Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (4/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 4 of

Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2009

This paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels in the period 2004 - 2009, with an emphasis on 2009. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information about social balance and the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. In terms of maritime cargo traffic, the downturn recorded during the last quarter of 2008 continued throughout 2009. Direct value added declined in all the ports in Flanders. Maritime branches as a whole contracted. Only the value added of the maritime branches in the port of Ostend remained stable. The non-maritime branches as a whole saw a contraction in all the Flemish ports. It was the port of Antwerp that suffered the most from the drop in the value added. Its maritime branches shrank by nearly one third. While the non-maritime branches were slightly down. The port of Ghent recorded a bigger decrease in the non-maritime branches. Conversely, the value added in the port of Zeebrugge fell more sharply in the maritime branches. Direct employment in the ports of Flanders as a whole declined during the year 2009. Except in Ghent, direct employment in the maritime branches fell in all the Flemish ports. Similarly, only one of them, the port of Ostend, recorded a rise in employment in the non-maritime branches. Thanks to this, it has been the only Flemish port to register direct employment growth. Investment decreased in all the ports in Flanders. The decline in investment was between one-sixth and one-fifth in the ports of Ghent, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. While Ostend recorded a cut of more than one third in its investment levels in 2009. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège decreased strongly in 2009. Direct value added and employment registered a significant decline. Maritime and non-maritime branches were down for both value added and employment. Thanks to the "other services" branch of activity, investment rose steadily. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels declined in 2009. Value added in this port remained steady. But employment contracted slightly. After the growth seen in 2008, investment was down by more than a quarter. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2009.branch survey, maritime cluster, subcontracting, indirect effects, transport intermodality, public investments

A Paradigm Shift: Supply Chain Collaboration and Competition in and between Europe’s Chemical Clusters

With the attention of the chemical industry focused on exploiting the low cost feedstocks in the Middle East and the growth markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South East Asia, this report provides a timely reminder to policy makers, chemical companies and logistics service providers of the significant opportunities for improving business potential in Europe’s chemical clusters. Europe is still the largest, most sophisticated global market for chemical products, with a well developed, efficient, highly productive asset base, sound infrastructure, leading edge research and development and significant purchasing power. Provided these advantages are sustained, including continued attention to asset maintenance and operational and supply chain improvements, Europe can remain a competitive force in the global market place, despite what the doom-mongers may say to the contrary. ..

Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (2/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 2 of

Characteristics of the European automotive system: is there a distinctive European approach?

"The paper discusses pro and cons concerning the hypothesis of a distinctive European approach regarding its automotive system. Its aim is to develop an international comparison of the structural changes in the international automotive industry. A special focus is laid on the ways of coordinating competencies and knowledge. What are the differences that set the European industry apart from its North American and Japanese competitors in this regard? The paper discusses EU market characteristics and particularities of the European demand structures, the history of specific European approaches in the area of production systems and new forms of work and the recent changes of supplier relations since the 1990s. The analysis shows that the approach taken in the course of the restructuring of the supplier industry in Europe led to the development of specific capabilities related to cross company and interorganisational cooperation in the 1990s which partially explains the successful development of the European auto industry in recent time." (author's abstract)"Das Paper diskutiert das Für und Wider der Hypothese eines besonderen europäischen Entwicklungsweges in der Automobilindustrie. Ziel ist, die gegenwärtigen Umstrukturierungen dieser Industrien mit einer international vergleichenden Perspektive zu erfassen. Im Zentrum steht die Frage nach der Koordination von Kompetenzen und Wissen: Welche Unterschiede lassen sich hier im Vergleich der europäischen Industrie mit der in Nordamerika und Japan feststellen? Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass insbesondere hinsichtlich der Reorganisation der Zulieferbeziehungen ein besonderer europäischer Ansatz entwickelt wurde, der zur Herausbildung spezifischer Formen der unternehmensübergreifenden und interorganisationalen Kooperation geführt hat. Die damit verbundenen Lernprozesse haben zu spezifisch europäischen Konzepten und Kompetenzen geführt, die wesentlich zu der relativ erfolgreichen Entwicklung des Automobilsektors in Europa in den vergangenen Jahren beigetragen haben." (Autorenreferat

Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (3/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 3 of

Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels - Report 2009

This paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Oostende, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow. This update paper provides an extensive overview of the economic importance and development of the Flemish maritime ports, the Liège port complex and the port of Brussels in the period 2004 - 2009, with an emphasis on 2009. Focusing on the three major variables of value added, employment and investment, the report also provides some information about social balance and the financial situation in these ports as a whole. These observations are linked to a more general context, along with a few cargo statistics. Annual accounts data from the Central Balance Sheet Office were used for the calculation of direct effects, the study of financial ratios and the analysis of the social balance sheet. The indirect effects of the activities concerned were estimated in terms of value added and employment, on the basis of data from the National Accounts Institute. In terms of maritime cargo traffic, the downturn recorded during the last quarter of 2008 continued throughout 2009. Direct value added declined in all the ports in Flanders. Maritime branches as a whole contracted. Only the value added of the maritime branches in the port of Ostend remained stable. The non-maritime branches as a whole saw a contraction in all the Flemish ports. It was the port of Antwerp that suffered the most from the drop in the value added. Its maritime branches shrank by nearly onethird. While the non-maritime branches were slightly down. The port of Ghent recorded a bigger decrease in the non-maritime branches. Conversely, the value added in the port of Zeebrugge fell more sharply in the maritime branches. Direct employment in the ports of Flanders as a whole declined during the year 2009. Except in Ghent, direct employment in the maritime branches fell in all the Flemish ports. Similarly, only one of them, the port of Ostend, recorded a rise in employment in the non-maritime branches. Thanks to this, it has been the only Flemish port to register direct employment growth. Investment decreased in all the ports in Flanders. The decline in investment was between one-sixth and one-fifth in the ports of Ghent, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. While Ostend recorded a cut of more than onethird in its investment levels in 2009. The volume of cargo handled in the port of Liège decreased strongly in 2009. Direct value added and employment registered a significant decline. Maritime and non-maritime branches were down for both value added and employement. Thanks to the "other services" branch of activity, investment rose steadily. The volume of cargo handled at the port of Brussels declined in 2009. Value added in this port remained steady. But employment contracted slightly. After the growth seen in 2008, investment was down by more than a quarter. This report provides a comprehensive account of these issues, giving details for each economic sector, although the comments are confined to the main changes that occurred in 2009

Competitiveness of Port-Cities: The Case of Marseille-Fos - France

This working paper offers an evaluation of the performance of the port of Marseille-Fos, an analysis of the impact of the port on its territory and an assessment of policies and governance in this field. It examines declining port performance over the last decades and identifies the principal factors that have contributed to it. The effect of the ports on economic and environmental questions is studied and quantified where possible. The value added of the port cluster of Marseille-Fos is calculated and its interlinkages with other economic sectors and other regions in France delineated. The paper outlines the impact of the ports? operations, and shows how their activities spill over into other regions than the one in which the port of Marseille-Fos is located. The major policies governing the ports are assessed, along with policies governing transport and economic development, the environment and spatial planning. These include measures instituted by the port authorities, as well as by local, regional and national governments. Governance mechanisms at these different levels are described and analysed. Based on the report?s findings, recommendations are proposed with a view to improving port performance and increasing the positive effects of the port of Marseille-Fos on its territory