Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Two mathematical models are formulated in this dissertation for the population growth of an Eldana saccharina Walker infestation of sugarcane under the influence of partially sterile released insects. The first model describes the population growth of and interaction between normal and sterile E. saccharina moths in a temporally variable, but spatially homogeneous environment. The model consists of a deterministic system of difference equations subject to strictly positive initial data. The primary objective of this model is to determine suitable parameters in terms of which the above population growth and interaction may be quantified and according to which E. saccharina infestation levels and the associated sugarcane damage may be measured. The second model describes this growth and interaction under the influence of partially sterile insects which are released in a temporally variable and spatially heterogeneous environment. The model consists of a discretized reaction-diffusion system with variable diffusion coefficients, subject to strictly positive initial data and zero-flux Neumann boundary conditions on a bounded spatial domain. The primary objectives in this case are to establish a model which may be used within an area-wide integrated pest management programme for E. saccharina in order to investigate the efficiency of different sterile moth release strategies in various scenarios without having to conduct formal field experiments, and to present guidelines by which release ratios, frequencies and distributions may be estimated that are expected to lead to suppression of the pest. In addition to the mathematical models formulated, two practical applications of the models are described. The first application is the development of a user-friendly simulation tool for simulating E. saccharina infestation under the influence of sterile insect releases over differently shaped spatial domains. This tool provides the reader with a deeper understanding as to what is involved in applying mathematical models, such as the two described in this dissertation, to real-life scenarios. In the second application, an optimal diversification of sugarcane habitats is considered as an option for minimising average E. saccharina infestation levels, and as a further consequence, improving the cost-efficiency of sterile insect releases. Although many special cases of the above model classes have been used to model the sterile insect technique in the past, few of these models describe the technique for Lepidopteran species with more than one life stage and where F1-sterility is relevant. In addition, none of these models consider the technique when fully sterile females and partially sterile males are being released. The models formulated in this dissertation are also the first to describe the technique applied specifically to E. saccharina, and to consider the economic viability of applying the technique to this species. Furthermore, very few examples exist of such models which go beyond a theoretical description and analysis towards practical, real-life applications as illustrated in this dissertation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Twee wiskundige modelle word in hierdie proefskrif vir die populasiegroei van ’n Eldana saccha- rina Walker infestasie van suikerriet onder die invloed van gedeeltelik steriele, vrygelate insekte daargestel. Die eerste model beskryf die populasiegroei van en -interaksie tussen normale en steriele E. saccharina motte in ’n dinamiese, maar ruimtelik-homogene omgewing. Die model is ’n stelsel deterministiese verskilvergelykings onderhewig aan streng positiewe aanvangswaardes. Die primˆere doelstelling met hierdie model is om geskikte parameters te bepaal in terme waarvan die bogenoemde groei en interaksie gekwantifiseer kan word, en waarvolgens E. saccharina infestasievlakke en die gepaardgaande suikerrietskade gemeet kan word. Die tweede model beskryf hierdie groei en interaksie onder die invloed van gedeeltelik steriele insekte wat in ’n dinamiese en ruimtelik-heterogene omgewing vrygelaat word. Die model is ’n gediskretiseerde stelsel reaksie-diffusievergelykings met veranderlike diffusieko¨effisi¨ente onderhewig aan streng positiewe aanvangswaardes en zero-vloei Neumann-randwaardes op ’n begrensde ruimtelike gebied. Die primˆere doelstellings in hierdie geval is om ’n model tot stand te bring wat in ’n area-wye, ge¨ıntegreerde pesbestrydingsprogram vir E. saccharina gebruik kan word om die doeltreffendheid van verskillende steriele motvrylatingstrategie¨e te bepaal sonder om daadwerklik veldeksperimente uit te voer, en om riglyne daar te stel waarvolgens vrylatingsverhoudings, -frekwensies en -verspreidings bepaal kan word wat na verwagting na ’n onderdrukking van die pes sal lei. Bykomend tot die wiskundige modelle in hierdie proefskrif, word twee