Dans le contexte économique actuel, les entreprises cherchent à développer de nouvelles stratégies de distribution pour leurs performances logistique. Dans cette quête de performances, les entreprises doivent adapter les stratégies de distribution misent en place avec les typologies de leurs produits. Plusieurs stratégies de distribution existent dans la chaîne logistique de grande distribution. Ces stratégies sont choisies sur la base des caractéristiques des produits, et /ou l'impact sur les performances logistiques. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l'impact de trois stratégies de distribution, à savoir: stockage traditionnel, cross-docking pick by line et le cross-docking pick by store, sur trois performances de la logistiques, à savoir: le niveau de service, les coûts et le bullwhip effect. En outre, nous analysons l'impact des caractéristiques des produits sur les performances des stratégies de distribution et enfin proposer un cadre pour le choix de la stratégie la plus adaptée pour chaque produit. La chaîne logistique étudiée est composée de trois échelons: Centre de distribution du fournisseur, Centre de distribution du distributeur et les magasins. Basé sur un cas réel, nous effectuons une modélisation des processus, qui nous permet de développer un modèle déterministe de coût Macro et un modèle de simulation. Le modèle de coût macro permet d'évaluer l'impact des stratégies de distribution sur des coûts de la chaîne logistique. Après l'analyse macro des coûts, nous développons un modèle de simulation où nous intégrons les données relatives aux produits (la demande, le volume, etc.). Ce modèle permet une simulation dynamique du système la stratégie la plus adaptée pour chaque produit en fonction de ses caractéristiques et de l'impact sur les performances. A la fin de cette recherche, nous présentons une matrice de choix pour la segmentation des produits et choix de la stratégie de distribution. / Nowadays companies must look to develop new distribution strategies in order to achieve the required performance from their supply chain. In this quest, companies wonder about the consistency of their distribution strategies with the products they are selling. Several types of distribution strategies exist in the retail supply chain. These strategies are chosen based on the products characteristics, and/or the impact on the supply chain performances. In this research, we study the impact of three distribution strategies, namely: traditional warehousing, cross-docking pick by line and cross-docking pick by store, on three supply chain performances, namely: service level, cost and bullwhip effect. In addition, we analyse the impact of the products characteristics on the performances of the distribution strategies and propose a framework for choosing the right strategy for each product. The supply chain studied is composed of three echelons: Supplier Distribution Centre, Retailer Distribution Centre and Stores. Based a real business case, we perform a process modelling, that allows us to develop a deterministic Macro cost model and a simulation model. The macro cost model allows to evaluate the impact of the distribution strategies on the supply chain cost performance. After the macro cost analysis, we develop a simulation model where we integrate the data related to the products (demand, volume, ordering quantities etc.) in the model. This model allows a more dynamic simulation of the system in a large time period and determines the right strategy to select for each product depending on its characteristics and the impact on the performances. At the end of this research, we present a framework for product segmentation and distribution strategy selection.

Idag sker många transporter med låg utnyttjandegrad vilket gör att transportkostnaden per produkt blir hög samtidigt som transporter har en negativ påverkan på miljön. Genom att konsolidera transporter kan utnyttjandegraden av transporterna öka. Ökad utnyttjandegrad kan även hjälpa företagen att gå mot cirkulär ekonomi där målet är att utnyttja resurserna maximalt. För små och medelstora företag kan det dock vara svårt att bygga upp samarbeten med andra företag. Dessa företag möter olika möjligheter och hinder vid implementering av transportkonsolidering, därför kommer denna studien identifiera vilka dessa är. Studien har genomförts i samarbete med 16 företag i Orust kommun och har visat att de största hindren vid transportkonsolidering är kundkrav, produktkrav och informationsdelning. Företagen upplevde att kundernas krav på korta ledtider skulle göra det svårt att samordna transporter med andra företag. Många företag upplevde även att produktkraven deras produkter ställer på transporterna skulle försvåra transportkonsolidering. Studien kunde dock visa att flera företag hade liknande produktkrav vilket möjliggör transportkonsolidering. En del företag ansåg att det saknades stöd och samarbete för den informationsdelning som krävs vid konsolidering. De främsta möjligheterna som identifierades är företagskulturen och viljan att gå mot en mer hållbar distributionskedja. Företagen som deltog i intervjuerna nämnde att de såg positivt på transportkonsolidering om det fanns ett sätt att enkelt samordna transporterna. De är även aktiva