Background Warehouse efficiency has gained a lot of attention in the recent years where racking layout and slotting of the SKUs are essential. The efficiency can be measured in the total traveling distance that occur in the warehouse. Two of the most central racking layout and slotting policies are the fishbone layout and ABC class-based slotting. These policies offer many new advantages for the traveling distance compared to others.   Objectives The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a combination of a fishbone layout and ABC class-based slotting affects the total traveling distance relative to a traditional layout with random slotting. This will then be analyzed in order to investigate to what degree it can be implemented depending on the situation a company has.   Methods The study was carried out as a simulation study, simulating the forklift traveling distance between four different warehouse layout and slotting configurations. This simulation was done by gathering of information in the form of observations, interviews, measuring and data from the EDI system of the company. The simulation was made in excel and featured eight possible scenarios depending on different events which could occur in the warehouse. The data in the study were then analyzed through a one-way ANOVA test, Scheffe’s post hoc test and t-Tests.   Results The result of the study shows that the different events which can occur in the warehouse is affected by a change in layout and slotting configurations. With the implementation of new layout and slotting configurations it is also shown that the forklift traveling distance in the warehouse can be reduced. The result also shows that the isolation of the effects that the respective layout or slotting policies provides reduces the forklift traveling distance individually as well as a combination would do.   Conclusions The conclusion is that the Fishbone layout with ABC class-based slotting is the optimal solution considering the reduction in traveling distance in a warehouse. When considering the implementation process and the potential benefits with the configurations, a general company is recommended to consider what amount of resources they are willing to invest before they carry out the implementation.   Delimitations This paper is delimited to the total travelling distance that occur in a warehouse because of the time restriction. The study will not examine the intangible part of a warehouse which means that the WMS- system will not be addressed. The paper will not create an investment calculus for the proposed solution. / Bakgrund Lagereffektivitet är ett område som dem senaste år fått mycket uppmärksamhet där layout av ställage och sortering av inventarier är väsentliga begrepp. Ett lagers effektivitet kan mätas i den totala transportsträckan som förekommer i ett lager. Två av de mest centrala principer för layout av ställage och sortering av inventarier är fiskbens-layouten och ABC klassbaserad sortering. Dessa principer erbjuder nya fördelar för den totala transportsträckan jämfört med de gamla.   Syfte. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur en kombination av fiskben-layout och en ABC-klassbaserad sortering kan påverka den totala körsträckan för truckar gentemot en traditionell layout med slumpmässig lagersortering. Resultatet kommer därefter analyseras och undersökas hur det kan implementeras för andra organisationer med olika förutsättningar   Metod Tillvägagången för denna studie var att göra en simuleringsstudie som skall simulera den totala transportsträcka som sker i ett lager. Fyra olika konfigurationer av ställage-layout och sorterings-policys simulerades. Denna simulering skapades genom införskaffandet av information i form utav observationer, intervjuer, mätningar av lager och data från företagets EDI-system. Simuleringen gjordes i Excel med innehåll av åtta olika scenarion beroende på olika händelser som kan uppstå i ett lager. Resultaten i studien blir därefter analyserad genom de olika dataanalyseringstesterna, ANOVA: en faktor, Scheffes post hoc test och därefter genom t-Tester.   Resultat Resultatet av studien visar hur de olika händelser som kan uppstå i ett lager förändras beroende på konfiguration av ställage-layout och sortering-policy. Vid implementering av ny ställage-layout och sorteringskonfiguration framstår det att transportsträckan kan reduceras. Resultatet visar också att en isolering av effekterna de olika konfigurationerna ger bidrar precis som en kombination, till reducerad transportsträcka.   Slutsatser Slutsatsen av denna studie är att fiskbens-layout i kombination med ABC klassbaserad sortering är den optimala lösningen med avseende på att minska den totala transportsträckan i ett lager. När implementeringsprocessen and de potentiella fördelarna med konfigurationerna övervägs rekommenderas ett generellt företag att överväga vilke resurer de är villiga att spendera innan de implementerar en ny lösning.   Avgränsningar Denna studie är avgränsat till den totala transportsträcka som sker inom ett lager. Detta på grund av den tidsgräns som existerar. Studien kommer inte undersöka den immateriella delen av ett lager. Detta betyder att lagerhantering systemet inte kommer undersökas. Investeringskalkyler kommer inte att göras för den lösning som föreslås.

