The company Snack Deliveries wants to review its distribution concept and wants to

optimize the distribution costs respectively the costs of transportation. The company

delivers chocolates and pastries to its retail customers.

An assortment is produced in four plants, in that each plant is responsible for a

specific sub$-$assortment.

In the order file $($Excel$)$ orders for $1$ complete month are listed.

The file is structured as follows:

$-$ Column $1$: Sequence number

$-$ Column $2$: Order number of each customer order

$-$ Column $3$: Postal code of the production plant of the ordered article

$-$ Column $4$: City name of the postal code of the manufacturing plant

$-$ Columns $5$ and $6$: Geo$-$coordinates of the factories

$-$ Column $7$: Customer number

$-$ Column $8$: Postal code of the customer

$-$ Column $9$: Location designation of the customer's postal code

$-$ Columns $10$ and $11$: Geo$-$coordinates of the customers

$-$ Column $12$: Desired date of the customer

$-$ Column $13$: Order position of an order $($in decadic steps$)$

$-$ Column $14$: Artiicle number

$-$ Column $15$: Order quantity in cartons

Task: Several distribution variants are to be checked. The following configurations and

combinations are possible:

a$.$ Supplying customers from four warehouses directly assigned to the respective

plant,

b$.$ Setting up a central warehouse to supply the complete country

c$.$ Establishment of $20$ regional warehouses.

Carry out estimates for the respective routes or tour lengths! Please observe the driving

time regulations of the drivers.

The total personnel costs in the warehouses are the same in all configurations.

Large customers can be supplied directly if the trucks can be sufficiently filled.

Semi$-$trailer trucks capable of loading up to $33$ pallets are used for transportation.

Smaller trucks with a capacity of $500$ cartons are used for deliveries from regional

warehouses.

It is assumed that each item is packed in a carton of L $=60$ cm$,$ W $=40$ cm and H $=30$

cm$.$ Each loaded Euro pallet can be up to $2\mathrm{.}4$ m high.

For each regional warehouse location $($for case c$),$ fixed costs of $10,000$ per month

are incurred; for the central warehouse and plant warehouse, fixed costs of $50,000$

per month are incurred. The movement of a pallet in the respective warehouse is

assumed to be $3.$ The transport costs per truck are estimated at $1/$km $($as the

prices are set by a logistics service provider, no return journeys are foreseen!$)$

To solve the task, please first get an overview of the distribution network:

$-$ How many cartons are shipped?

$-$ How many items are in circulation?

$-$ How many customers are served?

$-$ Where are the customers$$ and the plants$$ locations?

Please use the known methods for the solution of the tasks.