Teaching Case Study


This case illustrates the challenges facing grocery home delivery.  Deals with marketing issues, capacity planning and expansion, and delivery routng issues.  The spreadsheets given below are written for students to use to "solve" a sample routing problem with and without windows.  The case has been used with over 500 students - they really enjoy the challenge of solving the routing problem, it really conveys the complexity of what students usually say "should be assigned to some software system".  Students often spend 8 - 10 hours voluntarily on an ungraded assigment.

Cases for classroom use should be ordered from European Case Clearing House.

Ocado Case

This case illustrates the challenges facing grocery home delivery.  Deals with marketing issues, capacity planning and expansion, and delivery routng issues.  The spreadsheets given below are written for students to use to "solve" a sample routing problem with and without windows.  Cases for classroom use should be ordered from European Case Clearing House.

Copyright 2002 – Michigan State University.  This case was prepared from published sources and personal interviews with Ocado and Sainsbury’s executives by Dr. Ken Boyer (Michigan State University) and Dr. Mark Frohlich (London Business Scool) as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation.  Software for solving the delivery routing problem written by Alex Rodrigues.  This case has been published as case #602-057-1 by the European Case Clearing House.
Delivery Example Without Windows

This spreadsheet provides a template for solving a 45 customer delivery problem with no time constraints - i.e. no windows.  Spreadsheet automatically calculates travel times, drop off times and draws a map of the final route from DC to customers and back.  The "optimal" solution involves three trucks.  Solution is available from European Case Clearing House or from Ken Boyer.
Delivery Example With Windows

This spreadsheet provides a template for solving a 45 customer delivery problem with time constraints - i.e. each customer has requested delivery in a pre-specified 2-hour time block (i.e. window).  Spreadsheet automatically calculates travel times, drop off times and draws a map of the final route from DC to customers and back.  The spreadsheet informs the user of violations to window time - i.e. when a delivery will not arrive inside the specified time.  The "optimal" solution involves four or five trucks - depending on how the user wants to treat driver overtime (i.e. can they work longer than 8 hours in one shift).  Solution is available from European Case Clearing House or from Ken Boyer.