Highlights: Given the difficulties of practical implementation of a Distribution Center (DC) project, it is essential to provide an elaborate DC project study. Therefore, this study seeks to answer the research questions related to the main decisions for designing and planning the DCs and whatever the characteristics, advantages and barriers of such decisions.
Aim: Identify the main DC project and planning methods, consolidating their characteristics, difficulties, and highlighting gaps and research opportunities.
Design / Methodology / Approach: The methodology of this work is a systematic review of the literature divided into three stages, which are: (i) definition of the bibliographic portfolio and research axes; (ii) bibliometric analysis; and (iii) analysis and discussion of theoretical lenses, presenting gaps and research opportunities. The retrieved articles and the conclusions of this research are restricted to the search period until July 2018.
Results: This study describes how the DC implantation project concept was applied, which methods are proposed and which difficulties were found in the implantation and project, according to the literature. As a result, despite the consensus on the practical importance of DC project, most research assesses project stages in isolation. The stages of location definition and the order picking process are the most mentioned. And finally, the context and distribution network are little considered in the analysis of DC project decisions.
Research Limitations: The study derives from the research of scientific articles from specific databases and is analyzed from the perspective of the theoretical lens of distribution networks. Therefore, the literature analysis through other perspectives may present other results and research gaps.
Practical Implications: In practical terms, the research assesses how DC planning and implementation takes place in the context of distribution networks, thus helping managers to make decisions during the project of new DC installations, ensuring better results in their operation.
Originality / value: Few investigations extensively analyze the distribution network and all phases of a DC project planning targeting a specific business segment, making practical application less feasible, a gap filled by this study.