Intelligent Agrifood Chains and Networks

Food has a fundamental position in society, ensuring health, happiness and political stability. Consequently, the management of food chains and networks is one of the most important aspects of the modern food industry. Yet food is difficult to handle along long supply chains, with a limited window for storage and handling time, and the risk of spoiling if incorrectly handled or processed. These issues can lead to logistical problems that can severely affect product quality and freshness. Intelligent Agrifood Chains and Networks offers a timely discussion of the current state of food logistics, and indicates the major ICT problems that can occur during production, warehousing, transportation and retailing. Emphasis is given to new technologies and intelligent systems that are able to process time-dependent information, handle emergencies, and support logistics operations in food management. In particular, the authors show how telematics and RFID can be implemented in the supply chain. The book also includes real-life case studies, in which actual food logistics problems and their solutions are presented, demonstrating how systemic and logistics approaches may be combined. The book is directed at academics, researchers, and students seeking the necessary background in terms of the interplay between the food supply chain and ICT. Its comprehensive review of current issues in the food supply chain will be of interest to managers and technicians working in the food industry, while its technological focus will be invaluable to food scientists and technologists working in research and industry environments.

Auteur

Michael Bourlakis is Professor in Marketing and Head of the
Marketing and Supply Chain Management Group at Kent Business
School, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK.

Ilias Vlachos is Assistant Professor in the Department of
Agricultural Economics & Rural Development at the Agricultural
University of Athens, Greece.

Vasileios Zeimpekis is Adjunct Lecturer in the Department
of Financial & Management Engineering at the University of the
Aegean, Chios, Greece.

Contenu
Foreword. Contributors.

1 Introduction (Michael Bourlakis, Ilias Vlachos and Vasileios Zeimpekis).

1.1 Introduction.

1.2 Scope and structure of this book.

1.3 Conclusions.

2 Food and Drink Manufacturing and the Role of ICT (Fintan Clear).

2.1 Introduction.

2.2 Industry structure.

2.3 Food consumer trends and food legislation.

2.4 Information systems and food manufacturing.

2.5 Food manufacturing and supply chains.

2.6 Conclusion.

3 Retail Technologies in the Agrifood Chain (Michael Bourlakis).

3.1 Introduction.

3.2 Food retail logistics.

3.3 Information technology in food retail logistics.

3.4 Conclusions.

4 Basic Principles for Effective Warehousing and Distribution of Perishable Goods in the Urban Environment: Current Status, Advanced Technologies and Future Trends (Nikolaos Stragas and Vasileios Zeimpekis).

4.1 Introduction.

4.2 The nature of perishable foods.

4.3 Warehousing operations.

4.4 Distribution process.

4.5 New technologies in warehousing and distribution.

4.6 Conclusions and future trends.

5 Emerging Footprint Technologies in Agriculture, from Field to Farm Gate (Spyros Fountas, Thomas Bartzanas and Dionysis Bochtis).

5.1 Introduction.

5.2 Precision agriculture.

5.3 Robotics in agriculture.

5.4 Fleet management.

5.5 ICT technologies in agriculture.

6 Telematics for Efficient Transportation and Distribution of Agrifood Products (Charalambos A. Marentakis).

6.1 Introduction.

6.2 Technological prerequisites for telematics.

6.3 Application of telematics in freight transport and distribution.

6.4 Investing in value of information.

6.5 Distribution of agrifood products: current status and needs.

6.6 The use of telematics in distribution of agrifood products.

6.7 Potential for advanced and value-adding applications.

7 RFID: An Emerging Paradigm for the Agrifood Supply Chain (Louis A. Lefebvre, Linda Castro and Élisabeth Lefebvre).

7.1 Introduction.

7.2 RFID technology.

7.3 RFID potential in the agrifood supply chain.

7.4 RFID and traceability processes in the agrifood supply chain.

7.5 RFID and quality control management processes.

7.6 RFID and manufacturing processes.

7.7 RFID and warehouse and distribution processes.

7.8 RFID and asset management processes.

7.9 RFID and point of sales processes.

7.10 Conclusions.

8 Food Quality and Safety (Ilias Vlachos).

8.1 Introduction.

8.2 Food supply-chain management.

8.3 Information systems.

8.4 Case studies.

8.5 Discussion.

9 Traceability in Agrifood Chains (Ulla Lehtinen).

9.1 Introduction.

9.2 Traceability and food safety legislation.

9.3 Traceability systems.

9.4 Traceability techniques.

10 E-business Applications in the European Food and Beverages Industry: Evidence from the Wine Sector (Michael Bourlakis and Ilias Vlachos).

10.1 Introduction.

10.2 E-business applications: a typology.

10.3 E-business applications for agriculture and the food industry.

10.4 The role and use of ICT in the European food and beverages sector.

10.5 Precision vine growing with satellite imagery.

10.6 Conclusions.

11 The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the Organisational Performance of Microenterprises: Evidence from Greece (Ilias Vlachos and Panayiotis Chondros).

11.1 Introduction.

11.2 Literature.

11.3 Methodology. ...