Transportation is one of the most frequent problems in the business world. The major feature of the problem is that there are many warehouses and many delivery places. The objective of solving this problem is to find the amount of goods that should be sent from each warehouse to each customer while minimizing cost.Unfortunately, understanding the process and interpreting the results are not easy tasks. The method is very complex. The result is in the form of a table. We might say that it is not a friendly user-interface.In this thesis, we will create an application which uses a window as an interface, and uses minimal storage.Borland C++ v.4.0 is chosen to handle the implementation, and Borland Object Windows (class) Library for C++ v.2.0, OWL, is used for the interface. Therefore, this application operates on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, but not on DOS. / Department of Computer Science

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering, October 2015 / A single case study of a major third party logistics provider (3PL) in South Africa was completed for this research. A total of four warehouses, including 43 workers partook in the study. The primary objective of this research was to determine how well employees within the warehousing industry understand Lean principles, and to illustrate the gap in Lean knowledge between the employment levels, i.e. Managers, Supervisors and Material Handlers. Group-administered questionnaires were used as the principle means of gathering data. All participants for each respective warehouse were present in a “classroom” format during completion of the questionnaires. The author was also present during all sessions to ensure consistency and to clarify any questions that participants had. The questionnaire tested each participant’s understanding with regards to seven key Lean principles in warehousing. These seven principles were identified from previous research on Lean within warehousing. The results gathered from the questionnaires were then validated using semi-structured follow-up interviews. It was found that a real gap in Lean knowledge exists between Managers and Material Handlers (shop-floor workers). Managers understand the key Lean principles within warehousing, as well as the importance thereof. While the employees actually working on the floor do not. The main reasons for this are due to a lack of suitable training and knowledge sharing. Based on the seven key Lean warehousing principles, the following were identified in the study as the most important ones to focus on: Continuous Improvement and Visual Management. These are believed to be basics in warehousing. However, employees still seem to struggle with the true understanding and significance thereof. It is imperative that the understanding of Lean principles and the involvement of management exist when striving to be successful with Lean. The gaps in Lean knowledge have been identified and laid out in this report. The reasons for each gap have also been investigated and discussed in detail. Finally, pertinent areas have been highlighted to assist with the development of Lean training material. This will ensure that the current gap of Lean understanding among warehousing employees is closed.

This thesis describes the development and implementation of an Interleaving Warehouse Layout Model. Traditionally, the space allocated to items in a warehouse is determined on the basis of inventory cost considerations. With space requirements taken as given, the actual assignment of items to locations in the warehouse is carried out independently. Assuming an interleaving ("dual command") order picking method and the simple economic order quantity inventory model, it is demonstrated that the quantity and location problems must be considered simultaneously in order to achieve a minimum total cost (order picking cost plus inventory cost). A heuristic optimization technique is developed and applied to a set of realistic, hypothetical problems. This model allows warehouse management to assess the tradeoffs in handling costs among various stock arrangements and reorder quantities to achieve a minimum total cost. / Master of Science

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in container volume shipment within intermodal transportation systems. Container terminals as part of the global port system represent important hubs within this intermodal transportation system. Thus, the need to improve the operational efficiency is the most important issue for container terminals from an economic standpoint. Moreover, intermodal transportation systems, ports and inland transport facilities should all be integrated into one coordinated plan. More specifically, a method to schedule different types of handling equipment in an integrated way within a container terminal is a popular topic for researchers. However, not many researchers have addresses this topic in relationship to the simulation aspect which will test feasible solutions under real container terminal environment parameters. In order to increase the efficiency of operations, the development of mathematical models and algorithms is critical in finding the best feasible solution. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasible solution to find the proper number of Yard Trailers (YTs) with the minimal cost for the container terminals. This study uses the Dynamic YTs operation's method as a background for modeling. A mathematical model with various constraints related to the integrated operations among the different types of handling equipment is formulated. This model takes into consideration both serving time of quay cranes and yard cranes, and cost reduction strategies by decreasing use of YTs with the specific objective of minimum total cost including utilization of YTs and vessel berthing. In addition, a heuristic algorithm combined with Monte Carlo Method and Brute-Force Search are employed. The early Stage Technique of Monte Carlo method is proposed to generate vast random numbers to replicate simulation for real cases. / The Brute-Force Search is used for identifying all potential cases specific to the conditions of this study. Some preliminary numerical test results suggest that this method is good for use in conjunction with simulation of container terminal operation. The expected outcome of this research is a solution to obtain the proper number of YTs for transporting containers with a minimum cost; thus, improving the operational efficiency in a container terminal. / by Yueqiong Zhao. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A set of technical issues are addressed related to benchmarking best practice behavior in warehouses. In order to identify best practice, first performance needs to be measured. There are a variety of tools available to measure productivity and efficiency. One of the most common tools is data envelopment analysis (DEA). Given a system that consumes inputs to generate outputs, previous work has shown production theory can be used to develop basic postulates about the production possibility space and to construct an efficient frontier which is used to quantify efficiency. Beyond inputs and outputs warehouses typically have practices (techniques used in the warehouse) or attributes (characteristics of the environment of the warehouse including demand characteristics) which also influence efficiency. Previously in the literature, a two-stage method has been developed to investigate the impact of practices and attributes on efficiency. When applying this method, two issues arose: how to measure efficiency in small samples and how to identify outliers. The small sample efficiency measurement method developed in this thesis is called multi-input / multi-output quantile based approach (MQBA) and uses deleted residuals to estimate efficiency. The outlier detection method introduces the inefficient frontier. Both overly efficient and overly inefficient outliers can be identified by constructing an efficient and an inefficient frontier. The outlier detection method incorporates an iterative procedure previously described, but has not been implemented in the literature. Further, this thesis also discusses issues related to selecting an orientation in super efficiency models. Super efficiency models are used in outlier detection, but are also commonly used in measuring technical progress via the Malmquist index. These issues are addressed using two data sets recently collected in the warehousing industry. The first data set consists of 390 observations of various types of warehouses. The other data set has 25 observations from a specific industry. For both data sets, it is shown that significantly different results are realized if the methods suggested in this document are adopted.

The research problem addressed in this study was to analyse and report on the potential use of Spoornet’s excess warehousing to support the Industrial Development Zones (IDZs) in the Eastern Cape. In order to achieve this objective, a literature study was undertaken to ascertain the world-class practices for warehousing. A study was conducted on Spoornet strategy in order to determine whether the company can apply its existing strategy for warehouse operations. The empirical results obtained, indicated that there would be a need for warehousing to support the IDZs in the Eastern Cape. There would be opportunities for storage of raw materials, distribution of parts for production, and finished goods to be delivered to consumers. Spoornet has gained ground on its competitor with respect to logistics and has progressed with its “Freight Logistics Solution” initiative. In conclusion it was recommended that Spoornet uses its existing strategy and convert their goods sheds into world-class warehousing. The warehouse space can be used as a trade-off to gain rail clients.