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Logistics in Forest Sector

Course developers

Prior knowledge

MežZ3034, Transportation of Timber

MežZ4023, Economics of Forest Resources

Course abstract

Students acquire knowledge of the basic principles of logistics and supply chain management and their specifics in the forest sector. The stages of the wood supply chain from felling planning to the delivery of wood products to end consumers, the activities to be performed, their planning, and mutual interaction are considered in detail. The course examines supply chain strategies, their selection conditions, achievable goals, and the planning process within the supply chain. With the help of the supply chain game, students practically gain an understanding of the principles of supply chain operation, the factors influencing it, the importance of information in planning and decision-making. Technological solutions for timber transportation, delivery planning, factors forming and influencing delivery efficiency and their management are discussed in detail. Students practically get acquainted with the support of information systems for planning activities in the supply chain management process and ensuring their execution, optimization tools and their application.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge of logistics and supply chain management and its role in the forest sector and the forest sector enterprise.
Knows how to effectively organize and manage logistics in a forestry company, how to manage the timber supply chain, from felling planning to delivery of timber products to end consumers, how to obtain and analyze the necessary information, how to plan, control plan execution, make adjustments and how to make decisions based on information analysis.
Exam in the form of a test using the LLU e-study system.

Course Content(Calendar)

LECTURES
1. Basic principles of logistics (2 hours)
2. Forest (wood products) logistics (deliveries) - peculiarities, differences in comparison with other goods logistics (deliveries) (2 hours)
3. Supply chains. Wood products supply chain (2 hours)
4. Planning process within the supply chain (2 hours)
5. Planning of separate production process activities within the wood products supply chain, felling planning (1 hour)
6. Planning of separate production process activities within the wood products supply chain, sales and supply planning (1 hour)
7. Planning of separate production process activities within the supply chain, logging planning. Physical flow of wood products within the supply chain. Wood product flow management (2 hours)
8. Planning of individual production process activities within the supply chain. Logging planning at logging district level (1 hour)
9. Remote management of wood products production and delivery processes (1 hour)
10. Transportation service. Work content, technological equipment, work organization, normative regulation (2 hours)
11. Cost of transportation service. Factors influencing costs. Service price calculation (2 hours)
12. Delivery planning (quarter, month, week, day) (1 hour)
13. Factors influencing the execution of the delivery plan, mitigation measures (1 hour)
14. Forest infrastructure. The role of forests and other roads in supply planning and execution. Availability, load-bearing capacity, restrictions on use. Digital roads. (1 hour)
15. Efficiency of supply. Factors shaping and influencing delivery efficiency and their management (2 hours)
16. Supply chain plan (monthly, quarterly, annual) execution management. Monitoring the execution of the plan. Corrective actions. Inventory management. (3 hours)
17. Development opportunities of forest logistics in Latvia (1 hour)

PRACTICAL WORKS
1. Planning process within the supply chain - supply chain game using computers and software (3 hours)
2. IS support in the supply chain management process, supply planning and execution. Optimization tools and their application (2 hours)

Requirements for awarding credit points

28 test questions both about the theoretical material obtained in the study course and about the tasks performed in practical work. Including one open question.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Literature studies for mastering the issues covered in the course.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Criteria for the final assessment of the study course: completely correct answered test questions. Points are awarded for correct answers: 28 correctly answered questions - 10 points, and 27-9, respectively; 26-8; 25-7; 24-6; 23-5; 22-4.

Compulsory reading

1.Praude V., Beļčikovs J. “Loģistika”. -Rīga, 2003. –540.lpp.
2.Sprancmanis N. “Biznesa loģistika”. – Rīga., 2003. – 360 lpp.
3.Jaunzems A. “Operāciju pētīšana”. Ventspils augstskola. Kursa materiāli. –Ventspils, 2003. –166 lpp.
4.Sprancmanis N. “Transporta pakalpojumu ekonomika un organizācija”. –Rīga, 2001. –283.lpp.

Further reading

1.“Biznesa ekonomika” Kjells Gunnars Hofs sadarbībā ar Karinu Marinsku, 2002, SIA Jāņa Rozes apgāds
2.“Vadības grāmatvedība 1.-4. daļa”, 1994, LR finanšu ministrija un Ernst&Young
3.“Mikroekonomika” Roberts Škapars, 2004, Latvijas universitāte
4.“Makroekonomika” Edgars Kasalis, 2000, Latvijas universitāte

Periodicals and other sources

1.University of Michigan https://michiganross.umich.edu/
2.Skogforsk
https://www.skogforsk.se/

Notes

The study course is included in the compulsory part of the MF academic education bachelor's study program "Forest Science".