Distribution activities often determine the logistical competence of an enterprise. Growing customer expectations regarding speed, accuracy, flexibility, and low costs force companies to introduce innovations throughout the supply chain, especially in the area of customer service. A systematic increase in the importance of distribution tasks, and thus the function of logistics in the distribution phase, is observed. This involves increasing the throughput of distribution channels in the supply chain while simultaneously reducing costs, particularly in terms of owned transport and storage resources. As M. Ciesielski states, “…resources are production factors that a company owns or controls. They can be better or worse utilized depending on skills, and thus the processes of organizing, coordination, etc. …”.
Programming financially efficient distribution processes is one of the most difficult tasks for a company. It is necessary to take into account requirements regarding: route planning, delivery deadlines, transport capabilities, the adopted strategy of cooperation with recipients, and many others, such as: legal or organizational conditions, preparation of appropriate warehouse space, division of service and administrative positions, duties, etc. Distribution, and in particular the transport system, strongly shapes the economic efficiency of a company. This is confirmed by its significant share in costs and in shaping income. Research in this area shows that transport costs often account for about 50% of total logistics costs. Hence, the actions taken should be associated with: improving the organization of resource flow, increasing transport productivity, reducing costs, and thus clearly influencing the company’s profitability level. Optimization of logistics processes, including the optimization of “technology” for unloading and loading, becomes a priority task for every company. This very problem – an attempt to optimize the transport and forwarding system – is addressed by this article, assuming, following S. Krawczyk, that “…forwarding involves organizing the movement of cargo using appropriately selected means of transport and methods of carriage, as a result of which the cargo is sent from the supplier to the recipient”.
The optimization calculation is carried out on the example of the company Alfa SA. It is a manufacturer of finishing materials for the construction industry. The company distributes its products with the participation of about 200 commercial partners in the country and about 100 abroad. The distribution area is therefore a “strong” element of this company’s logistics system. In its organizational structure, a transport plant has been separated, which operates under its own name, ALFA SERWIS. The ALFA SERWIS fleet consists of both trucks and internal transport vehicles, lifting equipment, etc. ALFA SERWIS is the main contractor for the Alfa SA company in the area of transport services. The performance of all services between this unit, separated for accounting purposes, and Alfa SA, takes place on the basis of concluded contracts. From the point of view of the organization and course of transport and forwarding activities, we are dealing here with a mass service system. […]
In the optimization modeling procedure, the following are performed:
1) minimization of total costs: waiting for service and the cost of servicing vehicle sets (in the supply phase),
2) maximization of income (in the product distribution phase).
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2008.