Coursera Week 1 - Assignment - Supply Chain Logistics [PDF]

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Transportation Assignment 1. Calculate the distances and time between the locations mentioned on the tracking

statement. Initial location

Destination

Distance

Total time

ROGERS, MN

HAGERSTOWN, MD

1062 miles

86 hours 10 minutes

HAGERSTOWN, MD

NORTH WALES, PA

180 miles

7 hours 18 minutes

NORTH WALES, PA

VALLEY FORGE, PA

16.6 miles

6 hours 26 minutes

1258.6 miles

99 hours 54 minutes

Total

2. Identify the role that each leg of the journey plays (e.g. pick-up, line haul, delivery, etc.).

Date

Activity

Location

Role

Wednesday

10:04 am Shipment information sent to FedEx 4:00 pm Picked up

ROGERS, MN

Pick up

Thursday

1:37 am Left FedEx origin facility

ROGERS, MN

Line-haul

Sunday

3:47 pm Arrived at FedEx location

HAGERSTOWN, MD

Sunday

9:34 pm Departed FedEx location

HAGERSTOWN, MD

Monday

4:52 am At local FedEx facility

NORTH WALES, PA

Monday

7:30 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery

NORTH WALES, PA

1:56 pm Delivered

VALLEY FORGE

Line-haul

Delivery

3. Identify the mode of transportation that is likely used.

Date

Activity

Location

Mode of transportation

Wednesday 10:04 am Shipment information sent to FedEx 4:00 pm Picked up

ROGERS, MN

Motor Freight

Thursday

1:37 am Left FedEx origin facility

ROGERS, MN

Intermodal (Rail)

Sunday

3:47 pm Arrived at FedEx location

HAGERSTOWN, MD

Sunday

9:34 pm Departed FedEx location

HAGERSTOWN, MD

Monday

4:52 am At local FedEx facility

NORTH WALES, PA

Monday

7:30 am On FedEx vehicle for delivery

NORTH WALES, Motor Freight PA (Truck)

1:56 pm Delivered

VALLEY FORGE

Note

Rail is the cheapest and reasonably fast over long distances

Motor Freight (Truck) or Air Freight

4. Explain the routing between origin and destination (e.g. how much of a straight line

between origin and destination). Initial location

Destination

Distance

ROGERS, MN

HAGERSTOWN, MD

1062 miles

HAGERSTOWN, MD

NORTH WALES, PA

180 miles

NORTH WALES, PA

VALLEY FORGE, PA

16.6 miles

ROGERS, MN

VALLEY FORGE, PA

1258.6 miles

Explanation Total distance is 1258.6 miles.It is not a straight line. The route starts from Rogers to Hagerstown, moving up to the north in North Wales. Items were picked from the shipper in Rogers, MN to FedEx facility in Rogers,MN. Items were transferred in a long line haul facility in Hagerstown. In

FedEx facility in Hagerstown, shipment was sorted and sent to North Wales, PA. It is fairly a straight line from North Wakes to Valley Forge. The shipment was deconsolidated and delivered to consignee in Valley Forge, PA.

5. Analyze the efficiency of the routing (e.g. why the company likely chose this routing).

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Selection of routing of FedEx optimizes the efficiency of the process. FedEx has a local network of terminals across the country. FedEx uses several modes of transportation to the best of their advantages.

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From Roger, MN to Hagerstown, MD, with the distance of 1062 miles, rail is the cheapest and reasonably fast over long distances in terms of cost and fuel efficiency.

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FedEx has optimized the routing by combining the advantages of rail and truck as the freight can reach any spot a regular truck could reach. In reality, Intermodal freight shipments are typically much cheaper than TL.

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For short distances, using motor freight is more advantageous as it is fast and it can be found everywhere.

6. Express any areas of difficulty

Transportation cost, namely fuel cost. Improving the fuel efficiency of US vehicles is the single biggest step we can take to cut the country's oil consumption. Higher fuel price is the main contributor to the increase of transportation cost for FedEx. There are also several external factors such as the availability of vehicles for pick up and delivery. Sometimes, natural events such as storms, heavy rain,.... etc can partly affect the effectiveness of the routing. 7. Reflect on what you learned in this assignment.

This assignment enables me to acquire a profound understanding of different modes of transportation. The lessons also help me to understand that different modes of

transportation have competitive advantages and by combining them together, we can optimize the cost effectiveness as well as to distinguish when we should place an emphasis on cost or speed when it comes to consideration.