An optimization of distribution network in polymers’ industry

This Master thesis examines the current distribution network of a European Polymers trading company and provides different optimization possibilities. The thesis problem does not only focus on costs aspect but also on responsiveness to customers’ orders, as according Chopra & Meindel (2013) the logistic fit is very important. In order to achieve the most accurate results of the optimization, some econometric models were conducted which reveals information about transport costs and their determinants. One still observes that the most important aspect in road transportation is the distance. Besides the spatial optimization of the distribution network, which according to the thesis should allow to save 6% of the total costs, some additional opportunities were proposed, such as leverage of usage of Light Weight Semi-Trailers.