Lecture Topic:To automate or not to automate, that is the question of ecommerce logistics

lecturer:George Q. Huang

Time: October 20, 2019 (Sunday) 10:00-11:50

Place:Room 101, Graduate School Building, Zhongguancun Campus

Organizer: Graduate School, School ofMechanical Engineering

【Introduction to the lecturer】

George Q. Huang is Chair Professor and Head of Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at The University of Hong Kong. With substantial research grants from governments and industries, George has been conducting leading research in smart manufacturing and logistics physical internet. He and his co-workers have published over 400 technical papers and more than half appeared in international reputable SCI journals. Professor Huang serves as regional/ area/ senior editors, associate editors and editorial board members of a number of international journals. Professor Huang is Chartered Engineer, Fellow of ASME, HKIE, IET and CILT, and member of IISE. He currently serves as Regional Vice President for Asia of IISE.

【Lecture Information】

Ecommerce has developed dramatically over the years. No matter it is online or offline or O2O, ecommerce logistics has become a bottle neck. The large quantity and variety demands high operational efficiency that is not easy to achieve with manual handling. However, the period of typical warehouse leases is in the range of 2 to 5 years. It is impossible for a logistics operator to invest in automation within less than 5 years of warehouse tenancy. This talk discusses a game theoretic business model for ecommerce warehouse automation game. We shall discuss if there is an equilibrium in the proposed new business model, what are the conditions for this new business model to succeed, and what factors that determine and affect the efficiency of the automation game.