Reducing Inventory Costs by Order Splitting in the Sole Sourcing Environment
研究了在单一供应商的连续盘点库存系统中，将每周期订单拆分为多次交付能否降低库存持有成本，发现最优交付间隔可显著降低成本。
In this paper, we examine the possibility of the arrangement for multiple deliveries in each order cycle for the continuous review inventory system. The problem is mainly found in the retail sector where inventory often makes up the majority of a company's assets. Most works recently have focused on the reduction of safety stock in the multiple sourcing setting. This research, instead, considers the reduction of cycle stock in the sole sourcing environment. The formulation where a predetermined service level serves as a constraint for the objective function is employed throughout this research. We show that splitting the order into multiple deliveries can significantly reduce the inventory carrying cost especially when the interarrival times between deliveries are determined optimally.