Firms today maintain complex supply chains containing many dependent stages to manufacture a product to the end customer. Here lies a dilemma, keeping extensive inventory generate higher customer satisfaction by enabling quick deliveries. This increase in inventory, however, comes at an increase in costs. Finding the balance between minimizing costs and increasing customer satisfaction is difficult. The search to solve this dilemma has led to the development of research in the area of inventory control. For long, optimization models have been developed to improve the supply chain holistically, from raw material-to-customer. Those approaches, however, have not been possible to apply in practice by being too computationally demanding. Also, they imply organizational adjustments that create issues beyond the optimization flow of materials. It explains why, despite significant technolog- ical advancements, many firms prefer to use non-holistic approaches. This thesis evaluates the tangible effect of using holistic optimization. The objective of this thesis’ is to determine optimal stock levels between dif- ferent stages of production. The method used is an optimization of inventory, stemming from Inventory Control Theories. Inventory optimization is at the cross- roads between logistics, economics, and management. The thesis builds on a case of inventory optimization identified at a large manufacturing firm. The literature in inventory optimization has indicated that inventory and customer services is a domain of continuous development. This thesis focuses on the adequation between total inventory cost and the customer service level. The method used to answer this question is the Multi-Echelon optimization model. This model seeks to optimize reorder points and reorder quantities. A comparison to the Single-Echelon model and a Base-Case allows for evaluation of the performance, discrete event simulation based on a company’s supply chain measures the effect. The result shows that the Multi-Echelon optimization model outperforms the two non-holistic models. This thesis shows the triple advantages of the Multi-Echelon optimization allowing for leaner manufacturing system by 1- reduction of waste, 2- less unproductive capi- tal tied up in inventory, and 3- adding value by increasing customer satisfaction. Other areas of inventory optimization in manufacturing should be able to take ad- vantage of the Multi-Echelon optimization model to manage materials stock-levels, delivery flows, and customer satisfaction. / Idag bedriver företag komplexa försörjningskedjor med många relaterade produk- tionssteg för att försörja sin efterfrågan. Dilemmat är att antingen ha stora lager för att säkerställa både snabb kundleverans och hög kundnöjdhet vilket kräver mycket bundet kapital. Alternativet är att spara pengar genom mindre lager men riskerar då att inte kunna leverera inom önskad tid och minska kundnöjdheten. Att hitta en balans är svårt. För att lösa problemet har forskning inom området lager- styrning ökat. Optimeringsmodeller har länge utvecklats för att förbättra försör- jningskedjor. De har inte kunnat appliceras i många företag p.g.a. avsaknaden av beräkningskraft och behovet att förändra organisationen utöver optimeringen. Det förklarar varför många företag, trots teknisk utveckling, fortfarande inte an- vänder ett helhetsperspektiv. Denna uppsats utvärderar de påtagliga effekterna vid holistisk optimering av produktion, lagerhållning, och kundleverans. Målet med uppsatsen är att fastställa optimala lagernivåer mellan de olika stegen inom en produktionskedja. Metoden som används är ”Multi-Echelon” op- timering och härstammar från området ”Inventory Control Theories”. Det är en blandning av logistik, ekonomi, och administration. Lageroptimering är ett ämne i konstant utveckling där kundnöjdhet blivit allt viktigare. Modellen optimerar när en ny beställning av material ska ske, samt dess storlek. Modellen utvärderas genom att jämföra prestationen med en ”Single-Echelon” modell och en grund- modell genom diskret händelsesimulering som är baserad på ett företags försör- jningskedja. Resultaten visar att ”Multi-Echelon” optimeringsmodellen presterar bättre än de två icke-holistiska modellerna vad gäller totalkostnad och kundser- vicenivå. Uppsatsen visar att ”Multi-Echelon” optimeringsmodellen har fördelar inom alla tre områdena: smidigare produktion genom mindre spill, mindre bun- det kapital krävs, och den ger en ökad kundnöjdhet genom säkrare leveranser inom ”rätt” tid. Andra områden inom tillverkningsindustrin borde kunna ap- plicera ”Multi-Echelon” optimering för att hantera sina lagernivåer, produktion, leveransflöden, och kundnöjdhet.