i Orust Kretsloppsakademi som arbetar för ett hållbart Orust vilket visar att det finns ett intresse av att bli mer hållbara. / Today, many transports are at a low rate of utilization. This means that shipping costs per product will be high and at the same time transports have a negative impact on the environment. Consolidating transports can increase the utilization rate for transports which minimizes costs and environmental impact. Increased utilization rates can also help companies move towards circular economics where the goal is to maximize their utilization of resources. However, for small and medium size companies it may be difficult to build up partnerships with other companies. These companies face different possibilities and obstacles in implementing transport consolidation, therefore this study will identify these. The study has been carried out in cooperation with 16 companies in Orust and has shown that the main obstacles to transport consolidation are customer requirements, product requirements and information sharing. The companies perceived that customer demand for short lead times would make it difficult to coordinate transport with other companies. Many companies also found that the productrequirements of their products on transport would make transport consolidation difficult. However, the study showed that several companies had similar product requirements, which enables transport consolidation. Some companies also felt that there was no support and cooperation for the information sharing required for consolidation. The main opportunities identified were corporate culture and the desire to move towards a more sustainable distribution chain. The companies that participated in the interviews mentioned that they can see possibilities of transport consolidation if there was a way to easily coordinate transport. They are also active in the Orust Kretsloppsakademi that works for a sustainable Orust, which shows that there is an interest in becoming more sustainable.

På en alltmer global handelsplats med allt tuffare kundkrav handskas många företag med utmaningar kopplade till flexibilitet. Kunderna vill ha korta ledtider, stora anpassningsmöjligheter och utmärkt service, naturligtvis till ett lågt pris. Ytterligare en dimension av komplexitet adderas när stora koncerner gör förvärv av mindre bolag, vilket gör att koncernen måste säkerställa att även dessa nya förvärv kan möta kundens krav i samma utsträckning.  En lösning på denna problematik återfinns i litteraturen i konceptet logistikplattform. Konceptet innebär att ett företag arbetar med en centralt framtagen resursbas som sedan servar alla delar av företaget på en mer decentraliserad nivå för att kunna möta kundens krav. Fem viktiga byggstenar i en logistikplattform är central styrning, logistiska koncept, fysisk struktur, logistiska processer och aktiviteter samt informationssystem (Abrahamsson, et al., 2003).  I denna studie beskrivs koncernen Kesko, som i Sverige framför allt är aktiv inom byggbranschen och den tekniska handeln, med varumärkena K-Bygg, K-Rauta, Onninen samt Mark & Infra. Där återfinns denna problematik, speciellt kopplat till förvärv och kapaciteten på centrallagret som servar hela koncernen. Baserat på detta har denna studie syftet att utreda hur Kesko kan använda sig av en logistikplattform för att serva de olika varumärkena samt vad användandet får för konsekvens för centrallagret i Pilängen.  Studien fokuserar framförallt på de logistiska koncepten och den fysiska strukturen inom Kesko. De logistiska koncepten har avgränsats till att handla om försörjningskoncepten lagerhållning, kontinuerlig försörjning, leverantörsstyrt lager, cross-docking samt direktleverans och den fysiska strukturen har avgränsats till att hantera lokaliseringsstrategi, lagerstrategi samt transportstrategi.  Baserat på Keskos kunders, leverantörers samt produkters karaktäristik utformas vilka krav detta ställer på en logistikplattformen. Baserat på denna karaktäristik och krav utreds en ideal bild av Keskos logistikplattform i form av försörjningskoncept och den fysiska strukturen. Sedan utreds hur Kesko i nuläget verkligen arbetar med försörjningskoncepten och den fysiska strukturen. Dessa två versioner, den ideala bilden och nuläget, jämförs sedan i en så kallad gap-analys där skillnader utreds för att upptäcka var förbättringspotential finns och vilka förändringar Kesko kan genomföra för att kunna sägas jobba mot konceptet logistikplattform.  Analysen visar att Kesko är på god väg till det som anses viktigt inom konceptet, men att framtiden ställer stora krav på centrallagret och dess kapacitet. De sex gap som identifierades mellan den ideala och nuvarande utformningen och som ansågs påverka kapaciteten på centrallagret var 1) Användandet av cross-docking, 2) E-handelslagrets lokalisering och transportupplägg, 3) Förädlingsstrukturen, 4) Varumärket K-Byggs sortiment på centrallagret, 5) Varumärket Onninens sortiment på centrallagret och 6) Användandet av extern part för säsongslagring. Utifrån dessa gap formulerades åtta stycken förändringsförslag för hur Kesko kan minimera dessa gap och i och med detta gå mot den mer ideala utformningen. Förslagen visade att centrallagret, för att kunna fungera som en resursbas för Kesko i