Miquel Àngel Estrada’s proposals allow reductions in transport costs of between 7% and 12% in comparison with other systems

The thesis Análisis de estrategias eficientes en la logística de distribución de paquetería [Analysis of efficient strategies in parcel distribution logistics], by Miquel Àngel Estrada Romeu, holder of a doctorate in civil engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), is the winner of the 5th abertis award for research into transport infrastructure management, presented annually by the abertis-UPC chair. The piece offers solutions to improve the distribution logistics of parcel delivery companies and so cut their transport costs.

The winner was presented with his prize by the Managing Director of abertis, Salvador Alemany, who chaired the event together with the Catalan government’s councillor for regional policy and public, Joaquim Nadal, and the Rector of the UPC, Antoni Giró. The ceremony was held today at the Barcelona senior school of civil engineering of the UPC.

Miquel Àngel Estrada’s thesis offers solutions to the complex problem of how to optimise the distribution of parcels from many origins to many destinations. It does this by taking into account variables such as the capacities of transport vehicles, delivery times and the number of bays at each warehouse or consolidation hub. The proposals in this thesis reduce transport costs by between 7 and 12% in comparison with other systems currently used by companies in the sector.

The jury, which stressed the “high conceptual level and scientific rigour” of the thesis, was made up of Salvador Alemany (chairman of the jury), Josep Martínez Vila, José Vicente Solano, Antoni Brunet and Sergi Loughney (secretary) from abertis, together with Andrés López Pita, Félix Edmundo Pérez and Francesc Robusté, director of the abertis-UPC chair, from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

The abertis award is an initiative organised by the abertis-UPC chair in transport infrastructure management and represents one of its most important measures to foster research in this field. The award is open to all students at Spanish universities and carries a prize of 6,000 euros, as well as publication of the winning work.

The purpose of the abertis-UPC chair, set up in 2003 by abertis and the UPC, is to training and research in the sphere of transport infrastructure management.