IV. Distribution
Once successfully implanted into Romania, Harris Rebar,
Inc. will need to distribute its products
to its customers. Rebar is an
extremely heavy product and Harris Rebar will need to choose methods of
transporting rebar to construction sites in Europe.
i. Transportation Methods
Romania offers all the traditional methods of
distribution; Harris Rebar could choose from trains, trucks, planes, and boats.
a. Rail
Romania has a total of 11,385 km of railways of which
3,888 km are electrified. 10,898 km are standard gauge, 60 km are broad gauge,
and 427 km are narrow gauge. These railways extend into all neighboring
countries where they connect with the rest of Europe (Appendix E).
b.
Roads In Romania, there are 198,603 km of roads of which 113 km
are expressways. However, only 98,308 km of these roads are paved and their
suitability for truck traffic is unknown. In general, it is presumed that the
“European Roads” are habitually used for this type of distribution already and
could suit the needs of Harris Rebar (Appendix F).
c. Air
Romania boats 62
airports (25 paved and 36 unpaved). The
main airports are Bucharest Otopeni, Timisoara, Arad, Cluj, and Sibiu
International Airports. Of the paved airports, only 4 are over 3,047 km, 9 are
between 2,438 and 3,047 km, and 12 are between 1,524 and 2,437 km (Appendix G).
There is also one heliport. While air transportation is present and available,
it would unlikely suit the needs of Harris Rebar due to the incredible weight
of rebar.
d. Sea
Romania has 1,731 km of waterways connected to its 225 km
of coastline on the Black Sea. The largest waterway is the Danube River, which
connects to the Black Sea via a navigable canal. The Black Sea then connects up
with the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorous
Straits via the Marmara Sea. Romania’s main ports and harbors are: Braila,
Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, and Tulcea.