praktiese toepassings van die modelle ook beskryf. In die eerste toepassing word ’n gebruikersvriendelike simulasie hulpmiddel ontwikkel om E. saccharina infestasie onder die invloed van steriele insekvrylatings in verskillende ruimtelike gebiede te simuleer. Hierdie toepassing fasiliteer ’n dieper begrip van wat ter sprake is in die toepassing van wiskundige modelle, soos die twee modelle in hierdie tesis, tot werklike scenario’s. In die tweede toepassing word ’n optimale diversifisering van suikerriet habitats as ’n opsie vir die vermindering van die gemiddelde E. saccharina infestasie vlakke beskou, en gevolglik word die verbetering van die koste-doeltreffendheid van steriele insekvrylatings afgeskat. Alhoewel verskeie spesiale gevalle van die bogenoemde twee klasse van modelle reeds in die verlede gebruik is om die doeltreffendheid van die steriele-insektegniek te modelleer, beskryf weinig van hierdie modelle die tegniek vir Lepidopteriese spesies met meer as een lewensfase en waar F1-steriliteit ter sprake is. Verder beskryf geen van hierdie modelle die tegniek waar algeheel steriele wyfies en gedeeltelik steriele mannetjies vrygelaat word nie. Die modelle in hierdie tesis is ook die eerste waar die tegniek spesifiek op E.saccharina toegepas word, en waar die ekonomiese lewensvatbaarheid van die tegniek vir hierdie spesie oorweeg word. Verder bestaan daar min voorbeelde van soortgelyke modelle wat verder gaan as ’n teoretiese beskrywing en wiskundige ontleding na praktiese, werklike toepassings, soos in hierdie proefskrif ge¨ıllustreer.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globalization has shifted to a level where market competition is tougher. Therefore, multinational companies focus on cutting cost along the company’s supply chain with heavy scrutiny on procurement. Developing countries have become very attractive from which to strategically procure commodities because of low cost labour, especially from the People’s Republic of China. The business complexity, ethics and current market situation in China are often too modestly emphasized. Yet, these elements have a significant impact on the sourcing decision because it indirectly influences the total landed cost of a commodity but is not taken into account. Therefore, the total landed cost on which sourcing decisions are made, does not reflect the actual total landed cost of a commodity. In many cases multinational companies sourcing from China do not realise the impact of the hidden cost involved and do not reach the expected cost savings as calculated. The purpose of this study is to explore why more attention must be paid to hidden cost when automotive commodities are procured from China. This, as well as the research methodology used in order to obtain the data, is explained in chapter one. Chapter two of this thesis illustrates the change in a company’s supply chain and discusses this in a global sourcing context. The sourcing commodity, which is the point of focus in this study, is automotive commodities sourced from China and is discussed in chapter three. Based on China’s increased presence in global sourcing of automotive commodities, chapter four focuses on China’s integration into the global supply chain. The influential factors that have an impact (hidden cost) on the actual landed cost of commodities sourced from China are described in chapter five and identified as guanxi, indirect business logistic obstacles, quality of goods and supply, management, the labour market and training, and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). In chapter six the influential factors, as described in chapter five, are analysed through a case study of Daimler Chrysler China Limited. Chapter seven is a comparative study of Japan’s miracle economy from 1960-1980 and the current economic trends in China to determine whether it will be feasible to procure automotive commodities from China in the future with regards to the economic indicators. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Globalisering het verskuif na ʼn vlak waar mark kompetisie meer gekonsentreerd is. Daarom fokus multinasionale maatskappye ernstig daarop om kostes langs die aanvoerketting van die maatskappy te verminder deur te konsentreer op die aanskaffingsproses. Ontwikkelende lande het uiters aanloklik geword as bestemming in die strategiese aanskaffingsproses van goedere weens lae arbeidskoste, veral vanaf Sjina. Tans word die besigheidskompleksiteit, etiek en die markkondisie in Sjina meestal onderbeklemtoon. Daarenteen het die faktore ‘n gewigtige impak op die aanskaffingsbesluit omdat dit die totale koste by aankoms indirek beïnvloed. Gevolglik reflekteer die totale koste by aankoms, waarop aanskaffigsbesluite gegrond word, nie die werklike koste van aankoms van goedere nie. In menige gevalle behaal multinasionale maatskappye nie die verwagte kostebesparing soos bereken vir goedere wat