This paper presents a Lean Logistics-based intervention to optimize the reverse logistics and cargo settlement processes of the company's secondary distribution (T2) fleet, responsible for customer deliveries and reverse logistics operations at EMBOL Cochabamba, the official Coca-Cola bottler in Bolivia. The operation is distributed across three geographically separated facilities — Piñami 1, Piñami 2, and Piñami 4 — which generates redundant routes, extended waiting times, and critical bottlenecks during the daily settlement cycle. Using a four-stage methodology grounded in Lean principles, the study: (1) diagnoses operational inefficiencies through Gemba observation, time-and-motion studies, and Ishikawa cause-effect analysis; (2) designs and formalizes the process through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a RACI responsibility matrix; (3) incorporates Lean tools including 5S and Business Intelligence dashboards for real-time visual management; and (4) validates the proposed improvement through discrete-event simulation using FlexSim, with probability distributions fitted via ExpertFit. The simulation results demonstrate a 12.13% reduction in average Lead Time — equivalent to a saving of 84.98 minutes per operational cycle across a fleet of 90 trucks. The economic analysis shows that the investment of 327,504 Bolivian Bolivianos (Bs.) can be recovered within 4.19 months through direct fuel savings, and that the proposal avoids 255.19 tonnes of CO₂ annually. These findings confirm that the centralization of logistics operations in a single facility is technically viable, financially profitable, and environmentally beneficial, representing a replicable strategy for reverse logistics optimization in the beverage distribution sector.

Keywords

Reverse Logistics, Lean Logistics, Discrete-Event Simulation, Lead Time Reduction, Beverage Industry