A framework for designing a transportation strategy: The case of a pharmaceuticals supply chain

Designing transportation networks - as one of the most important decision problems in supply chain management - has become the focus of research attention in recent years. This paper introduces a framework which deals with the design of a transportation strategy for pharmaceutical supply chains. It consists of three steps: (i) identifying the configuration of the current distribution network, (ii) designing an optimal distribution network while determining the appropriate location-allocation decisions, and (iii) choosing the most appropriate transportation network strategy through the application of a multi-criteria decision analysis method (MCDA). The proposed framework is illustrated in designing a transportation network strategy for the Moroccan pharmaceutical products supply chain.