vanaf Sjina aangeskaf word nie omdat die multinasionale maatskappye onbewus is van die impak wat die versteekte koste op die totale koste by aankoms het. Die doel van hierdie studie is ‘n ondersoek na die redes waarom daar meer beklemtoning moet wees op versteekte koste wanneer goedere uit Sjina aangeskaf word. Dit, sowel as die navorsingmetodes wat gebruik is om die inligting vir die studie in te win en akkuraat deur te gee, word verduidelik in hoofstuk een. Hoofstuk twee bespreek die verandering in 'n maatskappy se aanvoerketting in ʼn globale aanskaffingskonteks. Hoofstuk drie fokus op redes vir Sjina se toenemende verteenwoordige rol in die globale aanskaffing van goedere en op die aanskaffing van motorvoertuigparte uit Sjina. Met betrekking tot die globale aanskaffing van goedere word die integrasie van Sjina in die globale aanskaffingsketting in hoofstuk vier bespreek. Die beïnvloedende faktore wat 'n impak (versteekte koste) op die werklike koste by aankoms van die motorvoertuigparte wat aangeskaf word vanaf Sjina het, word bespreek in hoofstuk vyf en geïdentifiseer as guanxi, indirekte besigheidslogistiek hindernisse, die kwaliteit van goedere en die aanskaffing daarvan, bestuur in Sjina, die Sjinese arbeidsmark en opleiding in die werksplek, en intellektuele eiendomsreg. In hoofstuk ses word die beïnvloedende faktore (soos bespreek in hoofstuk vyf) geanaliseer deur ʼn gevalle studie van Daimler Chrysler Sjina Beperk. Hoofstuk sewe is ʼn vergelykende studie tussen Japan se wonder ekonomie van 1960-1980 en die huidige ekonomiese tendens in Sjina om te bepaal hetsy dit moontlik sal wees om motorvoertuigparte aan te skaf vanaf Sjina in die toekoms met betrekking tot die ekonomiese indikatore.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An order picking operation in a distribution centre (DC) owned by Pep Stores Ltd, located in Durban, South Africa was considered. The order picking operation utilises picking lines and the concept of wave picking. A picking line is a central area with storage locations for pallet loads of stock keeping units (SKUs) around a conveyor belt. The system shows many similarities to unidirectional carousel systems found in literature, however, the unidirectional carousel system is not common. Sets of SKUs must be assigned to pick waves. The SKUs associated with a single wave are then arranged on a picking line after which pickers move in a clockwise direction around the conveyor belt to pick the orders. The entire order picking operation was broken into three tiers of decision making and three corresponding subproblems were identi ed. The rst two subproblems were investigated which focused on a single picking line. The rst subproblem called the order sequencing problem (OSP) considered the sequencing of orders for pickers and the second called the SKU location problem (SLP) the assignment of SKUs to locations in the picking line for a given wave. A tight lower bound was established for the OSP using the concept of a maximal cut. This lower bound was transformed into a feasible solution within 1 pick cycle of the lower bound. The solution was also shown to be robust and dynamic for use in practice. Faster solution times, however, were required for use in solution techniques for the SLP. Four variations of a greedy heuristic as well as two metaheuristic methods were therefore developed to solve the problem in shorter times. An ant colony approach was developed to solve the SLP. Furthermore, four variations of a hierarchical clustering algorithm were developed to cluster SKUs together on a picking line and three metaheuristic methods were developed to sequence these clusters. All the proposed approaches outperformed known methods for assigning locations to SKUs on a carousel. To test the validity of assumptions and assess the practicality of the proposed solutions an agent based simulation model was built. All proposed solutions were shown to be applicable in practice and the proposed solutions to both subporblems outperformed the current approaches by Pep. Furthermore, it was established that the OSP is a more important problem, in comparison to the SLP, for Pep to solve as limited savings can be achieved when solving the SLP. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Stelsel vir die opmaak van bestellings in 'n distribusiesentrum van Pep Stores Bpk. in Durban, Suid-Afrika word beskou. Hierdie stelsel gebruik uitsoeklyne waarop bestellings in golwe opgemaak word. 