Transport as a fundamental axis in the supply chain

It is by this means that about 80% of the country’s cargo is transported.

The success of a supply chain is directly related to the design and proper use of its transportation system. Finished products, raw materials and inputs move between customers and suppliers throughout a territory and it is the timely and efficient management of the transport system that gives added value to the products when they are delivered in optimal times, in perfect condition and in the required quantities. Moreover, transport is one of the key factors in customer satisfaction rates.

Transport also represents one of the highest costs in the supply chain, has a representative impact on product prices and is involved in the relationship with suppliers, customers and companies competing in the same market.

To paraphrase Acosta de Valencia (2004), in Colombia «Freight transport is a fundamental activity (…) that allows a product to reach the final consumer, generate the circulation of goods and dynamize the economy». Likewise, «the transport system must integrate the main production and consumption zones of the country, and therefore, the demand and transport costs play a determining role in the final price of goods». Freight movement is equivalent to 1/3 and 2/3 of total logistics costs.

Among the different modes of freight transport in Colombia, road mobilization is of fundamental importance. It is by this means that about 80% of the country’s cargo is transported. That is why an effective administration of the transport system requires a routing system (VPR) that allows the optimization of the process of distribution of goods and as a consequence, the reduction of time and total costs, adding value to the products that are transported.

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