R Shiny App for Logistics Disposition

Challenge

The appropriate allocation of transport resources is one of the central challenges in logistics. Not only must demands be accurately identified in advance, but it must also be ensured that the necessary transport resources arrive punctually at the right location to load the goods. Our client, an international logistics company, faced the challenge of translating a custom-developed disposition logic based on mathematical optimization into a user-friendly application.

Approach

Following an initial requirements workshop, a complete data model of the application was developed and implemented in MySQL. Subsequently, based on client wireframes, the various views of the application were developed in R Shiny and JavaScript. The application includes, in addition to various standard Shiny functions, custom JavaScript developments such as cross-application filters, interactive selections in charts, modal popups, and other interactive components. Only interactive Highcharts were used for visualization. Additionally, a user concept with roles and permissions was implemented in Shiny.

Result

Our client now conducts all disposition planning based on the new tool. The application meets all the requirements from the specialist department and management. In addition to an appealing design, the tool also performs complex mathematical optimizations running in the background to optimally allocate available transport resources.