The connection between supply chain practices and firm performance - Evidence from multiple surveys and financial reporting data

siirretty Doriast

Mergers and acquisitions in electronic contract manufacturing

Siirretty Doriast

Varustamobarometri 2023

Vuoden 2023 Varustamobarometrin aineisto kerättiin joulukuun 2023 ja tammikuun 2024 välisenä aikana. Barometri ennakoi markkinatilanteen varustamoalalla kääntyvän huonompaan suuntaan, sillä usea barometrin indikaattori oli vuonna 2023 selvästi vuotta 2022 heikompi. 2023 barometrin saldoluku (-28) on selvästi negatiivinen. Vuodelle 2024 barometri ennustaa kuitenkin lievästi positiivistakehitystä. Merikuljetusmarkkinoiden suhdanteiden arvioi heikkenevän hieman suurempi osuus vastanneista verrattuna niihin, jotka arvioivat suhdanteiden paranevan. Näkemykset kuljetuskysynnästä ovat jossain määrin ristiriitaiset, ja heijastelevat Suomen talouden haasteellista tilannetta. Barometriin vastanneet arvioivat kuljetuskysynnän Itämeren ja Pohjanmeren merikuljetusmarkkinoilla kasvavan seuraavien 12 kuukauden aikana, mutta heidän näkemyksensä Suomen meriliikenteen tuonnin ja erityisesti viennin kehityksestä ovat pessimistisemmät. Yli puolet vastaajista arvioi tälläkin kertaa kilpailun merikuljetusten markkinoilla kiristyneen, ja kiristyvän myös seuraavien 12 kuukauden aikana. Näkemyksissä merirahtien ja polttoaineiden hinnoista näkyy selkeimmin yhteys maailmantalouden tilanteeseen. Vuosien 2021 ja 2022 korkeiden hintojen jälkeen hinnat ovat olleet tänä vuonna alhaisemmat, mutta erityisesti rahtihintojen arvioidaan kääntyvän nousuun seuraavien 12 kuukauden aikana. Merenkulun työvoimapula näkyy vastauksissa miehityskustannuksista. Miehityskustannukset sekä Suomen että muiden kuin Suomen rekisterin osalta arvioidaan nousseen huomattavasti, ja kehityksen arvioidaan jatkuvan myös tulevaisuudessa. Varustamot nimesivät työvoiman saatavuuden suurimmaksi esteeksi kasvulle. Tämä korostaa entisestään sitä, että merenkulkualan työvoimapulan ratkaiseminen on keskeistä sekä alan että Suomen pääosin merikuljetusten varassa toimivan ulkomaankaupan kilpailukyvyn turvaamiseksi. Yli puolet vastaajista arvioi liikevaihtonsa supistuneen vuonna 2023. Lisäksi ainoastaan 17 % varustamoista arvioi kapasiteettinsa käyttöasteen nousseen. Vuoden 2024 arvioidaan tuovan helpotusta tilanteeseen. 56 % varustamoista arvioi liikevaihtonsa kasvavan seuraavien 12 kuukauden aikana, ja vain 11 % arvioi liikevaihtonsa laskevan.--- Materialet för Rederibarometern 2023 samlades in mellan december 2023 och januari 2024. Barometern förutspår att marknadsläget inom rederibranschen kommer att vända i en sämre riktning, eftersom flera indikatorer i barometern var klart sämre 2023 jämfört med 2022. Saldotalet (-28) för barometern 2023 är klart negativt. För 2024 förutspår barometern dock en liten positiv utveckling. En något större andel av svarspersonerna uppskattar att sjötransportmarknadens konjunktur kommer att försämras jämfört med dem som uppskattar att konjunkturen kommer att förbättras. Synerna på transportefterfrågan står till viss del i konflikt med varandra och speglar den utmanande situationen i Finlands ekonomi. De som svarade på barometern uppskattade att efterfrågan på Östersjöns och Nordsjöns sjötransportmarknader kommer att öka under de kommande 12 månaderna, men deras syn på hur Finlands import och särskilt export via sjötransporter kommer att utvecklas är mer pessimistisk. Över hälften av svarspersonerna bedömer även den här gången att konkurrensen på sjötransportmarknaden har hårdnat och kommer att bli ännu hårdare under de kommande 12 månaderna. I åsikterna anses priset på sjötransport och bränsle ha en tydlig koppling till världsekonomins läge. Efter de höga priserna 2021 och 2022 har priserna i år varit lägre, men särskilt fraktpriserna förutspås vända och öka under de kommande 12 månaderna. Bristen på arbetskraft inom sjöfarten syns i svaren om besättningskostnaderna. Besättningskostnaderna både för Finlands och andra än det finska registrets del bedöms ha ökat markant, och utvecklingen antas fortsätta även i framtiden. Rederierna nämnde tillgången på arbetskraft som det största hindret för tillväxten. Detta betonar ytterligare att det är centralt att lösa arbetskraftsbristen inom sjöfartsbranschen för att trygga konkurrenskraften hos både branschen och Finlands utlandshandel, som i huvudsak förlitar sig på sjötransporter. Över hälften av svarspersonerna bedömde att omsättningen minskat 2023. Endast 17 procent av rederierna bedömde dessutom att utnyttjandegraden av deras kapacitet hade ökat. År 2024 uppskattas föra med sig lättnad i situationen. 56 procent av rederierna uppskattar att deras omsättning kommer att öka under de kommande 12 månaderna, och endast 11 procent uppskattar att omsättningen kommer att minska

