Optimization of wood transportation routes for two load vehicle combinations
Name: GABRIEL MADEIRA DA SILVA GUANAES
Publication date: 24/03/2023
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| NILTON CESAR FIEDLER | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| FLAVIO CIPRIANO DE ASSIS DO CARMO | External Examiner * |
| NILTON CESAR FIEDLER | Advisor * |
Summary: The transportation of wood is one of the most important activities in the forestry industry, as it allows the flow of forest products to processing and market areas. Therefore, efficient planning of transportation routes, aiming to reduce travel time, increase vehicle capacity, and optimize routes, is crucial to ensure safe operations, cost minimization, and preservation of forest resources. Thus, this research aimed to determine optimal routes for the
transportation of wood using bitrains and tritrains, based on the application of network analysis techniques. For this purpose, the research was conducted in a study area corresponding to the boundaries of a Forestry Regional from a forestry company in Paraná, Brazil. The necessary database for this research was composed of the study area boundary, the road network, the slope map, the supply and demand points, and the transportation costs. The research was conducted following the following methodological steps: 1) Preparation of the database; 2) Update of the road network attribute table; 3) Generation of
the slope map; 4) Extraction of individualized supply and demand points; 5) Intersection of slope classes with the road network; 6) Introduction of slope weights into the model; 7) Creation of network analysis; and 8) Determination of the best Commercial Vehicle Combination (CVC). After the application of the methodology, the results showed that the closest route was the one that transports wood from supply point 4 to demand 1 in all scenarios. The farthest routes were those that transport wood from supply points 5 and 6.
Additionally, it was found that the bitrains have an average cost that is 20,29% lower than tritrains, which made the transportation cost of wood using bitrains lower than that of tritrains in all evaluated scenarios. These results allowed us to conclude that network analysis is an important tool for the logistic and operational planning of determining optimal routes for the transportation of wood using bitrains and tritrains. It was concluded that, for the evaluated
scenarios, the bitrain presents lower transportation costs, making it more economically viable than the tritrain, and the implementation of tritrain transportation systems is not indicated in the presented scenarios.
Keywords: Forest logistics, Forest transportation, Network analysis, Vehicle routing
