Integrated Research Report Spring $2023-2023$ Year $2$ Students Guidelines:

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completing this assessment, students should be able to:

Compare different transport networks and different distribution strategies.

Develop a basic plan of a fleet by taking the principles of Transport Costs, Transport Networks and Distribution strategies, Fleet$/$Vehicle Routing into consideration.

Apply methods to find the shortest routes for the deliveries to minimize transport time and costs $($Vehicle routing$).$

Apply methods to calculate how many times within a week they will be assigning each vehicle on this route within the given vehicle's constraint.

Compare and Evaluate shipment consolidation strategies.

Develop report writing skills.

Learning Opportunities:

Practical application of theory. Effective co$-$ordination and teamwork. Advanced critical thinking. Efficient information skimming and analysis. Clear communication of ideas. Logical explanation and reasoning. Interpretation of ideas.

Modules Involved:

PSIM $2\mathrm{.}2$ Transportation Chain Simulator IV

PECON $2\mathrm{.}2$ Maritime Economics

PENG $2\mathrm{.}2$ Transport English IV

PPOR $2\mathrm{.}2$ Warehousing

PSHI $2\mathrm{.}2$ International Trade

PTRL $2\mathrm{.}2$ Supply Chain Management

Groups Allocation: Students are required to form groups consisting exclusively of $5$ members. Under certain circumstances, a $6$th member may be assigned to a group at the discretion of the teachers.

Supervision: Each group will be assigned a supervisor. The list of assigned supervisors will be communicated through a separate notice.

IRP Coordinator: Yazan Al Marzouqi

Submission Method: Via Turnitin on Moodle. Assignments will be uploaded via Turnitin, and any assignment found to be plagiarized will not be corrected.

Weight: Varies for each module.

Referencing and Bibliography: Assignment must include in$-$text citations and bibliography according to Harvard referencing style.

Ethics and Academic Integrity: All work must conform to the expected levels of ethics and academic integrity.

Strategic Supply Chain Optimization: Enhancing Logistics, Distribution, and International Trade for SSC Integrated Research Project

Assessment:

As part of a logistics and transportation management consultancy, working as a team, your role involves addressing the logistical challenges faced by the leading supermarket chain, "Suwaiharah Shopping Centre" $($SSC$),$ in Oman. Currently, SSC operates three stores in Muscat, Sohar, and Dank, in addition to maintaining two warehouses in Nizwa and Ibri.

In light of the company's strategic expansion plans to inaugurate ten new stores across various locations, including Adam, Qurayyat, Filim, Sur, Duqm, Thumrait, Salalah, Shalim, Al Kamil, and Taqah, there is a pressing need to reassess the sufficiency of the current transportation fleet's capacity.

Your assessment involves a comprehensive re$-$evaluation and redesign of the distribution network, alongside the development of a new warehouse layout, with the objective of optimizing distribution costs. This initiative necessitates a meticulous investigation into potential distribution networks, aiming to enhance efficiency and minimize expenses associated with the distribution process. Your efforts will be crucial in ensuring that Suawiharah Shopping Centre logistical operations are wellequipped to support its expansion while maintaining cost$-$effectiveness and operational efficiency.

The primary objectives of this assessment are to analyze and propose strategic improvements across various aspects of supply chain and logistics operations for SSC$.$ This includes devising cost$-$effective vehicle routing strategies to minimize transportation costs, designing a future$-$proof distribution network considering truck capacities and store demands, optimizing inventory management to reduce stockouts and improve efficiency, selecting optimal Incoterms to enhance international trade operations, and adapting to maritime economic trends for global supply chain resilience. Through comprehensive analysis and strategic planning, the report aims to offer actionable recommendations to streamline SSC$\text{'}$s logistics$,$ reduce operational costs, and improve overall supply chain efficiency, thereby contributing to SSC$\text{'}$s long$-$term success in a competitive landscape.

Objective Part A $($Current Plan$)$: Designing Transportation Networks

First meeting with Suawiharah Shopping Centre Manager

Your team conducted its initial meeting with the Suawiharah Shopping Centre's manager, which unfolded as follows:

$"$As the manager of our shopping center, overseeing the expansion and operational efficiency of our retail network is among my top priorities. With the inclusion of $10$ new stores, we're facing a logistical challenge that is critical to our network's success. Our goal is to minimize total transportation costs for direct shipments to these locations, while managing a weekly combined demand of $200$ metric tons from these stores.

To aid in this endeavor, I have prepared $2$ tables to facilitate the design of our tr