Logistics Optimisation After Brexit and COVID-19

Two recent events have significantly affected logistics operations. Brexit has resulted in depressed demand, reduced trade, and fewer goods moving between the U.K. and E.U. It has also led to mandatory border checks, delays at ports, and concerns over drivers' availability and proficiency in operating. The COVID-19 outbreak has generated high costs and disruptions for logistics companies. Many businesses are struggling to operate under COVID-19 restrictions due to a reduced workforce or difficulty maintaining safety in the workplace. The combination of significantly depressed demand and increased cost and uncertainty within supply chains will significantly impact the effectiveness, efficiency, fairness, and costs of all sectors of logistics transportation, and need to be integrated into logistics management.

This project will leverage the industrial knowledge of the professional body, CILT(U.K.), in logistics management. Combined with fundamental research in mathematical modelling and algorithmic engineering, we will approximate the optimal routing, packing, scheduling, delivery, and other aspects of logistics management. With better efficiency in this sector, we will support the needs of U.K. businesses, boost their competitiveness, stimulate economic growth in emerging markets, and improve people's quality of life.