Integrated Production and Distribution Planning in Software-Defined Mobile Supply Chains

At the heart of this  dissertation project is the efficient coordination of operational production and transport processes. In order to adequately take into account the existing interdependencies between production and distribution planning, current literature favors integrated rather than separate planning. It is assumed that the production sites are fixed because location decisions are more strategic in nature, can not be revised in the short term, and cause significant costs. An entirely new situation arises when mobile production units are taken into consideration, which can be put into operation relatively quickly. Since this can lead to a completely different allocation of production orders to specific locations, there are effects on numerous target values.
Initially, this dissertation project will combine approaches of integrated production and distribution planning with the planning of production sites in order to further improve the use of resources. In particular, the logistical effects resulting from the possibility of relocating production plants at relatively short notice are analyzed. In order to assess the advantageousness of mobile production units, it is necessary to evaluate the wide variety of target criteria in order to support the decision-making process.