Optimizing Internal Logistics in Manufacturing Facilities: Analyzing Alternative Transportation Routes for Cost-Effective and Flexible Solutions

This study aims to optimize the internal logistics processes in manufacturing facilities by analyzing alternative transportation routes and providing optimum solutions. Challenges such as increasing product variety, complex supply chains and uncertain demand structures have made the management of logistics processes increasingly critical. Using vehicle routing methods such as Dijkstra and k-shortest path algorithms, the study determines the optimum transportation routes between facility locations by considering competitive priorities such as cost, quality, delivery speed and flexibility. In this study, data related to internal logistics processes were analyzed and a distance matrix was created using the savings algorithm. Based on this matrix, optimum routes were calculated using the k-shortest path algorithm. As part of the application, suitable routes were determined for materials that need to be transported between storage depots, production and assembly areas within a manufacturing facility. The developed method minimized transportation costs and increased flexibility in internal transportation processes. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of collaborative transportation strategies and verified the feasibility of the proposed approach through alternative scenario analyses. The study provides a model that serves as a guide not only for the existing facility but also for different industries with similar internal logistics processes.