Strategic important of location decision
• It is a long-term commitment, which makes mistakes difficult
to overcome
• Location decisions often have an impact on investment
requirements, operating costs and revenues
The focus in industrial sector location analysis
is on minimizing cost
The focus in service sector is on maximizing
revenue
Factor affect location decision
Labor productivity
Employee with poor training, poor education, or
poor work habits may not be a good buy even at
low wages
Exchange rates and currency risk
Change in the values of foreign currencies could
make what was a good location now a disastrous
one later
Cost
Tnagible costs : labor, material, taxes …
Intangilbe costs : qulaity of education , public
transortation facilities, and quality and attitue of
prospectiver employees
Factor affect location decision
Attitudes
Worker views regaridgn turnover, unions, and
absenteeism
It differ from country to country, region to region
Ex . Turnover is extremly hight in saudi arabia espeicially
saudi labor
Proximity to markets
For many firms it is extremely important to locate near
customers . Particularly, service organization such as
resturants, drugstores
Proximity to suppliers
Ex al marai relocate its factory to be close to the source
of woter
Proximity to competitors ( clusterting)
Methods of evaluating location
The factor-ratin
methods
1 2 3 4 5
Critical success weight Score Weighted score Weighted
factors scores scores
Labor availability 2*1 4*1
Tax
Education
Wage
total 1 ∑3 ∑5
Locational break-even analysis
Riyadh Jeddah
Damame
6000
Annual cost
4000
Jeddah
3000 Damame
2000
Riyadh
1000
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
volume
Locational break-even analysis
10,000 12000 14000 16000
fixed variable total total total total
A 250,000 11 360,000 382,000 404,000 426,000
B 100,000 30 400,000 460,000 520,000 580,000
C 150,000 20 350,000 390,000 430,000 470,000
D 200,000 35 550,000 620,000 690,000 760,000
Crossover point for A and B Crossover point for C and B
250000+11X=100000+30X X=5000
X=7895
Crossover point for C and A
X=11111
5000 6895 11111
Center- of – gravity methods
= X coordinate of the center of gravity = y coordinate of the center of gravity
∑Qi∑ / xiQi ∑Qi∑ / YiQi
North- south
20,30
15 ,60
East- west
Center- of – gravity methods
destination X,y quantity
D1 2,2 800
D2 3,5 900
D3 5,4 200
D4 8,5 100
2000
X=2*800+3*900+5*200+8*100/2000=3
Y=2*800+5*900+4*200+5*100/2000=3.7
Service location strategy
Factor the affect service location
Purchasing power of the customer
Competion in the area and quality of competition
Uniqueness of the firm’s and competitors
locations
Physical qualities of facilities and neighboring
locations