A Theoretical Research Framework of Future Sustainable Urban Freight Transport for Smart Cities

This paper aims to construct a theoretical research framework for sustainable urban freight transport (SUFT) from the perspectives of future urban development and distribution innovations, and appropriate research methods are discussed, as well. Urban freight transport plays a critical role in the promotion of sustainable and livable cities. According to the literature review, considerable research on SUFT has focused on resolving some specific problems with a short-term perspective. The existence of an urban freight transport strategy is noted, which should be embedded in an overall sustainable development strategy with a long-term perspective (approximately 20&ndash 30 years). Nevertheless, considerable research has paid scant attention to the long-term planning of SUFT. Given this, this paper contributes to the closure of this gap. First, this paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) to highlight published papers involving foresight research within the past 16 years (2003&ndash 2018). This step contributes to the understanding of research methods that can be used in foresight research. Subsequently, this paper discusses the impacts of both urban development and distribution innovations on future SUFT, and these effects are used to select the appropriate methods to construct the theoretical research framework. Finally, the theoretical research framework of long-term planning for SUFT is developed on the basis of two future perspectives: the trends of urban development and the application of urban distribution innovations. This framework is intended to provide an approach to designing sustainable urban logistics, taking into account urban development and distribution innovations. Document type: Articl

A research on operational patterns in container liner shipping

This article studies operational patterns in container liner shipping with the emphasis on End-To-End (ETE), Round-The-World (RTW), and pendulum patterns. The first research issue deals with their deployment on designing shipping routes on the East–West corridor. The second issue compares their operational characteristics to realize their strength and weakness. The empirical work is carried out using 2074 route records of the top 20 shipping lines from 1995 to 2011. During the period, ETE was the dominant pattern. From 81 to 93% of the surveyed routes operated under this pattern. Pendulum was in favour in the early 2000s, but its use later declined. Round the world had been expected as an innovation in the industry but it was employed limitedly. An important feature of RTW and pendulum patterns is to include multiple trades on a single route, which can bring about the advantages of traffic bundling and less fleet requirement. On the other hand, multiple trades result in more complexity of these patterns, displayed through long voyage distance and time, a greater number of visited regions and more ports of call. Additionally, the deployment of mega vessels is also restricted due to traffic discrepancy between trade lanes

Digital Transformation of Maritime Supply Chains Focusing on Ocean Shipping, Port Management and Hinterland Connection

For many years, shipping companies, terminal operators, port industry actors and logistics service providers have been successfully engaged in innovating their assets, processes and business activities. The best-known key innovation is the introduction of the standardized container. This innovation has been the basis for other innovations such as supply chain management, just-in-time delivery, port integration, ship size development and linked hinterland connections. The business world is abuzz with talk about automation, self-control, cloud logistics, electrification, green processes and dematerialization. However, the most important key innovation now and for the foreseeable future is related to digitalization and digital transformation of business activities. Digital transformation is widely understood as the process of implementing digital technologies and supporting capabilities to create digital business models. In this context, a rethinking of previous approaches to communication, coordination and cooperation between stakeholders along the supply chain is appropriate and necessary. The purpose of the present chapter is to reflect the opportunities and challenges related to this digital transformation, focusing on ocean shipping, port management and hinterland connectivity. This chapter aims to identify and characterize expectations, opportunities and peculiarities of this transformation, and to sketch a picture of the future. Particular attention is given to the influence of digital gaps, cultural differences and the power of data.001

Power in the Context of SCM and Supply Chain Digitalization: An Overview from a Literature Review

Background: Within highly complex supply chain networks, driven by the trend of digitalization, supply chain relationship management becomes one of the central enablers in increasing supply chain performance. While the influences of globalization and digitalization on the supply chains are increasing, the power allocation within several markets is centralized to a small number of companies. The objective of this paper is to investigate the research gap concerning the impact of power asymmetries on the supply chain, in addition to the trend of digitalization. Methods: A literature review on power, in the research area of supply chain management and logistics, is used to synthesize the current state of the art in this research field and to provide a comprehensive definition of the concept of power. Conclusions: While this paper provides an overview of the impact of power allocations, according to supply chain digitalization and in the present research of supply chain management, it also develops a definition of Power in Supply Chain Management in general. Linked to this definition, this research elaborates on the research gap between power allocations and the digitalization of the supply chain