'n Uitsoeklyn is 'n area met vakkies waarop pallette met voorraadeenhede gestoor kan word. Hierdie vakkies is rondom 'n voerband gerangskik. Die stelsel het ooreenkomste met die eenrigting carrousselstelsels wat in die literatuur voorkom, maar hierdie eenrigtingstelsels is nie algemeen nie. Voorraadeenhede moet aan 'n golf toegewys word wat in 'n uitsoeklyn gerangskik word, waarna werkers dan die bestellings in die betrokke golf opmaak. Die hele operasie van bestellings opmaak kan opgebreek word in drie vlakke van besluite met gepaardgaande subprobleme. Die eerste twee subprobleme wat 'n enkele uitsoeklyn beskou, word aangespreek. Die eerste subprobleem, naamlik die volgorde-van-bestellings-probleem (VBP) beskou die volgorde waarin bestellings opgemaak word. Die tweede probeem is die voorraadeenheidaan- vakkie-toewysingsprobleem (VVTP) en beskou die toewysings van voorraadeenhede aan vakkies in 'n uitsoeklyn vir 'n gegewe golf. 'n Sterk ondergrens vir die VBP is bepaal met behulp van die konsep van 'n maksimum snit. Hierdie ondergrens kan gebruik word om 'n toelaatbare oplossing te bepaal wat hoogstens 1 carrousselsiklus meer as die ondergrens het. Hierdie oplossings kan dinamies gebruik word en kan dus net so in die praktyk aangewend word. Vinniger oplossingstegnieke is egter nodig indien die VVTP opgelos moet word. Twee metaheuristiese metodes word dus voorgestel waarmee oplossings vir die VBP vinniger bepaal kan word. 'n Mierkolonie benadering is ontwikkel om die VVTP op te los. Verder is vier variasies van 'n hi erargiese groeperingsalgoritme ontwikkel om voorraadeenhede saam te groepeer op 'n uitsoeklyn. Drie metaheuristieke is aangewend om hierdie groepe in volgorde te rangskik. Al hierdie benaderings vaar beter as bekende metodes om voorraadeenhede op 'n carroussel te rankskik. Om die geldigheid van die aannames en die praktiese uitvoerbaarheid van die oplossings te toets, is 'n agent gebaseerde simulasie model gebou. Daar is bevind dat al die voorgestelde oplossings prakties implementeerbaar is en dat al die metodes verbeter op die huidige werkswyse in Pep. Verder kon vasgestel word die VBP belangriker as die VVTP vir Pep is omdat veel kleiner potensiele besparings met die VVTP moontlik is as met die VBP.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current subsidy system, designed to make South Africa’s public transport more affordable, has instead contributed to a worsening of the existent neglected state of affairs. Although subsidy policies are in place, misdirected allocation renders them mostly ineffective. The implementation of the new integrated public transport systems for metropolitan areas affords an opportunity to adopt a broad spectrum approach and initiate a redesigned and improved subsidy system. The purpose of this study is to assess the South African urban public transport industry with the aim of finding by means of a system-based process a subsidy approach that will overcome the remaining inequalities of the past. This study will consequently evaluate different subsidy theories and determine which one(s) will be best suited to the demands of a specific period. The final objective is to design a product which offers government a systembased process that will help it determine, every few years, whether the subsidy regime being applied at that juncture is still relevant to the requirements of the market and/or what (new) approach is necessary to achieve social and economic wellbeing. Commuter transport in South Africa is currently in a transition phase where new public transport infrastructure is being implemented in the metropolitan cities. The current economic recession (making people’s demand more elastic to prices) present a good time to conduct the system-based process necessary for transition of the public transport system and determine an optimal subsidy approach for the new system. The first step in the system-based process was to determine the scope of work and the overall objectives that should be reached. The main public transport shortcomings are the lack of accessibility to affordable transport for the poor and increasing private transport ownership by the rich, which increases congestion and forms the second step of the systembased process. The third step stated the action plan of strategies on how the objectives could be reached. These three steps also form the basic measurement criteria against which the different subsidy approaches needed to be tested. The fourth step in the system-based process to a better subsidy approach was to evaluate different theoretical subsidy approaches. The review of different subsidy approaches has indicated that some approaches work better than others, but an optimal subsidy system is almost never found.