Inom Europa har länge bedrivits en framgångsrik och attraktiv inlandssjöfart som ett led inom transportkedjan där gods framför allt har flyttats över från vägnätet till sjöfarten. Då sjöfarten som transportsätt är ett mycket miljövänligt alternativ finns det utöver miljövinster även samhällsekonomiska vinster att göra. Då den tunga trafiken på vägnätet avlastas minskas därmed risken för trafikolyckor. Vid transport av farligt gods minskar samtidigt risken för utsläpp av farliga ämnen i naturen. I Sverige har inlandssjöfarten inte haft samma genomslagskraft som i övriga länder med kanalsystem, trots att det finns ett stort behov av att avlasta det redan överbelastade vägnätet och ett uttalat mål från regeringen om att flytta över gods till sjöfarten. Genom att jämföra regelverken som finns för inlandssjöfarten inom Europa med de svenska reglerna är målet att ta reda på varför inlandssjöfarten inte har samma genomslagskraft i Sverige som i övriga Europa. Utöver reglerna som arbetet berör så analyseras även kostnaderna för inlandssjöfarten i Sverige kontra Europa och ytligt nämna andra faktorer som gör den mindre slagkraftigt. En av slutsatserna som framkom  ur detta arbete är att Sveriges tolkning och tillägg till det Europeiska regelverket inte är den största anledningen till att det inte finns någon ekonomiskt stabil inlandssjöfart i Sverige utan endast en av faktorerna. / Europe has a great history of successful and attractive shipping on the inland waterways as a part of the transport infrastructure, where a great amount of cargo has been transferred from the roads to the inland waterways. Shipping as a type of transportation is a very environmentally friendly alternative besides advantages for the society. As shipping decreases the heavy traffic on the public roads, the risk for traffic accidents and the risks in transporting dangerous cargo will be lower.In Sweden the shipping on the inland waterways has not been as successful compared to the european neighbours with inland waterways, and despite this there is a great need for transferring cargo from the roads to the sea and an official goal from the government for doing this. By comparing the swedish regulation regarding the shipping on inland waterways with the european regulations, the aim is to find out why  shipping on the inland waterways are not successful in Sweden. Besides the comparative of the regulations this report will also analyse the different costs and other factors making it less attractive. What the authors can conclude in this study is that the swedish adaptation and additions to the european rules is not the only factor why there is no  economically functioning traffic of the swedish inland waterways, it is just another brick in the wall.

Purpose: In this study, areas of use of blockchain technology in transportation management will be discussed. The purpose is to contribute with theoretical research of advantages and disadvantages of blockchain technology in transportation management before an implementation at Rhenus Logistics.   Methodology: Through interviews and literature, ways of using blockchain in transportation management is researched. A case study is set up, to further analyze the research topic from the view of an individual third-party logistic company.  Findings: Results showed that for a third-party logistic provider to successfully use blockchain technology within transportation management, it is important to have the entire network onboard in the process. If so, functionalities such as track and trace, digital handling of paperwork and smart contracts could be used. The advantages of using blockchain technology for transportation management at Rhenus Logistics were found to be trust, transparency, traceability, efficiency, cost-saving opportunities and the use of smart contacts. Identified disadvantages for Rhenus Logistics was that blockchain is costly, stakeholders are hesitant to get involved, smart contracts are not considerate of blurry lines in real life practice and there is a challenge in finding an accurate blockchain design for their business model.

Agri-food supply chains (ASCs) are becoming increasingly complex, and its actors are in need of sophisticated planning tools to remain competitive in an industry that have been moving away from small individual actors towards large multi-national, highly vertically integrated cooperatives. This case study views reality from an objectivist point of view and utilises a positivist approach to study this reality. It combines qualitative and quantitative methods to study an ASC operating in the Kingdom of Sweden. This ASC’s planning processes are investigated in order to identify processes that are applicable to simulation by considering model verification, validation, and credibility.    The simulation model allowed for system analyses from a strategic perspective and, hence, simplified the planning process of evaluating different scenarios. The model was intrinsically verified and validated in consultation with the supervisor and subject reader and was thus able to accurately imitate the real-world system. The simulated scenarios comprised changes to the ASC’s infrastructure or design. The changes, in turn, comprised decommissions of one or more port-site storage facilities (HPs). Questions that were asked during the evaluation of the experiment results included what happens to the inventory levels of the non-decommissioned HPs when certain ones close? will the demand still be met? and if, then where, will queues arise in the system? It is shown that the non-decommissioned HPs will manage the closed HP’s volumes, but only to a certain extent. One closed HP does not cause severe problems, while two closed ones can create queues, which, in turn, will result in lower than desired inventory levels at the end of the harvesting period. Queues will arise from the closing of just one HP, although this queue is practically negligible, but as two are closed, the queues will create problems. The demand was able to be met even though an HP was closed, but to meet it while two HPs are closed, one of the non-decommissioned ones’ capacity must be increased. This, ultimately, generated or achieved for the host organisation a so called proof of concept (this is argued to generate credibility in the model). Some of the identified characteristics of their ASC are considered generic, while others can only be claimed to be specific the studied ASC. The study thus claims to have initiated a framework for the differentiation of strategic, tactical, and operational planning levels in an ASC.

