1. Problems of logistics operators
The dynamic development of logistics and supply chains requires scientific support in many processes. This applies in particular to the search for optimal solutions in quantitative methods supporting decision-making processes in those areas that determine the quality of service for the broadly understood customer.
Due to high computational complexity, these issues are classified as NP-hard problems. According to Kotler, distribution means profit-oriented activity involving planning, organizing, controlling, and managing the movement of finished products from their places of production to the places of sale to final buyers. The task of distribution is therefore to deliver to final buyers the products they desire (type, quantity) to the places where they want to purchase them, at the time that suits them, on agreed terms, and at the lowest possible price. The logistics operator is therefore faced with the task of establishing a goods transport plan that would yield optimal results based on the adopted optimization criterion [1], [2], [3]. Furthermore, many other decision-making problems are often posed for resolution [4], including:
- problems of minimizing transport service lead times,
- problems of shaping the transport network,
- problems of distributing traffic flow in the network,
- issues of selecting technological equipment and determining the potential of transport and logistics systems [5].
In the system analysis of transport issues, methods from many fields of science are used, including queuing theory, graph theory, linear programming, game theory, and operations research. Moreover, methods and algorithms for multi-criteria decision support are increasingly being used to solve transport issues. Extensive information related to selected optimization methods (single and multi-criteria) and the evaluation of transport systems is contained in work [4]. (…)
The article contains 24,075 characters.
Source: Logistyka Magazine 4/2012