OPTIMIZING CONTAINER UTILIZATION

Abstract

With the continuing globalization of the economy, the volume of container shipments by sea has significantly increased.  A key concern in the transportation industry is to design efficient and effective loading schemes for maximizing container space utilization, thereby reducing the container shipment volume, and saving logistics costs and delivery time.  Therefore this research seeks to find a method for an optimal number of cantons, and for arranging a loading plan to achieve container space utilization by introducing optimization computer software.

This is a case study of an export company in Thailand.  Solving the company’s problems reduces transportation cost and reduces order cycle time by applying logistics and supply chain collaboration to increase effectiveness and efficiency by all the parties concerned.  This will also enhance customer satisfaction and enable the company to become more competitive in the market.