Is There Business Potential for Sustainable Shipping? Price Premiums Needed to Cover Decarbonized Transportation

The shipping sector is encountering remarkable costs concerning decarbonization of the maritime business. Both the International Maritime Organization and the European Union are developing tools to limit greenhouse gas emissions of shipping. Given all the tools and planned regulations, it seems that energy efficiency and cost cutting would be a feasible strategy of the future. However, in addition to cost cutting, shipping with net-zero or zero emission fuels might be a way to promote sustainable shipping services. A growing consumer segment is ready to pay for sustainability-marketed consumer goods, and it is possible that people would be ready to pay for net-zero or zero emission shipping as well. Our objective is to pinpoint, how big price premiums would be needed to cover the costs of shipping with sustainable, and typically more expensive, maritime fuels. We do this by calculating the amounts of fuel needed to ship specific good categories at first, and then we estimate the costs of shipping these goods with alternative fuels. We analyze Finnish maritime foreign trade during the year 2018, the time prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. We estimate fuel consumption to the value and quantities of goods. Our findings indicate that a shift to low carbon and carbon neutral fuels would have a limited effect to the price of most goods

Cost competitiveness of alternative maritime fuels in the new regulatory framework

Shipping emissions are expected to grow together with world trade. For this reason, the European Union is targeting shipping emissions both by penalizing the use of fossil fuels and by creating incentives for the shipping sector to increase the role of alternative fuels. This research presents an estimate of when and with what assumptions low-carbon and carbon-neutral maritime fuels will be competitive against fossil fuels, while also examining what will be the cost impact on an individual vessel. The results show that the prices of low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels are likely to remain high compared with fossil fuels, here assuming the currently planned regulation. The planned regulation, together with the estimated fuel price developments, will significantly increase fuel costs. The cost-optimal fuel path complying with the planned regulation is from fossil fuels via biofuels to electrofuels

Maritime sector at verge of change: learning and competence needs in Finnish maritime cluster

Shipping plays an important role in the world, transporting over 80% of international trade and employing over 1.5 million seafarers. The maritime industry, including shipbuilding and equipment manufacturing, is extensive. Both of these interconnected businesses are facing rapid change caused by increasingly speedy technological development and the tightening of environmental regulation. This survey-based research analyzes the current and future competence needs of firms operating in maritime logistics and the maritime industry. The findings indicate that in both contexts, the increasing importance of various general competences is understood and the need is recognized in particular to improve those related to environmental regulation as well as technology and automation. Overall, the gap between current and desired levels of competence is expected to widen. In terms of education, this is likely to affect vocational training and university-level learning differently in that functional competences are emphasized more in the former and social and meta-competences in the latter

A comparative study of market potential for logistics outsourcing in Estonia and Finland

Purpose This research analyzes the development of logistics outsourcing market in two countries, Estonia and Finland, with different paths as members of the single European market. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the two markets have become more similar or whether their logistics costs and logistics markets have developed differently over time. Design/methodology/approach The development of the logistics market is addressed through two survey-based variables. Logistics costs are used to measure the size of the logistics market, whereas logistics outsourcing is analyzed to measure the development phase as well as the market potential for logistics service provision. Findings Estonian logistics outsourcing market was found to be underdeveloped and small compared to the Finnish market. At the same time, the logistics costs of Finnish companies are high and rising, whereas the costs of Estonian firms are declining. Research limitations/implications The results imply that the level of outsourcing might explain the visibility of logistics costs, which should be taken into account when making estimates on logistics costs both at the firm as well as on country level. Social implications Logistics sector is an important source of national competitiveness and employment. This research identifies subareas for the two countries on how to develop competitiveness through the logistics market. Originality/value This research provides a unique method to estimate the size of logistics outsourcing market in these two countries. It also represents as one of the rare works to provide multiyear comparison between countries in logistics costs.</p

ESTONIAN LOGISTICS MARKET 2018 SURVEY: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

Background: Estonian logistics market survey has been completed three times (during years 2007, 2012 and 2018), and this research reports development from the most recent survey concerning operating conditions and logistics costs as well as performance. Survey concerns manufacturing, trading and logistics service companies.Methods: Research data was gathered through an online survey executed during summer and early autumn of 2018. The survey received a total of 122 responses from manufacturing, trade and logistics service provision. Results of the study are compared to earlier years, and with the same approach completed Finnish logistics market survey.Results: Survey responses showed that Estonian logistics market has been experiencing overheating and the costs of logistics activities are clearly increasing. Logistics service providers have experienced negative effects resulting thereof more than manufacturers or trading companies. Inventories and delivery times have increased, which has resulted in longer cash conversion cycles. Other than inventory and lead time related supply chain metrics have developed positively, indicating that the overall performance in Estonian logistics has remained high.Conclusions: Increase of logistics costs and inventories remain as main future challenge for Estonian logistics. In other regards, development has been good, and quality of e.g. logistics services and customs have increased and is at high level.</div