Many global supply chains benefit from the operational flexibility and distribution efficiencies provided by logistics clusters, yet we have a relatively poor understanding of these vital nodes. This lack of knowledge is even more pronounced when the broader economic benefits are considered.
In this series Becky Anderson goes behind the scenes of the world’s major transport hubs, revealing the logistics that keep goods and people moving. We may not always give it much thought, but supply chains are all around us, and logistics is what makes the world tick.
Theory is important in supply chain research, by helping us make sense out of chaos, but what is theory, what constitutes a valuable theoretical contribution and how can theoretical deliberations produce richer explanations and practical applications in supply chain research?
In our quest for greater efficiency and greater choice, are we really developing robust global transport networks or simply building a house of cards? That is what the Supply Chain and Transport Risk Initiative, nested within the Risk Response Network of the World Economic Forum is trying to answer.
Obviously, selecting the right third-party logistics provider (3PL) for your supply chain is an important decision in supply chain risk management, but not every country decides in the same manner. While Americans focus on commitment, Germans appear to rely more on trust. Why is that?
Historically, third-party logistics providers, or 3PLs, provided traditional logistics services, such as transportation and warehouse management, and nothing more than that, but 3PLs have evolved to becoming orchestrators of supply chains that create and sustain a competitive advantage.
Outsourcing and relying on a third-party provider for logistics, or 3PL in short, can be quite a cost-saver, but is not without caveats. While there are significant benefits, there are also a number of challenges: current requirements, future growth, information exchange and security.
Supply chain flexibility is a decisive factor in avoiding supply chain disruptions. One major contributor to supply chain flexibility is the flexibility of the logistics provider, and a recent paper develops the construct of transport flexibility within the context of supply chain strategy.
I’ve been travelling this week, which is why there haven’t been any posts for a while, and on my trip I experienced first hand the latest innovation in aviation logistics: Point Merge. Effectively, this new system is nothing more than Just-In-Time in practice. Why does this make flying better?
Time is important and a supply chain works best when it is on time. For trains it is imperative to be on time and in 1944, Hans Hilfiker (1901-1993), a Swiss engineer and designer and employee of the Federal Swiss Railways, created a clock, which has since become known as the “Official Swiss Railways Clock” and a national icon.
One seemingly small link in the supply chain of goods is pallets; those little timber crates on which most goods are secured for movement and handling. Despite their relatively small role, how we think about them and how we use them can have a massive knock on effect to the whole supply chain.
What are the most common supply chain and logistics risks in Germany? What risks does the logistics industry perceive? This study separates business risks from logistics providers risk, that is a novel approach, and this is perhaps the most complete overview of supply chain and logistics risks I have seen to date.
NOFOMA is the place to pick up the most recent trends in logistics and supply chain research and NOFOMA 2011 will be hosted in Harstad, Norway, June 9-10, 2011. It may be a bit early, but the deadline for paper submission is only some two months away.
This is not so much a book about risk management in logistics, but more a book about resilience management in logistics, where the authors develop a brilliant framework for how to improve a company’s resilience.
This paper presents the five cornerstones of logistics as an academic discipline, and shows how logistics in fact can act as an integrative platform over a wide range of different issues at the micro meso and macro level.
Flexible supply chains can indeed “flex” their supply chain management muscles (pun intended) and show the strength that lies in them. With transportation being a key ingredient in any supply chain, much of this strength comes from flexibility in transportation.
What is at the forefront of current research in supply chain management and logistics right now? I know, thanks to to Gyöngi Kovács at interorganisational.org, who attended the NOFOMA 2009 conference.
I like mixing ideas, and my approach to logistics, or supply chain management is no exception.
What is SCM really, is it just a new name for logistics or is it possible to distinguish certain perspectives?
Basically, the two, management and logistics, are living side-by-side, more or less unaware of that they need to intersect.
