The transition from freight consolidation to logistics(9)

The transition from freight consolidation to logistics

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

leasingsuchasActivityBasedCostingmighto er(see,forexample,Horngrenetal.(1996)).

AweaknessoftheCFSindustryisitsdependenceonforwarderstoprovidebusiness.Asintermediariesthemselves,forwardersarefacingpressuresonpro t-abilitythatforcesthemtochoseconsolidatorsbasedonpriceconsiderations.Theyareforcingadownwardpressureonprices,withoutanyconcomitantim-provementindeliveryschedulesthatcouldhelptheconsolidatorsbetterutilisetheirresources.Thustheconsolidatorsarebeingforcedtoreduceprices.ServicechargesinHongKongÕsconsolidationindustryhavebeendecliningsince1995,fromjustover$50HKto$35HKpercubicmeter(CBM)in1998.Thelowerchargesareperilouslyclosetoservicecostlevels.

TheresponsetoincreasedcompetitionintheCFSindustryhasbeentoreduceprices,therefore.Thesurveyrevealsthatthereisabeliefamongtherespondentsthatmanysmaller rmswillnolongerbeabletostayinbusinessbecauseofrisingcostsandfallingprices.Op-portunitiestocompetebyimprovingservicesisnotastrategytheindustryhaspursued,mainlybecauseofthepassivenatureoftherelationshipwiththecustomers,thevariabilityofthe owofgoods,andthedi culty(andunwillingness)ofapplyingITinresourceplanningandoperationsmanagement.3.3.Opportunitiesinlogistics

TheentiremarinetransportsectorofHongKongisfacingchallengesfromadjacentports.Thereisawide-spreadacceptancethattheindustrycannotcompeteinpricingandwillhavetomaintainitscompetitivead-vantagebyo eringhighvalue-addedlogisticsfunctions.TheCFSsectorisnoexception.Confrontingthedi -cultiesoutlinedinthispaper,individual rmsandtheCFSAssociationarecomingtoplaceagreatdealofhopethatbyaddingnewlogisticsfunctionstheycansurviveandprosperinthenewregionalenvironment.

Howrealisticarethesevisionsofthefuture?Whatlo-gisticsactivities,ifany,cantheCFSsectorberealisti-callyexpectedtoo er?Whatproblemsarelikelytobeencountered?Thesecomplexquestionsareaddressedinthefollowingparagraphs.

Inordertoprovidesomeanswerstothequestions,twoparallelsurveyswereundertaken.The rstwasanextensionoftheinitialquestionnaire,inwhichpartici-pantswereaskedtoidentifythekindsoflogisticsac-tivitiesthatwereconsideredmostsuitable,thepotentialcostsofprovidingtheseservices,andthemostsuitableproductsforlogisticsadoption.Follow-upinterviewswereheldwithallthecompaniesparticipatinginthesurveytoelaborateonsomeofthepositionsheldre-gardingthepotentialsforlogisticsadoptionintheCFS.Oneoftheauthorsspentatotalofthreemonthsstayinginthese rmsandtheirwarehousesforfurtherinfor-mationcollectionanddataveri cation.Asecond,lessstructured,surveythroughpersonalinterviewswasun-dertakenofeightmajorpotentiallogisticscustomersintheelectronics,garment,andretaildistributionindus-tries,aswellasgroupssuchastheHongKongLogisticsAssociationandtheHongKongShippersCouncil.InanopeninterviewformatwesoughttheopinionsoftheintervieweesonthetrendsinlogisticsinHongKong,theirviewsofthepotentialroleofCFS rmsinlogistics,andthespeci cobstaclesthatwerepresent.Theper-spectivesofthesepartieswereobtainedinordertoprovidearealitycheckonthepositionsofthemembersoftheCFSindustry.

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