3.3. General rules of transportation process technology
Technology of cargo transportation process is a way of carrying out a specified transportation process by given personnel through dividing the process into a system of follow up stages and operations performed for the purpose of achieving high efficiency of transportation.
Objectives of technology are intended for reduction or deletion of all cargo-irrelevant operations, and transforming the cargo transportation process into a more target-oriented process.
The essence of cargo transportation technology is defined by means of two main concepts: stage and operation. A stage is a set of operations which enable performance of a given process. An operation is an even, logically indivisible part of transportation process aimed at achieving particular goal and is performed by one or many executors.
Three properties characterize any technology of cargo transportation process, such as division of transportation process, coordination and succession, definiteness of actions.
Division of cargo transportation process into stages is delimitation of liabilities for executor of a given technology. Any operation should provide approach of the object under management to the identified objective and transition from one operation to another. The last operation of a given stage should be an introduction to the following stage.
Coordination and succession of actions intended for achieving exact goals should be based on internal logics of cargo transportation process functioning and development.
A technology is no ‘tabula rasa’ as it maintains connections with technology of the past and future. Technology of today is founded on principles allowing its transformation into the technology of the future.
Any technology presumes definiteness of the stages and operations included into it. Deviation from one operation influences the entire technological chain.
For a start, the technology of the entire cargo transportation process is developed. Then the technology of every stage in the technology is devised. When the technology for all stages has been developed, they should be revised from the point of view their technological unity.
3.4. Basic concepts of cargo transportation process
To avoid semantic problems, we shall define here some basic concepts of cargo transportation process.
Transportation process is a total of operations from the moment of making up of cargo to the moment of delivery of cargo to the consignee linked with moving of goods in space without changes of geometrical form, size and physical and chemical properties of the cargo.
Process of shipment refers to a total of loading operations in the point of loading, transshipment operations in the points of cargo transfer from one transport mode to the other, temporary storage of cargo, transportation proper, and of unloading operations in the point of unloading.
Cycle of transportation process defines a production process referring to cargo transportation when the stage of driving up of the transport vehicle for loading, stage of loading, transportation and unloading are performed. The finite cycle of transportation process is sometimes called a trip.
Operation of translocation refers to that part of shipment process which is carried out by one mechanism, a system of mechanisms, or manually.
Transportation is an operation of cargo translocation along a specified route from the point of loading to the point of unloading or transshipment.
Complement of cargo presumes one or many operations of cargo translocation with intent of selecting the goods from various points of storing, delivery and uniting to create a complex required for production or other purpose, such as dispatching to the consignee, consumer, etc.
Storing is an operation concerning cargo translocation focused on keeping the required amount of translocated cargo of the same type. The given operation is caused by specificity of production or other reasons.
Packing refers to the operation of enlargement of the cargo unit by laying smaller cargo units onto a palette or into a tare of large size in a strictly defined order with a specified spatial orientation, and if needed, with following fastening of the packet.
Warehousing is an operation of locating cargo in a specified order for the purpose of temporary storing of cargo.
Loading defines an operation of cargo translocation from the place of its permanent warehousing or temporary storing to the transport vehicle.
Unloading stands for an operation of cargo translocation from the transport vehicle to the place of its permanent warehousing or temporary storing.
Transshipment is an operation of cargo translocation from one transport vehicle to another or from one place of warehousing to another.
Shipment refers to a total of similar cargo units being translocated simultaneously along a common route (according to a single transportation document).
Transport product is a mass of cargo in natural expression delivered from the place of production to the place of consumption.
The experience of transportation management shows that not all the cargo loaded in the point of production in transport vehicles is delivered to the place of consumption. The reason for that is loss of cargo, damage to cargo, cargo decrement, etc.