Response of Fresh Food Suppliers to Sustainable Supply Chain Management of Large European Retailers

This article analyses new supply chain management (SCM) strategies of the largest retail distribution chains in Europe within the context of differing sustainability concepts and approaches. An analysis is carried out of the strategic plans of such retailers, as well as recent developments in the sector. We begin by identifying the priority actions of retailers and then evaluating, by means of a survey, how small horticultural marketing firms (mainly cooperatives) in southeast Spain respond to the needs of these retailers. Subsequently, an analysis is carried out on these small marketing firm exporters to identify the relative weight which they assign to the variables assessed, while also considering the existing relationships between said weighted variables and business profits. Our results show that retailers tend to establish more simplified supply chains (that is, shorter and more vertical), essentially demonstrating their interpretation of a sustainable supply chain. In contrast, horticultural marketing firms have concentrated more on tactical and operational issues, thereby neglecting environmental, social and logistics management. Thus, their success rate in meeting the sustainability demands of their customers can be considered medium-low, requiring a more proactive attitude. Improved and collaborative relations, and the integration of sustainability concepts between suppliers (marketing firms) and their clients could contribute to successfully meeting sustainability demands. From the point of view of the consumer, close supplier–retail relationships have solved food safety issues, but the implementation of sustainability in other supply chain activities and processes is a pending issue. We propose strategic approximation and collaboration to bridge the gap between the varying sustainability demands in the supplier–retail relationship within perishable supply chains. Although this article specifically addresses fresh vegetable supply chains, the results may be extrapolated to other agri-food chains with a similar structure

Improving the efficiency of Port Community Systems through integrated information flows of logistic processes

The aim of the paper is to investigate maritime logistic processes, focusing on efficiency and coordination. The topic is timely because, in the European context, the EU Directive no. 2010/65/EU imposes the adoption of digital procedures concerning documents and information, in order to facilitate the relationships between all the actors of a port community system (PCS). From a theoretical viewpoint, we adopt the evolutionary economic approach, since it helps to understand the change processes due to its focus on organizational routines and their institutionalization. From a methodological viewpoint, we adopt a case-study approach, investigating the port of Salerno (south of Italy), which is involved in the “Smart Tunnel Project”, whose aim is to create a platform for intelligent logistic services. As a result, we provide a model that aims to replace the old inter- organizational routines with new more efficient ones, also improving the knowledge of the logistic processes through a facilitation of the exchange of documents and information between all the involved actors

The Effect of Shared Planning by Road Transport Firms and Shipping Companies on Performance in the Intermodal Transport Chain: the Case of Ro-Ro Short Sea Shipping

In recent years short sea shipping, and specifically the so-called motorways of the sea, have increasingly become the focus of attention in the area of European Union transport policy. As an intermodal alternative to door-to-door unimodal road transport, the success of short sea shipping is dependent on properly functioning interaction among agents in the chain, particularly shipping companies and road transport firms. Taking the road transport firm perspective, this study aims to evaluate the extent to which shared planning between agents explains the firm’s performance in the context of the intermodal relationship, and explores the key antecedents for shared planning in this context. The research hypotheses were tested on a sample of 106 relationships between shipping companies and road transport firms. Our study contributes to the literature on intermodality and short sea shipping by providing evidence on how shared planning positively benefits the road transport firm performance. The results also demonstrate that two factors––namely, trust in the shipping company and the road transport firm’s involvement through adaptations to the partner––largely determine shared planning

An Agent-based Approach for Improving the Performance of Distributed Business Processes in Maritime Port Community

In the recent years, the concept of “port community” has been adopted by the maritime transport industry in order to achieve a higher degree of coordination and cooperation amongst organizations involved in the transfer of goods through the port area. The business processes of the port community supply chain form a complicated process which involves several process steps, multiple actors, and numerous information exchanges. One of the widely used applications of ICT in ports is the Port Community System (PCS) which is implemented in ports in order to reduce paperwork and to facilitate the information flow related to port operations and cargo clearance. However, existing PCSs are limited in functionalities that facilitate the management and coordination of material, financial, and information flows within the port community supply chain. This research programme addresses the use of agent technology to introduce business process management functionalities, which are vital for port communities, aiming to the enhancement of the performance of the port community supply chain. The investigation begins with an examination of the current state in view of the business perspective and the technical perspective. The business perspective focuses on understanding the nature of the port community, its main characteristics, and its problems. Accordingly, a number of requirements are identified as essential amendments to information systems in seaports. On the other hand, the technical perspective focuses on technologies that are convenient for solving problems in business process management within port communities. The research focuses on three technologies; the workflow technology, agent technology, and service orientation. An analysis of information systems across port communities enables an examination of the current PCSs with regard to their coordination and workflow management capabilities. The most important finding of this analysis is that the performance of the business processes, and in particular the performance of the port community supply chain, is not in the scope of the examined PCSs. Accordingly, the Agent-Based Middleware for Port Community Management (ABMPCM) is proposed as an approach for providing essential functionalities that would facilitate collaborative planning and business process management. As a core component of the ABMPCM, the Collaborative Planning Facility (CPF) is described in further details. A CPF prototype has been developed as an agent-based system for the domain of inland transport of containers to demonstrate its practical effectiveness. To evaluate the practical application of the CPF, a simulation environment is introduced in order to facilitate the evaluation process. The research started with the definition of a multi-agent simulation framework for port community supply chain. Then, a prototype has been implemented and employed for the evaluation of the CPF. The results of the simulation experiments demonstrate that our agent-based approach effectively enhances the performance of business process in the port community

