-bulk” point (i.e., a distribution center) before continuing on to the point of final consumption. While this break-bulk operation incurs substantial facilities and handling costs, it is worthwhile since it permits retail locations to receive small, frequent replenishments.This work was motivated by discussions with a U.S.-based apparel retailer with essentially two choices for import