With the development of the economy, the acceleration of the pace of life, the improvement of people's living standards and the pursuit of a better quality of life, the sales of fresh vegetables have gone out of the traditional model and entered households, industries and mines with modern distribution methods. Enterprises are the general trend. In the northwest region, the vegetable delivery business started relatively late, but will develop quickly once it develops. Since colleges and universities have a large population density, high Internet penetration rate, and are easy to accept new things, it is very suitable to choose colleges and universities as the starting point for vegetable distribution. It is also an experience accumulation for future vegetable distribution for home users.
1. The current situation of vegetable distribution at home and abroad
Foreign vegetable distribution has been very developed. In Europe, collective ordering and family ordering have accounted for 40%, and the rest of the demand is generally supplied by supermarkets. , and supermarkets as distribution centers can also be regarded as a type of vegetable distribution. Due to the fast pace of life in Japan, Japan has done a better job in vegetable distribution, with an annual output value of tens of billions.
In the developed coastal areas of my country, the vegetable distribution business has developed rapidly in recent years. In places such as Beijing and Shanghai, many communities have distribution centers, and the ordering business has developed rapidly. Wanjiahuan, a vegetable distribution company in Shenzhen, has annexed more than 30 vegetable distribution companies since its establishment in 1995. It not only monopolizes the Guangdong market, but also extends to Hainan, Yunnan, and Fujian. In 2003 alone, the vegetable distribution volume of the Guangzhou market reached 6 billion output value.
Xi'an is the provincial capital with densely populated universities, and the universities are relatively concentrated. With the expansion of enrollment, the number of students in various colleges and universities is generally more than 10,000, and some can reach 30,000. Together with the faculty and staff, it is a huge consumer group. At present, the vegetables required by the canteens of various universities need to be sent out to purchase vegetables every day, and special trucks are also required, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Because we don’t know the origin of vegetables, it is difficult to guarantee the quality and quality of vegetables. If the vegetable delivery model is adopted, all the above shortcomings can be avoided.
2 Advantages of using vegetable distribution in Xi'an universities
Every evening, each university browses the website to learn about information on various vegetables, and sends orders to the logistics center according to demand (it can be a phone call , fax, E-mail, etc.), the logistics center summarizes and adjusts the orders from various universities, and delivers them on time according to the order requirements and the specific conditions of the supply and demand parties. The advantages are as follows:
Convenient ordering, saving time and effort . With just a phone call or email, you can purchase all the vegetables you need without leaving home. There is no need to send someone to purchase or prepare your own transportation tools.
The price is cheap. One of the advantages of distribution is that it creates economies of scale through consolidating goods, reducing intermediate links and greatly reducing the cost of vegetables.
The quality of vegetables can be guaranteed. The distribution center has its own vegetable base and has strict requirements on vegetable planting, pesticide usage and vegetable quality. In order to reassure customers, there are strict regulations on the cleaning, disinfection, and processing of vegetables in the distribution center, and it is absolutely guaranteed that the vegetables will be stored for less than 24 hours and are safe, hygienic, and fresh.
The delivery time is accurate. Vegetables are delivered to various colleges and universities regularly from 8 to 9 am and from 2 to 3 pm every day.
3 Vegetable Logistics and Distribution Plan for Colleges and Universities
3. 1 Basic Functions of Distribution
Distribution is actually an item collection and distribution process, including concentration, classification and distribution 3 steps. These three steps consist of a series of distribution operation links. The basic functional elements of distribution mainly include collection, sorting, distribution, assembly, delivery, etc.
Collecting goods: Collecting goods is the first step in distribution. It is to collect scattered items that need to be distributed for sorting and distribution. Xi'an's universities are mainly concentrated in the southern suburbs, so vegetable bases can be set up in the southern suburbs, using large-scale production methods to deliver a certain amount of vegetables to the distribution center every day according to order requirements.
Sorting and distribution: After receiving the vegetables from the vegetable base, the distribution center immediately picks, equips, and labels the vegetables according to category, quality, and requirements of each university to reduce errors and improve distribution. quality and strive to establish a brand.
Assembling: Assembling refers to making full use of the load capacity and volume of the transportation vehicle, using advanced loading methods, and rationally arranging the loading of goods. In the vegetable distribution plans of various universities in Xi'an, trucks are mainly used for transportation.
