The ideas stated above lead to the concept of
'virtual logistics', which benefits from the current
advances in information technology. This structure
should contain an algorithm toolkit, which includes
optimization tools for solving tractable problems,
heuristic procedures for obtaining near optimal solutions
of intractable problems, and simulation capabilities
for validating and evaluating stochastic systems.
It is also very important for the success of this
structure to have adequate database management. It
is necessary to have integrated metrics along the
supply chain, and consistent data across the different
models. The validation and preprocessing of these
data are fundamental for obtaining significant results,
especially in a global environment.