framtiden, troligen behöver en utökning av antalet pallplatser och plockautomatsplatser, en utökning av antalet in- och utlastningsportar samt utlastningsyta. Genom dessa förändringar förväntas centrallagret bli bättre anpassat för att serva de nuvarande varumärkena inom koncernen men även vara bättre förberett för att serva framtida nyförvärv. / In a business environment which is becoming more and more globalized and with continually increasing customer requirements, companies are dealing with flexibility challenges. Customers want short lead times, a lot of customization and excellent service, everything while keeping prices low. Another dimension of complexity is added when large company groups make acquisitions of smaller companies, which means that the company group must ensure that these new acquisitions also can meet the customer's requirements to the same extent.  A solution to this problem can be found in the literature as the concept of a logistics platform. The concept describes a company working with a centralized resource base that serves all parts of the company at a decentralized level in order to meet the customer's requirements. Five building blocks of a logistics platform are central control, logistics concepts, physical structure, logistics processes and activities, and information systems (Abrahamsson, et al., 2003)  This study describes Kesko Sverige, which is a company primarily active in the construction and technical trade, with the brands K-Bygg, K-Rauta, Onninen and Mark & Infra. The problems described above are also found within Kesko, especially regarding acquisitions and the capacity of the central warehouse, which is a warehouse that serves all brands in Kesko Sverige. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how Kesko can use a logistics platform to serve the various brands and what the use is for the central warehouse in Pilängen.  The study primarily focuses on the logistical concepts and the physical structures within Kesko. The logistics concepts have been restricted to deal with the distribution concepts warehousing, continuous replenishment, vendor managed inventory, cross-docking and direct deliveries, and the physical structure has been restricted to handle location strategy, inventory strategy and transport strategy.  Based on Kesko's customer, supplier and product characteristics, the requirements for the logistics platform are discovered. Based on these characteristics and requirements, an ideal picture of Kesko's logistics platform in the form of distribution concepts and the physical structure is investigated. It is then investigated how Kesko currently is applying the distribution concepts and the physical structure. These two versions, the ideal state and the current state, are then compared in a so-called gap analysis where differences are investigated to discover where there are areas for improvement for Kesko to be considered working towards the concept of a logistics platform.  The analysis shows that Kesko is well on its way to what is considered important in the concept, but that the future places great demand on the central warehouse and its capacity. The 6 gaps that were identified between the ideal and current state and which were considered to affect the capacity of the central warehouse were 1) The use of cross-docking, 2) The e-commerce location and transport arrangements, 3) The physical structure for value-adding services, 4) K-Bygg's assortment at the central warehouse, 5) Onninen's assortment at the central warehouse and 6) The use of external part for seasonal storage. Based on these gaps, eight proposals were formulated regarding how Kesko can minimize these gaps and hence move towards the ideal state. The proposals showed that the central warehouse, in order to work as a resource base for Kesko in the future, probably needs an increase in the number of pallets and places in the automated picking machine, as well as an increased number of loading and unloading ports and an expansion of the unloading area. By making these changes the central warehouse will be better at serving the current brands and the warehouse will also be better prepared to serve future acquisitions.

The main problem with air freight handling at Arlanda is the transportation of freight on airside, that is from the freight terminal to loading process at the aircraft. To approach this problem, a mapping of the physical flow as well as information flow has been made to identify underlying reasons to this problem. This has been the purpose of the study.The mapping has also facilitated the possibilities to identify improvements in the air freight handling process. To give a recommendation of what these improvements could be was the objective of the study.The underlying reasons for the main problem were identified. These causes were space restrictions on the apron, traffic congestion, and lack of freight storage areas by the gates. This aggravates the possibility to prepare freight for each flight departure. The recommendations to Swedavia are long-term measures that should be further explored. These recommendations regard total cost analysis of using fridge containers, co-owned ground handling equipment, IT possibilities,and comparison to other airports.