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: FoodBank South Africa is an non-profit organisation formed to establish a national network of community foodbanks in urban and rural areas of South Africa, with all participants working towards the common goal of eliminating hunger and food insecurity. FoodBank Cape Town was the first of these community foodbanks launched in South Africa on 2 March 2009. The operations of FoodBank Cape Town include sourcing food and redistributing it to agencies (social services organisations running feeding programmes). Currently the majority of the food is sourced from the retail sector and then redistributed to approximately two hundred agencies. The logistics involved in both sourcing and distributing food are vital to the efficient functioning of FoodBank Cape Town. Since the costs associated with these logistics operations are very high, streamlining these operations has been identified as a priority area for efficiency improvement. The focus in this thesis is on the distribution logistics involved, specifically focussing on a facility location problem according to which FoodBank Cape Town can establish local distribution depots to which it delivers food and from which the agencies collect food assigned to them. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated for the above facility location problem and small test instances of the problem are solved using different exact and approximate solution methods in order to identify a suitable solution methodology for the full (large-scale) FoodBank Cape Town facility location problem. The full facility location problem is solved approximately by means of a meta-heuristic solution method in the more highly constrained instances, while an exact method is selected for solving the lesser constrained instances. The problem is first solved based on the distances between the warehouse and the depots as well as the distances between the agencies and the depots, for the twenty four instances where 17 to 40 depots are located. The model is then developed further to incorporate the cost of distribution. This cost-based facility location model is solved with a view to minimise the cost of food distribution from the warehouse to the depots and the cost of food distribution incurred by each agency to collect food from its assigned depot. A basic vehicle routing technique is applied to the cost-based facility location solution and the associated costs of the distribution are updated. This cost-based solution updating process is performed iteratively until the solution converges. Since the cost of food distribution depends on the vehicle fleet composition used, a vehicle fleet composition comparison of possible FoodBank Cape Town vehicles is performed to determine the most desirable vehicle fleet composition to be used for the distribution of food to depots. The results of the FoodBank Cape Town facility location problem and vehicle fleet composition comparison are presented and recommendations are made to FoodBank Cape Town regarding the preferred number of depots, the location of these depots and the preferred vehicle fleet composition. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: FoodBank South Africa is ’n nie-winsgewende organisasie wat ten doel het om ’n nasionale netwerk van gemeenskapsvoedselbanke in stedelike en landelike gebiede van Suid-Afrika op die been te bring, waarin al die deelnemers die gemeenskaplike doel nastreef om honger en voedselonsekerheid te elimineer. Foodbank Cape Town was die eerste van hierdie gemeenskapsvoedselbanke in Suid-Afrika en is op 2 Maart 2009 gestig. Die take van Foodbank Cape Town sluit in die versameling van voedsel en die verspreiding daarvan aan agentskappe (gemeenskapsorganisasies wat voedingsprogramme bestuur). Die oorgrote meerderheid voedsel is tans uit die kleinhandelsektor afkomstig en word aan ongeveer tweehonderd agentskappe versprei. Die logistiek wat met hierdie versamelings- en verspreidingsprosesse gepaard gaan, is sentraal tot die doeltreffende funksionering van FoodBank Cape Town. Aangesien die kostes verbonde aan hierdie logistieke prosesse baie hoog is, is hierdie aktiwiteite as ’n prioriteitsarea vir verbetering geidentifiseer. Die fokus in hierdie tesis val op die logistiek verbonde aan die verspreiding van voedsel deur FoodBank Cape Town, en meer spesifiek op die probleem van die plasing van ’n aantal lokale verspreidingsdepots waar FoodBank Cape Town voedsel kan aflewer en waar die agentskappe dan voedsel wat aan hulle toegeken is, kan gaan afhaal. ’n Gemengde heeltallige-programmeringsmodel word vir die bogenoemde plasingsprobleem geformuleer en klein gevalle van die model word deur middel van beide eksakte en benadere oplossingstegnieke opgelos om sodoende ’n geskikte oplossingsmetode vir die volle (grootskaalse) Food- Bank Cape Town plasingsmodel te identifiseer. Die volle plasingsmodel word aan die hand van ’n metaheuristiese oplossingstegniek benaderd opgelos vir hoogsbeperkte gevalle van die model, terwyl minder beperkte gevalle van die model eksak opgelos word. Die plasingsmodel word eers met die oog op die minimering van afstande tussen die pakhuis en verspreidingsdepots sowel as tussen die verspreidingsdepots en agentskappe vir die vier-en-twintig gevalle van die plasing van 17 tot 40 verspreidingsdepots opgelos. Die model word dan verder ontwikkel om ook die koste van die verspreiding van voedsel in ag te neem. Die koste-gebaseerde plasingsmodel word opgelos met die