Integrated Logistics Platform The context of the port relational exchanges and systematic integration

Doctoral thesis, 2012

With relentless global competition, the cutting edge of today’s business environment remains fully fledged within a vastly evolving market. For this, the port industry is confronted with challenges and opportunities at the same time. Challenges are evident in the ongoing logistics-restructured environment, and in the quest to keep the port efficient connecting node in supply chains. On the other hand, opportunities arise from a plethora of new scholarly articles addressing the port within themes of logistics, supply chain management (SCM), and value-adding chains. This evolving need brought the concept of an integrated logistics platform to life, which is the focus of this thesis. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the port industry in order to develop an integrated logistics platform concept through the identification of key elements and mechanisms for systematic integration as well as barriers that hinder the adoption of the concept. Increasingly, many researchers have admitted the changing role(s) of the ports within supply chains; and thereby it is not restricted to the traditional role of simple point of transshipment. To reflect on this, different theories and methods were used to explore major port involvement in supply chains, and more importantly, to derive relevant value-adding attributes that have linking functions. The interrelated nature of the SCM framework (network structure, business process, and management components) played a major role in identifying key elements and mechanisms that support the logistics platform’s systematic integration. Remarkably, the provision of distribution and value-added logistics activities within the gateway position of major seaports has become a source of competitive advantage and an important business model. An integrated logistics platform concept is one of these strategies aiming to integrate the sea/land interfaces with the inlandlogistics equation. The capability of integrating different forms of interfaces relies on the port organization to: support supply chain coordination in which all memberfirms work closely as if one single domain, adopt key business process integration by identifying linkages to logistics activities, and to enhance system optimization that allows supply chain visibility for the entire system.