Freight distribution systems are under stress. With the world population growing, the migration of people to urban areas and technologies that allow purchases from virtually anywhere, efficient freight distribution can be challenging. An inefficient movement of goods may lead to business not being economically viable and also has social and environmental negative effects. An important strategy to be incorporated in freight distribution systems is the consolidation of goods, i.e., group goods by their destination. This strategy increases vehicles utilisation, reducing the number of vehicles and the number of trips required for the distribution and, consequently, costs, traffic, noise and air pollution. In this thesis, we explore consolidation in three different contexts (or cases) from an optimisation point of view. Each context is related to optimisation problems for which we developed mathematical programming models and solution methods. The first case in which we explore consolidation is in container loading problems (CLPs). CLPs are a class of packing problems which aims at positioning three-dimensional boxes inside a container efficiently. The literature has incorporated many practical aspects into container loading solution method (e.g. restricting orientation of boxes, stability and weight distribution). However, to the best of our knowledge, the case considering more dynamic systems (e.g. cross-docking) in which goods might have a schedule of arrival were yet to be contemplated by the literature. We define an extension of CLP which we call Container Loading Problem with Time Availability Constraints (CLPTAC), which considers boxes are not always available for loading. We propose an extension of a CLP model that is suitable for CLPTAC and solution methods which can also handle cases with uncertainty in the schedule of the arrival of the boxes. The second case is a more broad view of the network, considering an open vehicle routing problem with cross-dock selection. The traditional vehicle routing problem has been fairly studied. Its open version (i.e. with routes that start and end at different points) has not received the same attention. We propose a version of the open vehicle routing problem in which some nodes of the network are consolidation centres. Instead of shippers sending goods directly to their consumers, they must send to one of the available consolidation centres, then, goods are resorted and forwarded to their destination. For this problem, we propose a mixed integer linear programming model for cost minimisation and a solution method based on the Benders decomposition framework. A third case in which we explored consolidation is in collaborative logistics. Particularly, we focus on the shared use of the currently available infrastructure. We defined a hub selection problem in which one of the suppliers is selected as a hub. In a hub facility, other suppliers might meet to exchange their goods allowing one supplier to satisfy the demand from others. For this problem, we propose a mixed integer linear programming model and a heuristic based on the model. Moreover, we compared a traditional distribution strategy, with each supplier handling its demand, against the collaborative one. In this thesis, we explore these three cases which are related to consolidation for improving the efficiency in freight distribution systems. We extend some problems (e.g. versions of CLP) to apply them to a more dynamic setting and we also define optimisation problems for networks with consolidation centres. Furthermore, we propose solution methods for each of the defined problems and evaluate them using randomly generated instances, benchmarks from the literature and some cases based on real-world characteristics. / Sistemas de distribuição de carga possuem uma demanda muito alta. Com a população mundial crescendo, a migração em direção às áreas urbanas e as tecnologias que permitem compras de virtualmente qualquer lugar, a distribuição eficiente de mercadorias pode ser um desafio. Uma movimentação ineficiente de mercadorias pode tornar negócios economicamente inviáveis além de ter um impacto social e ambiental negativos. Uma estratégia importante para se incorporar em sistemas de distribuição é a consolidação de cargas, isto é, agrupar cargas de acordo com seus destinos. Essa estratégia aumenta a utilização dos veículos, reduzindo o número de veículos e viagens necessários para a distribuição e, consequentemente, custos, tráfego, poluição sonora e do ar. Nesta tese, é explorada a técnica de consolidação em três casos diferentes de um ponto de vista de otimização. Cada caso é relacionado a problemas de otimização para os quais são propostos modelos de programação matemática e métodos de solução. O primeiro caso em que é explorada a consolidação é em Problemas de Carregamento de Contêineres (PCCs). PCCs