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McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Need for Location Decisions
• Location decisions arise for a variety of reasons:
• Addition of new facilities
• As part of a marketing strategy to expand markets
• Growth in demand that cannot be satisfied by expanding
existing facilities
• Depletion of basic inputs requires relocation
• Shift in markets
• Cost of doing business at a particular location makes
relocation attractive
8-2
Location Decisions: Strategically Important
• Location decisions:
• Are closely tied to an organization’s strategies
• Low-cost
• Convenience to attract market share
• Effect capacity and flexibility
• Represent a long-term commitment of resources
• Effect investment requirements, operating costs,
revenues, and operations
• Impact competitive advantage
• Importance to supply chains
8-3
Location Decisions: Objectives
Location decisions are based on:
• Profit potential or cost and customer service
• Finding a number of acceptable locations from which to
choose
• Position in the supply chain
• End: accessibility, consumer demographics, traffic
patterns, and local customs are important
• Middle: locate near suppliers or markets
• Beginning: locate near the source of raw materials
• Web-based retail organizations are effectively location
independent
Instructor Slides 8-4
Global Location: Facilitating Factors
• Two key factors have contributed to the
attractiveness of globalization:
• Trade Agreements such as
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• U.S.-China Trade Relations Act
• EU and WTO efforts to facilitate trade
• Technology
• Advances in communication and information technology
• For a cost analysis, compute the total cost for each alternative
location:
Total Cost = FC + v Q
where
FC = Fixed cost
v = Variable cost per unit
Q = Quantity or volume of output
x=
x i
y=
y i
n
where
xi = x coordinate of destinatio n i
yi = y coordinate of destinatio n i
n = Number of destinatio ns
Destination
D1
x
2
y
2 x=
x i 18
= = 4 .5
n 4
D2 3 5
D3 5 4
D4 8 5
y=
y i
=
16
=4
18 16 n 4
x=
xQ i i
Q i
y=
yQ i i
Q i
where
Qi = Quantity t o be shipped to destinatio n i
xi = x coordinate of destinatio n i
yi = y coordinate of destinatio n i
Instructor Slides 8-27
Example: Center of Gravity
• Suppose the shipments for the problem depicted in Figure 8.1a are
not all equal. Determine the center of gravity based on the following
information.
Weekly
Destination x y Quantity
D1 2 2 800
D2 3 5 900
D3 5 4 200
D4 8 5 100
18 16 2,000
y=
yQ
i=
2(800 ) + 5(900 ) + 4(200 ) + 5(100 ) 7,400
i i
= = 3.7
Q i 2,000 2,000
• The coordinates for the center of gravity are (3.05, 3.7). You may
round the x-coordinate down to 3.0, so the coordinates for the center
of gravity are (3.0, 3.7). This south of destination D2 (3, 5).