The transport sector is a major cause of emissions both in Sweden and globally. This master thesis aims to develop a model for estimating emissions from heavy transport on a specific route. The emissions can be used in a route planning software and help the driver choose a route that contributes to reduced emissions. The methodology was to investigate attributes, like vehicle-related attributes and topography, and their impact on transport emissions. The carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions were converted into carbon dioxide equivalents, which were incorporated as one cost together with a precalculated driving time as a second cost in a multi objective function used for route planning. Different tests were conducted to investigate the accuracy and the usability of the model. First, a validation test was performed, where the optimized routes were analyzed. The test showed that the model was more likely to choose a shorter route in general. The fuel consumption values largely met expectations towards generic values and measurements, that were gathered from research. A second test of the model made use of the driving time combined with the emissions in a multi objective function. In this test, a weighting coefficient was varied and analyzed to understand the possibility to find a value of the coefficient for the best trade-off. The result showed that the model generates different solutions for different coefficients and that it is possible to find a suitable trade-off between the driving time and emissions. Therefore, this study shows that there is a possibility to combine emission with other objectives such as driving time for route optimization. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed, where attribute factors and assumptions were varied to see how sensitive they were and, in turn, how much a change would impact the calculated emissions. The result from the sensitivity analysis showed that the changes in topography-attributes had less impact than changes on vehicle-related attributes. In conclusion, this thesis has built a foundation for route planning, based on the environmental aspect, for heavy transports.

Introduction: The purpose of the introduction is to provide a description of the background and problem related to logistics in manufacturing companies to develop a deeper understanding in why this subject is important for today’s businesses. The aim for the thesis is to investigate an internal material flow that starts with unloading and ends with point of use, in order to provide suggestions for improvement based on theories on Lean and material handling. Two research questions have been formulated from the purpose, to find problem solving solutions: FF1: What wastes occur in the material handling process? FF2: How can efficiency increase in the flow of materials? Approach and method: A case study has been conducted at a manufacturing company and data has been collected through observations and interviews. A literature study has been conducted through data obtained from scientific articles and books as a foundation to the theoretical framework that has been used to analyze the empirical data from the case study. Results: Waste was identified at the case company. The types of waste that was identified was waiting, transportation, excess inventory, unnecessary work and underutilization of employees. Among the reasons for these wastes were complex and inexplicit flows and also non-standardized work. Conclusion: A conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that waste in the material handling process contributes to an inefficient flow of materials at the case company. Suggestions for improvements to achieve an increased efficiency in the material flow have been made by the use of analysis of empirical data, flowcharts and spaghetti diagrams. / Introduktion: Syftet med introduktionen är att ge en beskrivning av bakgrunden och problem kring logistik för tillverkande företag för att skapa en förståelse för varför ämnet är viktigt för dagens företag. Examensarbetets syfte är att undersöka ett internt materialflöde från lossning av gods till användning i produktion, för att kunna ge förslag på förbättringar baserat på teorier kring Lean och materialhantering. Två forskningsfrågor har formulerats utifrån syftet för att hitta lösningarpåproblemet: FF1: Vilka slöserier förekommer i materialhanteringsprocessen? FF2: Hur kan materialflödet effektiviseras? Ansats och metod: En fallstudie har utförts på ett tillverkande företag och data har samlats in genom observationer och intervjuer. En litteraturstudie har genomförts genom datainsamling från vetenskapliga artiklar och böcker som grund för den teoretiska referensramen som har använts för att analysera empirin från fallstudien. Resultat: Några slöserier har identifierats på fallföretaget iform av väntan, onödiga transporter eller förflyttningar, överlager, onödiga arbetsmomentoch outnyttjad kompetens. Orsaker till dessa slöserier är bland annat komplexa och otydliga flöden, samt icke-standardiserade arbetsmetoder. Slutsatser: En slutsatssom kan dras är att slöseri i materialhanteringen bidrar till ett ineffektivt materialflöde på fallföretaget. Genom analys av empirin tillsammans med flödesscheman och spagettidiagram har förslag på förbättring tagits fram för att åstadkomma ett effektivare materialflöde.

At the end of the 2019 year, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic changes human life. People have to change their way to be more safer for working and producing. For most industries, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is huge. The number of active labor and the order is decreased, moreover, the inventory management issues appeared in this time. Hence, The related company must find a new inventory management solution for surviving in the Covid-19 pandemic.  The subject of this research paper is about inventory management in Chinese food supply chains. And the purpose of this study is aim to dealing with the inventory management dilemma for the most company which related to the food industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study uses multi cases study to help readers understand the challenges and solutions of inventory management in the Chinese food industry during the Covid-19 pandemic deeply. Furthermore, this study uses qualitative research to analyze the interview data.  The analysis illustrates that the resilience supply chain and the inventory costs are important for strengthening the ability of inventory management to face the risks. And this study is significant, and it can help many Chinese enterprises find a direction for the inventory management risk during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, this study can also provide a foundation for the further study of risk management for inventory.

