New trends in logistics in Europe : report of the one hundred and fourth round table on transport economics, held in Paris on 3rd-4th October 1996 on the following topic

179 Pages·1997·2.612 MB·English

by  OECD

ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE
NEW TRENDS IN LOGISTICS
ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE
REPORT OF THE
HUNDRED AND FOURTH ROUND TABLE
ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS
held in Paris on 3rd-4th October 1996
on the following topic:
NEW TRENDS IN LOGISTICS
IN EUROPE
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS
OF TRANSPORT (ECMT)
The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) is an inter-governmental
organisation established by a Protocol signed in Brussels on 17 October 1953. It is a forum in
which Ministers responsible for transport, and more specifically the inland transport sector, can
co-operate on policy. Within this forum, Ministers can openly discuss current problems and agree
uponjoint approaches aimed atimproving the utilisation and at ensuring therational development
ofEuropean transport systems of international importance.
At present, the ECMT's role primarily consists of:
- helping to create an integrated transport system throughout the enlarged Europe that is
economically andtechnicallyefficient, meetsthehighestpossiblesafetyandenvironmental
standards and takes full account ofthe social dimension;
- helpingalsotobuildabridgebetweentheEuropeanUnionandtherestofthecontinentata
political level.
The Council of the Conference comprises the Ministers of Transport of 36 full Member
countries: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.),
Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. There are five
Associate member countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States) and
four Observer countries (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Morocco).
A Committee ofDeputies, composed ofsenior civil servants representing Ministers, prepares
proposals for consideration by the Council of Ministers. The Committee is assisted by working
groups, each of which has a specific mandate.
The issues currently being studied - on which policy decisions by Ministers will be required
-include the development and implementation ofapan-European transportpolicy; the integration
of Central and Eastern European Countries into the European transport market; specific issues
relatingtotransportbyrail,roadandwaterway; combinedtransport; transportandtheenvironment;
the social costs oftransport; trends in international transportand infrastructureneeds; transportfor
the disabled; road safety; traffic management, road traffic information and new communications
technologies.
Statistical analyses oftrends in traffic and investment arepublished yearly by theECMT and
provide a clear indication ofthe situation in the transport sector in different European countries.
As part of its research activities, the ECMT holds regular Symposia, Seminars and Round
Tables ontransporteconomics issues. Theirconclusions areconsideredbythecompetentorgans of
the Conference under the authority of the Committee of Deputies and serve as a basis for
formulating proposals for policy decisions to be submitted to Ministers.
TheECMT's Documentation Serviceis oneoftheworld's leadingcentresfortransportsector
data collection. It maintains the TRANSDOC database, which is available on CD-ROM and
accessible via the telecommunications network.
For administrative purposes the ECMT's Secretariat is attached to the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Publie egalement en francais sous le titre :
LES NOUVELLES TENDANCES DE LA LOGISTIQUE EN EUROPE
Further information about the ECMTis available on Internet at thefollowing address:
http://www.oecd.org/cem/
© ECMT 1997 - ECMTPublicationsare distributedby: OECDPublications Service,
2, rue Andre Pascal, F-75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GERMANY
STABENAU,H(cid:9)5
FINLAND
OJALA,L (cid:9)35
FRANCE
COLIN, C(cid:9)93
SUMMARY OFDISCUSSIONS
(RoundTable debate onreports)(cid:9) 153
LIST OFPARTICIPANTS (cid:9) 169

GERMANY
Hanspeter STABENAU
Chairman ofthe Board
StiftungDeutsche Aussenhandels- und Verkehrs-Akademie (DAV)
Bremen
Germany

SUMMARY
1. NEW LOGISTICS TRENDS(cid:9)9
1.1. The importance oflogistics forthe competitiveness offirms in
trade and industry(cid:9)9
1.2. The reduction in the level ofin-houseproduction (cid:9) 11
1.3. The globalisation ofall economic processes(cid:9)13
1.4. The growing importance ofservices formarketing industrially
finished goods (cid:9)14
1.5. Conclusion(cid:9)15
2. THE INDIVIDUALISATION OFLOGISTICS SERVICES(cid:9)15
2.1. Transformation ofthe transport function(cid:9)15
2.2. The reduction in the level ofin-house logistics services(cid:9)16
2.3. Industrialisation ofthe production oflogistics services (cid:9) 18
2.4. Individualisation and industrialisation - a contradiction in terms?...20
3. POLARISATION OFEUROPEAN LOGISTICS CENTRES(cid:9)21
3.1. Transportgrowthproduces clustereffects(cid:9)21
3.2. The development ofnodes based onlogistics centres(cid:9)24
3.3. The effects ofnetworking European logistics centres(cid:9)31
4. THE ROLE OFEUROPEAN TRANSPORTPOLICY TO PROMOTE
NETWORKS OFEUROPEAN LOGISTICS CENTRES(cid:9)32
BIBLIOGRAPHY(cid:9)34
Bremen, April 1996

1. NEW LOGISTICS TRENDS
1.1. The importance of logistics for the competitiveness of firms in trade
and industry
Over the past few years, the importance of logistics in determining how
firms perform on the market has become increasingly apparent. In principle,
market performance depends on three factors, each of which has a significant
impact on afirm's competitiveness. The three factors are:
Productquality;
Productprice;
Product supply.
All three factors are directly affected by logistics. A crucial element of
quality is whether or not a firm is flexible enough to react swiftly to market
changes. A high degree of flexibility greatly enhances the physical quality of
products and ensures that product development is constantly geared to customer
requirements.
Product price is affected by the cost of logistics which, in the case of
industrially-finished products, can account for 10 to 60 per cent of total costs
(10 per cent in the case of high-value electronic equipment, for example and
60 per cent in the case of fresh dairy products). A 20 per cent saving on
logistics costs as a result ofreorganising logistics operations means a reduction
in total costs of between 2 and 12 per cent. In some cases, potential savings
such as these can have a decisive impact on afirm's ability to compete.
Differences at the level of product supply are becoming more and more
acute. Increasingly, it is the quality of supply that determines which
manufacturerhas the edge over his competitors. Services involved in marketing
industrially-finished products span a wide spectrum, ranging from rack service
in the retail industry, through on-site assembly at product destination, to sales
promotion and financial services.