doel om die voedselbankkoste van voedselverspreiding vanaf die pakhuis na die lokale verspreidingsdepots sowel as die agentskapkoste van die afhaal van voedsel vanaf verspreidingsdepots te minimeer. ’n Basiese voertuigroeteringstegniek word op die koste-gebaseerde plasingsmodel toegepas en die verspreidingskoste word dienooreenkomstig aangepas. Hierdie aanpassingsproses van die koste-gebaseerde oplossing word herhaal totdat die oplossing konvergeer. Aangesien die koste van voedselverspreiding afhang van die voertuigvlootsamestelling, word ’n vergelyking tussen moontlike vlootsamestellings vir FoodBank Cape Town getref om die mees geskikte samestelling van voertuie vir die verspreiding van voedsel te vind. Die resultate van die FoodBank Cape Town verspreidingsdepot-plasingsprobleem en vlootsamestellingsvergelyking word aangebied en ’n aanbeveling word aan FoodBank Cape Town gemaak in terme van ’n geskikte aantal verspreidingsdepots, waar hierdie depots geleë behoort te wees, en ’n geskikte voertuigvlootsamestelling vir die verspreiding van voedsel.

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African fresh fruit export industry is concerned about fruit and financial losses due to temperature breaks within the fresh fruit export cold chain. The Port of Cape Town plays a crucial role in the export process as the majority of fruit reefer containers that are exported through Cape Town are handled by the Cape Town Container Terminal. This study focuses on the container terminal leg of the fresh fruit export process. Observations made in the Cape Town Container Terminal, at shipping lines and exporting companies show that certain procedures are not always followed in the Cape Town Container Terminal and that congestion and ineffective working methods are causing breaks within the fresh fruit export cold chain. Temperature and time data received from Transnet Port Terminals, shipping lines and exporting companies were analysed for the container terminal segment of the export process. From the data analysis it is clear that there are a large number of breaks originating within the container terminal and that the port is not operating efficiently. The study identifies areas of improvement and makes recommendations on improving some of the issues discussed.

Thesis (PhD (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Conventional supply chain integration concepts focus primarily on the internal and external integration of individual supply chains (can be viewed as intra-supply chain integration). Due to the highly integrated nature of petrochemical value chains, related supply chains should also be integrated by taking account of enterprise/industry-wide synergies and interdependencies (can be viewed as inter-supply chain integration). Inter-supply chain integration can typically develop along three dimensions: - Upstream feed clusters (upstream in the chemical value chain) - Downstream product clusters (downstream in the chemical value chain) - Macro logistics network clusters (within and across related logistics networks for liquid bulk, dry bulk, packaged goods and gases) This dissertation presents a generic framework of applicable intra- and inter-supply chain planning processes that supports related long- (strategic), medium- (tactical) and short-term (operational) supply chain decisions for large-scale petrochemical companies. This type of companies has to manage relative complex supply chains. Highly complex supply chains (due to an extensive product portfolio, supplier base, customer base, manufacturing processes, transportation, and management processes and systems) require far more advanced planning processes than simple supply chains. Advanced supply chain planning processes cover an extended supply chain scope, deal with longer time horizons, and utilize more sophisticated analytical techniques and decision support systems. An extensive literature study, supplemented by empirical research in the South African petrochemical industry, provided the foundation for the advanced supply chain planning framework concluded in this dissertation. Semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire presented to an informed audience constitute the empirical research conducted. The related best practices, concepts, approaches followed, and level of advancement in three supply chain planning dimensions were derived. To guide petrochemical companies along the planning advancement journey, the roadmap developed can be utilized for the application and implementation of the advanced supply chain planning framework. This roadmap articulates the advancement stages, dimensions, characteristics, and triggers to advance. Typical characteristics associated with the advancement stages and dimensions provide the means for a company to assess their level of progression. The essential mechanisms that can enable interventions are also articulated.