Sveriges riksdag har satt klimatmål om noll nettoutsläpp till år 2045. Bygg- och fastighetssektorn har de senaste åren stått för cirka en femtedel och transportsektorn står för en tredjedel av det totala utsläppet i Sverige. Klimatdeklarationer ska initieras för att nå riksdagens klimatmål. Klimatdeklaration av byggnader är indelat i produktskedet och byggproduktionsskedet. En del av byggproduktionsskedet är transport av resurser till byggarbetsplats. Det är idag möjligt att använda sig av generiska eller specifika värden för klimatberäkning av transport.  Problemet är att det är svårt och omfattande att få fram exakt data för beräkning av specifika transporter under ett byggprojekt. Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka hur småhusföretag med prefabricerade element kan utforma beräkningar för transport i en klimatdeklaration. I studien har en intervjudel och en beräkningsdel genomförts för att få förståelse över utmaningar med beräkning av transporter. Intervjuerna genomfördes på nio respondenter med olika befattningar inom transport och miljö. En klimatberäkning genomfördes på en husmodell från VårgårdaHus som arbetar med prefabricerade väggelement. Beräkningen bestod av tre fall. Ett fall med endast generiska värden i byggskedet. Två fall där beräkningen gjordes med specifika värden för transportsträckorna för två fiktiva arbetsplatser. Den insamlade informationen från de bägge delarna sammanställdes i slutet av arbetet.  Resultatet av beräkningen visar att klimatpåverkan vid användningen av generiska data för transport visade ett utsläpp 1296,7 kg CO2e. De specifika transportsträckorna resulterade i ett utsläpp av 693,0 respektive 495,9 kg CO2e under byggproduktionsskedet. Resultatet av intervjuerna visar att underlättning av klimatberäkningar för transport är möjlig vid förbättring av planering, insamling av data, samverkan mellan olika aktörer samt en högre kravställning från organisationen. / The Swedish Parliament have decided on a climate target of zero emissions by 2045. In recent years, the construction and real estate sector have accounted for about one-fifth of the total emissions and the transport sector accounts for a third of the total emissions in Sweden. Climate declarations must be initiated to achieve the climate goals set by the Swedish Parliament. The climate declaration is divided into the product phase and the construction-production phase. Part of the construction-production phase is the transport of resources to the construction site.  The problem encountered is the difficulties to obtain exact data for calculating specific transports during a construction project. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate how small house companies with prefabricated elements can design calculations for transport in a climate declaration. In this study, an interview part and a calculation part were carried out to gain an understanding of the challenges. The interviews were conducted on nine respondents with different positions within the transport and environment sector. A climate calculation was calculated on a house model from “VårgårdaHus” who works with prefabricated wall elements. The calculation consisted of three cases. The first case with only generic values during the construction phase. The calculations of the two other cases were conducted with specific values for the transport distances for two fictitious workplaces.  The calculations indicate that the climate impact regarding the use of generic data for transport showed an emission of 1296.7 kg CO2e. The specific transport distances resulted in an emission of 693.0 and 495.9 kg CO2e, respectively, during the construction production phase. The results of the interviews show that facilitating climate calculations for transport is possible by improving planning, data collection, collaboration between actors and higher requirements from the organization.

Efficient and effective road traffic prediction and management techniques are crucial in intelligent transportation systems. It can positively influence road advancement, safety enhancement, regulation formulation, and route planning to save living things in advance from road traffic accidents. This thesis considers road safety by predicting the number of casualties if an accident occurs using multiple traffic accident attributes. It helps individuals (drivers) or traffic offices to adjust and control their contributions for the occurrence of an accident before emerging it. Three candidate algorithms from different regression fit patterns are proposed and evaluated to conduct the thesis: the bagging, linear, and non-linear fitting patterns. The gradient boosting machines (GBoost) from the bagging, Linearsupport vector regression (LinearSVR) from the linear, and extreme learning machines (ELM) also from the non-linear side are the selected algorithms. RMSE and MAE performance evaluation metrics are applied to evaluate the models. The GBoost achieved a better performance than the other two with a low error rate and minimum prediction interval value for 95% prediction interval. A SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) interpretation technique is applied to interpret each model at the global interpretation level using SHAP’s beeswarm plots. Finally, suggestions for future improvements are presented via the dataset and hyperparameter tuning.