pertencem a uma classe de problemas de empacotamento que visa posicionar caixas tridimensionais dentro de contêineres eficientemente. A literatura tem incorporado diversos aspectos práticos em procedimentos de solução dos PCCs (por exemplo, restringir a orientação das caixas, estabilidade e distribuição de peso). No entanto, o caso que considera sistemas logísticos mais dinâmicos (como cross-docking), nos quais mercadorias podem ter uma agenda de chegada ainda não havia sido contemplados. É definida uma extensão de PCC chamada de Problema de Carregamento de Contêieneres com Restrições de Disponibilidade Temporal (PCCRDT). Também, propõem-se modelos e métodos de solução para o PCCRDT que são capazes de lidar com incerteza na chegada das mercadorias. O segundo caso utiliza uma visão mais abrangente da rede de distribuição, considerando um problema de roteamento de veículos em rede aberta com seleção de cross-dock. O problema tradicional de roteamento de veículos é bastante estudado. A sua versão aberta (com rotas que começam e terminam em pontos diferentes) não tem recebido tanta atenção. É proposta uma versão do roteamento de veículos em rede aberta em que alguns nós da rede são centros de consolidação. Os fornecedores, ao invés de enviar as mercadorias diretamente para os consumidores, enviam-nas para um dos centros de consolidação disponíveis, então, as mercadorias são reorganizadas (em diferentes veículos) e encaminhadas para o seus destinos. Para esse problema, é proposto um modelo de programação linear inteira mista para a minimização de custo e um método de solução baseado no arcabouço de decomposição de Benders. Um terceiro caso em que foi explorada a consolidação de mercadorias é o de logística colaborativa. Particularmente, se concentrou no uso compartilhado de infra-estrutura já disponível na rede de distribuição. É definido um problema de seleção de seleção de um dos fornecedores como hub. No hub, outros fornecedores podem se encontrar para trocar suas mercadorias, permitindo que um fornecedor satisfaça a demanda de outro. Para esse problema, é proposto um modelo de programação linear inteira mista e uma heurística baseada no modelo. Ainda, é comparada uma estratégia de distribuição convencional (com cada fornecedor responsável pela sua própria demanda) com uma estratégia colaborativa. Nesta tese, são explorados esses três casos que se relacionam com consolidação para melhorar a eficiência de sistemas de distribuição de carga. São estendidos alguns problemas (como o PCC) para que se possa aplicá-los em cenários mais dinâmicos e também são definidos problemas de otimização em redes com centros de consolidação. Além disso, são propostos métodos de solução para cada um dos casos. Os métodos são avaliados em instâncias geradas aleatoriamente, instâncias da literatura e, em alguns casos, instâncias baseadas em cenários reais.

Syftet med arbetet har varit att studera hemtagningen av varor ifrån Asien till Sverige, och ta fram olika förbättringsförslag på hur importföretag inom klädindustrin kan minska lagerhållna volymer samt genomflöde i sina centrallager. Detta har gjorts med hjälp av ett textilföretag i, Borås, som tillverkar och importera alla sina produkter ifrån Asien. Textilföretaget vill vara anonyma, därför har författaren av rapporten valt att kalla det för Företag X. Företag X omsätter cirka 500 miljoner, och i dagsläget mellanlandar allt gods i deras centrallagret i Borås. Delar av godset är redan vid produktion öronmärkt till specifik återförsäljare, därför har författaren valt att koncentrera sig på just dessa flöden i rapporten för att avgränsa arbetet något. Rapportens syfte är med andra ord att ta fram olika scenarier som visar på hur detta gods kan levereras direkt ut till respektive återförsäljare, utan att behöva ta omvägen via Borås.För att hitta för- och nackdelar med de olika scenarier gjordes det inledningsvis en litteraturstudie för att skapa en gedigen informationsgrund att utgå ifrån. Sedan genomfördes ett flertal studiebesök och semistrukturerade intervjuer med inblandade parter i försörjningskedjan. Respondenterna var många och från flera olika företag och positioner, allt för att få resultatet så gynnsamt som möjligt för alla inblandade.Analysen visar på tre olika scenarier, utifrån Företag X’s förutsättningar och arbetets avgränsningar, som alla bidrar till att Företag X kan minska sina lagerhållna volymer samt genomflöde i sitt centrallager.Scenario 1 innebär att återförsäljaren tar över ansvaret av godset redan i en hub i Asien. Godset sorteras ut till respektive återförsäljare redan i fabriken alternativt i en hub/terminal i Asien, innan återförsäljaren möter upp och tar över ansvaret vid hubben. Det är då upp till återförsäljaren hur den vill frakta godset från Asien till Sverige, och Företag X släpper där med allt ansvar. Detta scenario innebär att