B U S IN E S S DE C I S I O N -M A K I NG
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis
optimization can help plan this task.
Several constraints need to be taken
into account to reflect operational reality – including terminal handling capacities, demand availabilities and sequence
priorities – to represent operations with
terminal networks that use less-than-fulltruckload shipments. Within a few hours,
a huge number of alternatives can be
evaluated to identify the best schedule,
resulting in asset utilization improvements of 2 percent to 5 percent.
Transport loading. Transport loading is another interesting application of
math optimization that belongs to the
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family of knapsack problems, where
different loading setups are possible.
This gets even trickier if every load
is unique; for example, if the problem
needs to be solved on a daily basis
because customer orders change or
if loading sequence matters because
some items can be transported on top of
others but some cannot. Typical project
benefits are 2 percent to 4 percent of increased vehicle space usage.
Many companies’ operations are
executed by external service providers,
and this is where efficient procurement
becomes essential. Procurement cuts
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