Thesis (DPhil (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / South Africa currently experiences the double jeopardy problem of catching up to global economic competitiveness whilst at the same time feeling the pressures of sustainability management spearheaded by a global agenda. Global sustainability is defined as growth that is shared without depleting natural resources or damaging the environment. Academic disciplines are challenged to make a contribution and economics as such should contribute by providing the lead and lag indicators for the planning and measurement of scarce resources usuage. This integrative view includes economic sub-disciplines, such as logistics. This integrative view is an acknowledged part of the economics discipline, except that the macro-economic context of some sub-disciplines, such as logistics, often receives less attention during the course of academic activities. The distribution of resources and outputs in the economy is a logistics controlled cross-cutting factor, but suffers from a lack of macro-economic perspective, and lead and lag orientated measurement. This state of the affairs is a historic backlog of logistics and its specific position within economics. During the primary economic era the world began to configure networks and markets, which became more pronounced and settled with the dawn and settling of the industrial era. Logistics then was a “given” and did not receive much thought even as industrial, market economies developed. Transport was regarded as an administered cost, i.e. inefficiencies in logistics systems were evenly distributed between competitors, not giving any specific entity an advantage. With the advent of global competition and the diminishing returns on other cost saving measures, companies began to collaborate and integrate logistics functions within value chains, but the administered part of transport costs failed to receive the attention it required. In this way, global competitors did begin to experience disadvantages on a national level as whole economies suffered from inefficiencies in logistics and specifically transport systems.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Although global changes like political security, depletion of natural resources, energy supply and global warming are affecting all continents; Africa struggle the most to cope with these changes. This is due to the many historical impediments that Africa still has to overcome. Examples of these impediments are the negative effects caused by civil wars, poverty, poor infrastructure and a lack of skills. Providing reliable, effective and efficient infrastructure underpins all attempts to facilitate trade, grow the economy and reduce poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SSA transportation related infrastructure is limited and generally in a poor condition. This poor state of transport infrastructure impedes SSA's development. However, it is not only the state of the infrastructure that challenges Africa - complicated customs and administrative procedures and inefficiencies when goods are handled at terminals and transferred from one transport mode to another also impede its potential for economic growth. In spite of these limitations, the SSA economy has been growing. As many as 28 countries (out of 48) in SSA recorded improvements in growth in 2006 and 2007. This growth was underpinned by improvement in macro-economic management in many countries, and a strong global demand for key African export commodities (sustaining high export prices, especially for crude oil, metals and minerals). Greater flows of capital to Africa, debt relief and increasing trade with the developing Asia have also helped increase resources and lift growth across SSA. The strong economic growth in the region also reflects the institutional improvements, structural reforms, and more rigorous economic policies that have started to bear fruit in many countries.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / One of the results of globalisation is that supply chains are getting longer, in both time and distance. For example, the local bookstore around the corner now competes with the bookstore in the USA. Logistics ties together geographically distant sources and markets. The implications of this are that there is a greater need for efficiency in specifically transportation and distribution networks. The integration of transport infrastructure into a logistics hub is seen as an enabler of distribution on a global basis. A solution to overcome the above complications is the development of logistics hubs as a means to simplify supply chain processes. Logistics hubs are generally defined as integrated centres for transhipment, storage, collection and distribution of goods (Jorgenson, 2007). Universally logistics hubs have intermodal or multi-modal solutions to abridge transportation difficulties and creating seamless movement of goods and in doing so optimising general operations. Freight shipments now have the ability to be consolidated at a central point and distributed from that point to its final destination. This creates added value for freight products. Customers now receive products at the right time, at the right place and in the right quantity, but with the benefit of paying less as a result of economies of scale created by the value added at the logistics hub. Logistics hubs are very well established internationally and many examples exist where these have been successfully built and implemented. This does not suggest that there is one specific recipe to success. Each region has its own demands which need to be satisfied. There are however numerous common characteristics which were identified during the course of the study. It is important for South Africa to integrate existing transport infrastructure to optimise logistics in the country and in doing so, ascertaining itself as a regional logistics hub.