Entraves na distribuição urbana de gás LP: um estudo de caso aplicado na região central de Belo Horizonte

Abstract

Brazil experienced a rapid economic growth at the beginning of the millennium, and was consecrated as the sixth largest economy in the world. It would be naive to assume that this growth does not bring with it significant structural changes to the country. Among the many changes brought by this economic growth, the great urban centers suffered a "swelling" and the structures of the cities are no longer enough tosupport the heavy flow generated. Consequently, several restrictions on the movement of cargo vehicles emerged, impacting the management of logistics enterprises staple products in large urban centers. When we seek to plan daily routes to major centers, we must consider not only the rules of movement in the region, but also some limitations that are intrinsic to their own consumers. In planning the routes to major centers is necessary to consider not only the rules of movement in the region, but also some restrictions intrinsic to the very end consumers, as the windowof time, either for lack of space does not allow a stock higher by because of a peak demand or restricted time for loading and unloading, for example in restaurants that do not have a unique entry for delivery of merchandise and not permit the delivery is made at lunch time, causing demand for a berth for loading and unloading is intense.Dealing with these peculiarities delivery for direct sales is one of the biggest challenges to logistics management strategic of Ultragaz that pioneered the distribution of LP Gas in Brazil, having started its operations in 1937 and leads cooking gas for almost the whole country. This study will focus on elucidating, through field research and by some experiences of Ultragaz, the difficulties in finding places for loading and unloading in the center of Belo Horizonte, the obstacles encountered and the impacts for not getting these vacancies or stop locationsprohibited. These vacancies, many times, are occupied by private vehicles forcing truck drivers to conduct deliveries in double rows or banned vacancies, which besides causing inconvenience, congestion, financial impacts, generate the possibility of accidents.