Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37539213›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2023

COVID-19 and distribution centres operations: The impacts and countermeasures.

Atif Saleem Butt, Mohammad Alghababsheh

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Atif Saleem ButtDepartment of Management, School of Business, American University of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Mohammad AlghababshehSchool of Business, Department of Business Management, Mutah University, Jordan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on supply chains. This is particularly true for distribution centres as they struggle to bounce back amid the COVID-19 outbreak. While much literature has recently emerged on supply chain disruption, studies pertaining to the impacts of COVID-19 on distribution centres and the countermeasures taken to mitigate such impacts are elusive and mute. Our study fills this important gap in the supply chain literature. This study employs a multiple-case methodology and conducts 40 semi-structured interviews with senior managers/executives from eight distribution centres in the United Arab Emirates. Our results exhibit that COVID-19 is adversely affecting the distribution centres in at least six distinct ways. For instance, distribution centres are encountering limited staff availability, inventory shortage, destabilized supply chains, excessive inventory, limited capacity and surge in demand. Results also demonstrate six corresponding strategies employed by distribution centres to mitigate the impact. For example, distribution centres enhance warehouse automation, increase hands-on inventory, reshoring manufacturing, use scalable processes and an automation retrieval system, and finally employ a picking strategy. Distribution centres can use the findings provided in this study. Particularly, they can learn how COVID-19 affects them and what corresponding strategies they should adopt to stay strong during this pandemic. This study demystifies its contribution to theory and practice alongside limitations and future research directions.

Indexed as

AutomationCase studyCOVID-19Distribution centresLogisticsSupply chainTransportation

Identifiers

PMID37539213
PMCPMC10395339

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.