Delivery: Delivery refers to delivering the prepared vegetables to various universities according to the delivery route determined by the delivery plan and handing them over. How to determine the route and effectively combine assembly and route is a characteristic of distribution and transportation, and it is also a difficult task.
3. 2 Determination of distribution network structure
Distribution network structures are generally divided into three types: centralized, decentralized, and multi-level. Which distribution network to choose depends on the level of outbound transportation costs and inbound transportation costs. Outbound transportation cost refers to the transportation cost from the distribution center to the customer, and inbound transportation cost refers to the transportation cost from the supplier of goods to the distribution center.
1) Centralized distribution network: This distribution network has only one distribution center, so the inventory is concentrated, which is conducive to reducing inventory and realizing economies of scale. However, there is a trend of increasing outward transportation costs. It is characterized by low management costs; low safety inventory; long user lead time; and the outbound transportation cost is relatively high among transportation costs.
2) Decentralized distribution network: This solution sets up multiple distribution centers according to the distribution of users. It is characterized by low outward transportation costs, high inward transportation costs, increased management costs, and inventory Decentralized, but the user's lead time can be relatively shortened.
3) Multi-level distribution network: This distribution network is a combination of centralized and decentralized distribution networks.
Through comprehensive consideration of the geographical location of Xi'an universities, the location of vegetable bases, the traffic conditions of each node, and transportation costs, it was decided to adopt a centralized distribution network.
3. 3 Determination of distribution mode and service method
The vegetable distribution method belongs to the urban distribution center and is a processing distribution center. After the distribution network is determined, the distribution model and service method become the key to reducing distribution costs and improving service levels. Due to the particularity of vegetable distribution (vegetables are not suitable for storage), it is advisable to adopt a straight-through distribution model, that is, after the goods arrive at the distribution center from the vegetable base, they are quickly sorted and transferred, and delivered on time within 12 hours. The characteristic of on-time delivery is the accuracy of time. It requires that the goods be delivered exactly at the specified time according to the user's production rhythm, so that "zero inventory" can be completely achieved. In order to achieve the efficiency and accuracy of the entire logistics information system, it is necessary to adopt a distribution method that combines e-commerce and distribution systems. The vegetable distribution network has become a business and information exchange platform among logistics centers, vegetable bases, and universities.
3. 4 Determination of delivery routes
Before discussing the route problem of vegetable delivery, let’s first discuss a traveling salesman (TSP) problem: a traveler sets out from the departure point and passes through After all the cities to be reached, return to the starting point. It is required to reasonably arrange its travel route to minimize the total travel distance (or travel time, travel costs, etc.) [2]. If the distribution center is regarded as the starting point and end point of the distribution route, the distribution route problem is a traveling salesman problem.
Departure, after arriving at P1 and P2, return to P0. Comparing the routes passed, it is obvious that option 2 is more economical and reasonable than option 1. The amount of savings is (2d1 2d2) - (d1 d2 d3) = d1 d2 - d3, but the prerequisite for this saving formula is that the nodes can be directly connected, that is, there is the shortest route.
Based on the geographical distribution of universities in Xi'an, it can be found that the transportation routes of various universities in Xi'an are horizontal and vertical, which does not meet the above requirements. Therefore, route design is of little significance, but it is very meaningful in other distribution problems.
4. Website establishment
As a purely commercial website, the website of the vegetable distribution center is mainly to provide the most convenient and quick way for new customers to purchase vegetables through the e-commerce model. It is truly The goal is to allow netizens to buy high-quality and low-price vegetables without leaving home. At the same time, introduce and promote the company's various products. When consumers browse the web, they can see pictures and detailed information of various trendy vegetables provided by the website, and provide professional nutritional recipes for different customers to meet their various requirements.
5 Conclusion
Here, the logistics and distribution of vegetables in colleges and universities only serve as a starting point. With the increase in working women and changes in people's consumption concepts, active vegetable distribution for industrial and mining enterprises and households will become the mainstream form of agricultural product sales in the future with its advantages of reasonable prices, time saving, short sales period, and stable quality. , the business opportunities are unlimited.