Multimodal transport integration strategy to import steel slabs. A case study

In recent years, material imports in the steel industry has increased for several reasons, therefore efforts have focused on optimizing port logistics processes to increase their efficiency. The steel slab is a semi-finished steel product of rectangular section, obtained by continuous casting processes for its use in rolling mills to produce rolled steel rolls. On the other hand, the port of Brownsville represents for the company under study the main point for the importation of steel slabs. Due the demand growth of this material in the last years and the reduction of space in the closest yards to the unloading zone inside the port, the management of the material handling is indispensable. The case study presented on this article aims to reduce costs in their logistic processes in the importation of steel slabs starting on the material unload of the ship to the load of rail wagons that go to the manufacturing facility. Based on the methodology for the analysis of logistics processes a reduction of more than 30% of logistics costs was calculated.