försörjningskedjan är kort och kostnadsfokuserad och Företag X kommer kunna minska de kostnader som uppstår kring frakt och hemtagning av godset.Scenario 2 innebär att återförsäljaren tar över ansvaret för godset vid en terminal/hub i Göteborg. Godset har då cross-dockats (sorterats upp till respektive återförsäljare) antingen i en hub/terminal i Asien eller så görs det i terminalen/hubben i Göteborg. Från hubben i Göteborg är det sedan återförsäljarens ansvar att sköta frakten till sitt eget lager.Scenario 3 är likvärdigt hur det ser ut för Företag X idag, att återförsäljaren tar över ansvaret för godset först när det anlänt till deras lastbrygga. Skillnaden är dock att det gods som redan är öronmärkt till återförsäljare inte mellanlandar i centrallagret i Borås. Istället cross-dockas godset i en hub i Asien, alternativt i en hub i Göteborg.Författaren anser dock att Företag X själva ska göra en djupare efterforskning innan ett scenario eventuellt implementeras, då författaren av rapporten inte hade tillgång till all inköp- och försäljningsdata.vEn slutsats som har dragits och som presenteras i resultatet är att scenario 3 bör vara mest gynnsamt för Företag X i dagsläget och även på lång sikt. De behåller då maximal kontroll av leveransen, vilket innebär att pris- och tillverkningsinformation inte riskerar att hamna i fel händer, vilket skulle kunna resultera i kundbortfall och nya starka konkurrenter. / The purpose of this report was to study the imports of goods from Asia to Sweden, and to present improvements on how companies in the textile industry can reduce their inventory volumes and goods flow in their central warehouse. The study has been done with a little help from a textile company in Borås, which manufactures and imports all their products from Asia. The textile company wants to be anonymous, therefore the author of this report has chosen to entitle it as Company X. Company X has a turnover of approximately 500 million SEK, and they currently interlining all their goods in their central warehouse in Borås. Parts of the goods are already earmarked for specific retailers, therefore the author has chosen to concentrate on these flows only, to delimit the work a bit. In other words, the purpose of the report is to provide different scenarios that show how the goods can be delivered directly to their retailers, without having to take the route through Borås.In order to find the pros and cons of the different scenarios, a literature study was initially made to create a solid information base. Then several visits at Company X and semi structured interviews were conducted with different stakeholders in the supply chain. There were several respondents from different companies and positions, all to make the results of the study as beneficial as possible for all involved.The analysis shows three different scenarios, based on Company X's prerequisites and work delimitations, which all contributes to a reduce of Company X stored volumes and goods flow in its central warehouse.Scenario 1: The retailer takes over the responsibility of the goods already in a hub in Asia. The goods are sorted out to respective retailer already in the factory or in a hub/terminal in Asia, before the retailer meets up and take over the responsibility of the goods at the hub. Then it is up to the retailer how they want to ship the goods from Asia to Sweden, and at that time Company X releases all the responsibility. This scenario means that the supply chain is short and cost-focused, and Company X will be able to reduce their costs that arise from shipping the goods.Scenario 2: The retailer takes over the responsibility for the goods at a terminal/hub in Gothenburg. Before that, the goods have been cross-docked (sorted out to respective retailers) either in a hub/terminal in Asia or in the terminal/hub in Gothenburg. From the hub in Gothenburg it is the retailer’s responsibility to handle the freight to their own warehouse.Scenario 3: Is equivalent to what it looks like for Company X today, where the retailer takes over the responsibility for the goods when it arrives at their own warehouse. The difference is that the goods do not pass at the central warehouse in Borås. Instead, the goods are cross-docked in a hub in Asia, alternatively in a hub in Gothenburg, before it delivers to the retailers.The author of this report believes that Company X must do a deeper investigation before a scenario may be implemented, as the author of the report did not have access to all purchase- and sales data.viiOne conclusion that has been drawn is that scenario 3 should be most favourable to Company X both at the present and at a long term. They retain the maximum control of delivery, which means that information about price and manufacturing does not end up in wrong hands, which could lead to a loss of customer and new stong competitors.