How technology can advance port operations and address supply chain disruptions

Supply chain disruptions continue to be a significant challenge as the world economy recovers from the pandemic-related shutdowns that have strained global supply chains. Shocks challenge the adaptability and resilience of maritime ports. The reaction of automated container terminals to supply chain disruptions has renewed interest, given the dramatic scenes of ships anchored for weeks. In this dissertation, I provide a vision of how technology can enhance a port’s ability to anticipate and handle shocks by improving coordination, cooperation, and information exchange across port stakeholders. The vision will be helpful for academics and practitioners to perform research that advances theory and practice on the use of advanced technologies to improve port operations. I use complex adaptive systems theory to develop a qualitative cross-case study of the ports of Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Rotterdam. I examine the effect that automation and other technologies have had on the efficiency of these ports, both in daily operations and during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using critical tenets of complexity and with a rigorous application of the case study method, I develop theoretical propositions and practical insights to ground the vision of the port of the future based on current practices. The findings from the cross-case study suggest that automated terminals were more efficient during the pandemic than non-automated terminals. I propose that transitioning to higher levels of automation, supported by emerging technologies like blockchain and the internet of things, will make ports more resilient to supply chain disruptions when those systems are coordinated through Port Community Systems

The impact of Port Community Systems (PCS) characteristics on performance

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of the port community system (PCS) and its influence on port performance. The techniques of principal component analysis and structural equation modelling are applied to 153 valid responses from a sample, obtained from Portuguese port community experts. The results identify and measure the factors that characterize the PCS and affects port performance. PCS characteristic, including service level, partner network, ship services, cargo services, logistics services and advanced services, affect port performance, defined as operational performance, effectiveness and efficiency. The primary contribution of this study is to show the mechanisms that allow ports to adjust and evolve the PCS characteristics and develop new features that affect port performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The sustainable development of the European logistics industry: an analytic approach at micro and macroeconomic levels

A large re-structuring process is running in the European logistics market. The main driving forces come from the globalisation of the Economy, encouraged by the decrease of the unit transportation costs and by the contemporaneous upgrading of the labour level costs and the legal environmental costs. So, a good logistics system has become a must for the competition at both micro and macro-economic levels. Given the effectiveness of the single deliveries of goods, the main problem is to increase efficiency of the logistics services. From the micro-economic point of view, the problem consists in minimising the costs of the production processes of goods management services. In Europe, in particular, we are watching a large re-organisation of the logistics enterprises and of their territorial networks to achieve the best scale and scope economies of production. At the macroeconomic level, the problem is to estimate the rate of the logistics services on the GDP. In this paper we investigate the European logistics market transformations both from microeconomics and macroeconomics points of view. Thus, we will analyse the investments of the logistics sector as well as the logistics supply value as a component of GDP and its contribution to the International balance of commerce. Moreover, the infrastructures system quality (railways, roads, telecommunication, ports, airports, etc.) will be considered as a base asset for the reduction of the private costs of service production and as a territorial resource for the sustainable vehicles circulation.

Supply Chain Integration Barriers to Port-Centric Logistics—An Emerging Economy Perspective

Despite the growing interest in supply chain integration and port performance in the maritime literature, there is a lack of detailed studies into the barriers to integration in port-centric logistics. This study explores the barriers to port-centric supply chain integration from an emerging economy and multistakeholder perspective by using the DEMATEL (Decision Making-Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) analysis technique. The findings indicate that institutional requirements, lack of awareness by stakeholders, and port-centric supply chain integration all significantly impact supply chain projects that have been designed to offer maximum value to customers at a low cost. Other crucial barriers include the absence of benchmarking standards and lack of an innovation culture. The policy and managerial implications are explained