Modeling the Activity of a Transport and Forwarding Enterprise When Performing International Road Transportation

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to improve the activities of a transport and forwarding enterprise in the delivery of goods by road transport in international traffic. The process of interaction between freight forwarders and service customers, taking into account their individual characteristics as business entities and service requirements was researched. The proposed development will allow managers of transport and forwarding enterprises to plan workforce provision, considering the duration of service for different customer categories. Methods. The determination of the duration and reliability of transport and forwarding services to customers in organizing international transportation was carried out based on a simulation model developed in the GPSS software environment. Results. The performance indicators of transport and forwarding enterprises depend on the efficiency of work organization by specialists within the enterprise, their interaction with customers, and involved intermediary organizations. The staff size of freight forwarders should be planned by the enterprise management, taking into account the flow of orders for service. Considering the main stages of transport and forwarding service to customers and the duration of their execution, the developed simulation model allows determining the following indicators: average service time, average queue waiting time, average queue length, the share of orders serviced without waiting in line, probability of service refusal, service reliability, load coefficient of freight forwarders, average number of occupied freight forwarders, enterprise throughput, and the number of freight forwarders needed for staffing the enterprise. Scientific novelty. The developed simulation model of a transport and forwarding enterprise's operation allows planning the work of a business entity based on the implementation of organizational and managerial measures to increase its competitiveness. Unlike the existing ones, the proposed model allows to study the structure of the flow of orders and the range of cargoes that arrive for service, which will ensure the possibility of planning the staffing of forwarders; to distribute the functional responsibilities of forwarders and forecast the duration of certain types of work. Practical significance. The practical significance of the paper lies in the fact that the proposed model allows evaluating the performance indicators of a transport and forwarding enterprise in organizing the export and import of goods for various customer categories. Based on the simulation results, the enterprise owner will be able to form workforce provision based on customer needs for service duration and reliability. In addition, a systematic approach to the organization of business processes will ensure significant competitive advantages of the enterprise in the market of transport and forwarding services.