This dissertation addresses problems arising in freight routing and scheduling where full truckload (FTL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers are used to serve transportation needs. Each of the problems investigated in this dissertation tries to optimize/maximize consolidation to decrease system transportation costs by (1) carefully choosing the timing and path of freight and/or (2) introducing consolidation points. Approaches are proposed that enable effective planning and operation of freight routing and scheduling for large-scale transportation networks. Chapter 2 presents solution approaches for a shipper pickup and delivery planning problem faced by many large retailers to move freight from suppliers to distribution centers. Each shipment is moved either direct via a LTL carrier or possibly consolidated with other shipments and moved by one or two FTL routes. When using a FTL carrier, the shipper takes advantage of contracted lane rates that establish prices per mile for a truck operated between two locations that are significantly less than the comparable LTL price for shipping a full truckload. Consolidated FTL routes may each visit multiple shipment origins (supplier locations) and/or destinations (distribution center locations). Additionally, FTL routes may move shipments through a single crossdock facility en route. The challenge in this planning problem is to exploit as much as possible negotiated truckload lane rates and to judiciously make use of routes through crossdock facilities to consolidate shipments. The primary contributions of this section are that (1) an interesting new problem variant is introduced to the field of transportation and logistics that is important in practice and (2) the solution approach demonstrates that exploiting knowledge of the problem and solution structure to cleverly select subsets of path variables for evaluation during each iteration of an integer programming based local search heuristic is effective on path-based routing models. Chapter 3 evaluates how to route each customer shipment through a sequence of transfer terminals in a LTL carrier network. At each terminal stop, a shipment is unloaded from an inbound trailer and reloaded onto an outbound trailer. A load plan determines the specific sequence of terminal transfers to be used for freight moving between each origin and destination. The design of the load plan determines the linehaul transportation and handling costs required to serve customers. We develop an improved very large-scale neighborhood search heuristic for solving an integer programming model for load plan design. The main contributions of this section include (1) the investigation of the pros and cons of optimizing system-wide into a single destination versus optimizing freight for all destinations in a small region, and (2) a solution approach that can find load plans with costs 6 to 7\% lower than those used in practice, and can find 2.5 to 5\% additional cost savings using the same time budget when compared to an approach optimizing system-wide into a single destination. Chapter 4 addresses a strategic planning problem that extends the load plan design problem to consider terminal roles. We investigate two-stage approaches that first identify the set of transfer terminals and then develop the corresponding load plan. Computational results compare the terminals chosen as transfer facilities from the proposed integer programming based local search method with a traditional hub location formulation and a simple facility location formulation to depict the benefits gained from modeling additional information. The key contributions of this section are (1) the introduction of a new hub location problem variant incorporating freight dispatch timing and trailer transportation cost characteristics found in the LTL trucking industry and (2) a solution approach utilizing IP-based local search that demonstrates the importance of incorporating freight dispatch timing. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes the main conclusions from this dissertation and discusses directions for further research.

Bakgrund:                   För att stärka sin position på marknaden önskar Staples Sweden AB utöka sitt artikelsortiment till att omfatta 1 000 000 artiklar. För att möjliggöra sortimentsexpansionen behövs beslutsunderlag rörande hantering och kostnadsstruktur identifieras. Syfte:                          Syftet med studien är att utveckla en modell vid val och utformning av distributionssätt för att föreslå en distributionsslösning. Syftet är också att genom en kostnadsanalys identifiera orderkostnadsstrukturen för den föreslagna distributionslösningen. Metod:                        Vid genomförandet av studien tillämpades en fallstudiedesign. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom intervjuer utförda på Staples Sweden AB. Slutsats:                      Vid tillämpningen av modellen som utvecklades i studien framkom att distributionslösningen ska utgöras av direktleveranser, konsoliderade direkleveranser, ”cross-docking”, ”cross-docking” med buffert och traditionell lagerhållning. Orderkostnaden skiljde sig mellan distributionssätten där ”cross-docking” var billigast och direktleveransvarianterna var dyrast. / Background:               To strengthen its position on the market, Staples Sweden AB seeks to expand its product range to include one million articles. The problem is that no one in the company knows how such a variety of items should be managed and how the structure of order costs would change. Based on these problems, the task for the study arose. Purpose:                      The thesis aims to develop a model for the selection and design of distribution methods for proposing a solution that can manage one million articles. It also aims to identify the structure of order cost for the proposed solution through a cost analysis. Methodology:             The study was conducted by applying a case study design. The empirical data were collected through interviews conducted at the Staples Sweden AB. Conclusion:                 In the application of the developed model showed that the distribution solution should consist of direct shipping, consolidated direct shipping, cross-docking, cross-docking with buffer and traditional warehousing. Order cost differed between distribution where "cross-docking" showed to be the cheapest and direct shipping variants were the most expensive.

