Decision Support System for Real Time Vehicle Routing in Indian Dairy Industry: A Case Study

Introduction

The success of an organization depends on its ability to provide high quality products and services at low costs and on time, thus, exceeding customer expectations. Organizations compete on their ability to utilize their resources effectively and efficiently. The major objective of physical distribution is to ensure that products are available at the right place at the right time and in the right quantity to satisfy customer demand or to fulfill the requirements. As the complexity and importance of the physical distribution increase, the requirements of the design and control efforts of it increase. Since the vehicle control has a profound impact on the overall performance of physical distribution system, there is need for dynamic vehicle control methodology to effectively increase system performance.

Vehicle is considered as an important resource in a physical distribution system. Effective plan and control of vehicle operation can significantly reduce the cost of physical distribution system. To overcome the challenges of changing environment, the scheme of vehicle control of a physical distribution system should be dynamic.