The transition from freight consolidation to logistics(2)

The transition from freight consolidation to logistics

246R.K.Cheungetal./JournalofTransportGeography11(2003)245–253

otherselsewhere,andthestakesarepotentiallyhigherbecausetherearemanythreatstothecontinuedsu-premacyofthecity.Ontheair-cargoside,theairportrelocationin1998triggeredastructuralchangeoftheairfreightforwardingindustry(Wanetal.,1998).Many rmshaverelocatedtheirwarehousesandtransformedthemselvesfromforwarderstothird-partylogisticsser-viceproviders.Ontheocean-cargoside,however,thetransitionisataslowerpace.Thispaperdescribesindetailthecharacteristicsandoperationsofatraditionalindustrythatisspecialisingincontainerfreightconsol-idation.Thisindustryisbothatraditionalactivity,andonethatinnewerformsisimportanttologisticsandsupplychainmanagement.Thepaperexaminesthechallengesconfrontingthisindustry,andthroughde-tailedsurveysassessestheresponsesof rmstothenewlogisticsenvironment.Althoughthisisacasestudy,andwhileits ndingsareofspeci crelevancetoHongKong,thepaperisintendedtocontributetoagrowingbodyofliteratureontheadaptationofmaritimefreightindus-triestologistics.

2.LogisticsandthechangingroleofwarehousingTheliteraturesuggeststhatglobalisationisimpactingonthetransportationindustrythroughseveralinterde-pendentdevelopments,ofwhichthedemandsofthemarket,competition,andtheneedtoenhancepro t-abilityareamongthemostimportant.Thereisawideacceptancethatchangesinthemarketandinthede-mandsofshippersareforcingthetransportindustrytoadoptlogisticsservices(BrowneandAllen,2001).Manymanufacturingcompanieshavereducedoreliminatedtheirtra cdepartments,inordertoconcentrateoncorefunctions.Theyarecontractingouttheirtransportbusinesstospecialisedserviceproviderswhocanarrangeforthephysicaltransportofgoodsaswellasprovideintermediateservicesthatcanvaryfromstorageandconsolidationthroughtoinventorycontrolandsupplychainmanagement.Many rms,nomatterwhethertheyareformerintermediariessuchasforwardersorcarriersthemselves,arere-organisingthemselvesasThirdPartyLogisticsproviders(3PL)(GardnerandJohnson,1994).Thisinturnisgeneratingalotofcompetitionbetween rmsthatintheoldorderoftransportationbusinesswereseparateandcomplementary.Forwarders,shippinglines,terminaloperators,warehousingcompaniesandothersthatusedtobeseparatelinksintransportchainsarenowcompetingwitheachotherastheyeachstrivetoo erarangeoflogisticsservices(NotteboomandWin-kelmans,2001).Theyareeachtrespassingontheformerterritoryoftheothersectorsandarebeingpropelledbycompetitionintowideningtheirservices.Yet,theyneedtocommandeverlongerandlargersegmentsofsupplychains.Thisinturnhasputdownwardpressureon

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