This diploma thesis focuses on proposal of possibilities when applying logistic technologies in food supply chain of the MADETA, a.s. The thesis describes material and information flow in the supply chain, including determination of key factors for successful implementation of chosen technologies. A part of the thesis deals with the proposal for a change in the way of preparing orders for customers of independent market, including stating of expected costs and savings when realizing the proposal.

Depuis les années 70, la production et la commercialisation des biens et services, la circulation des capitaux et des systèmes se sont fortement internationalisées. Ce phénomène a poussé les entreprises à optimiser leurs chaînes logistiques pour rester compétitives. Le Maroc s'inscrit dans la même tendance, vue sa position géographique joue un rôle de carrefour et de hub des échanges commerciaux. Le développement d'une réelle compétitivité logistique constitue un pilier du programme gouvernemental 2010-2020, d'où le lancement de la stratégie nationale pour le développement de la compétitivité logistique, dont principalement le contrat programme régissant le développement des plateformes logistiques, dites zones logistiques multi flux. La stratégie vise la réduction du poids du coût logistique de 5 points pour 2015, la création de 70 zones logistiques dans 17 villes sur environ 3 300 hectares. La mise en œuvre de ce programme logistique nécessite un effort cohérent, s'inscrivant dans le temps et des arbitrages complexes à opérer sur des domaines ne relevant pas des prérogatives d'un seul intervenant de la chaîne logistique. À la lumière de ces propos, nous avons vu en cette problématique un enjeu majeur nécessitant des actions managériales, une réflexion académique aussi par un focus sur le principe de la Supply Chain et plus précisément la logistique des plateformes. L'agencement et la connectivité des plateformes logistiques s'avère décisionnelle pour la réussite d'une politique commerciale compétitive d'une entreprise : nous ne pouvons pas concevoir des flux juste en mouvement, in fine, ils commencent d'un point de création de valeur vers un point de consommation et que ce sont ces nœuds (plateformes) qui œuvrent pour l'optimisation de l'organisation de toute la chaîne. Un retour vers l'histoire de la logistique, ses définitions et son évolution managériale dans le temps s'avérait nécessaire pour expliciter l'approche transversale et intégrée de la chaîne logistique ; et s'attarder par la suite sur les composantes, intégration des flux physiques et d'information, sur le poids de la stratégie logistique comme arme de différenciation vis-à-vis de la concurrence et sur les leviers d'optimisation des plateformes logistiques dans ces modèles. Le dernier chapitre traitera de la compétitivité logistique au Maroc, au regard des standards précités et les axes de développement du réseau des zones logistiques comme première orientation du contrat programme logistique national. / Since earlier years, production and sales of goods and services. capital flows and systems are highly internationalized. This has led companies to optimize their supply chain to remain competitive. Morocco is part of the same trend, for its geographical position acts as a hub and crossroads of trade. The development of logistics real competitiveness is a pillar of the government program 2010-2020. Hence the launch of the national strategy for the development of logistics competitiveness, mainly the program contract governing the development of logistics platforms. The strategy aims to reduce the weight of the logistics cost of 5 points for 2015, creating 70 logistics warehouses in 17 cities on 3 300 hectares. The implementation of the logistics program requires a coherent effort, registering in time and complex trade-offs in different areas in the supply chain. In the light of these remarks, we have seen this problem a major issues requiring managerial actions, academic reflection as a focus on the basics of suppl y chain and specifically logistics platforms. The layout and connectivity of logistics platforms proves the success of a competitive sales policy of a company : we cannot just design flow, ultimately, they start a creative point value to a consumption point and that it is these nodes (platforms) working to optimize the organization of the whole chain. A return to the story of logistics was important to present it, its definitions and managerial changes over time was needed to explain the cross and integrated approach to the supply chain; and linger afterwards on the components. integration of physical and information flows. the weight of the logistics strategy as a weapon of differentiation regarding the competition and logistics platforms optimization levers in these models. The final part will present logistics competitiveness in Morocco, in view of the above standards and network development axes logistics areas as a first orientation of the national logistics program.