Business integration between manufacturing and transport-logistics firms

Purpose - This paper analyses how manufacturers and transport-logistics service providers (TLSPs) work together and integrate their business processes. The information technologies used to support the integration, the processes currently integrated, and the expected future integration, are searched. Design/methodology/approach - Six in-depth case studies were conducted among leading companies in the electrical, electronics, mechanical, food processing, and transport-logistics industries. The data was collected using comprehensive semi-structured interviews. Findings - Most of the firms are coupled electronically through EDI. The current business integration practices are primarily restricted to some sub-processes in three key SC processes: Customer service management, order fulfillment and backwards logistics. In the future the manufacturers want a better integration with the TLSPs, but at the same time, manufacturers would like to have the freedom of breaking the relationship, if the party does not fulfill the requisites and expectations. The future developments associated to the "commoditization" of TLSPs’ services would reinforce this trend. Originality/value - This research has shed light on a relatively unexplored area related to the integration between manufacturers and transport-logistics firms. Our research has highlighted the complexity of the integration between the two echelons, and has helped to the identification of current areas of integration. This research has also contributed to understand how the integration occurs in real contexts, by uncovering with a high degree of detail, what manufactures do to integrate their business with the TLSPsSupply chain management; Business process integration; Information technologies (IT); Standardization; Manufacturers; Transport and Logistics Service Providers (TLSPs)

Transportkoncepter og IT-støtte: et undersøgelsesoplæg og nogle foreløbige resultater

Baggrund Udviklingen i informationsteknologien samt i fremstillings- og transportteknologien har sammen med liberaliseringen af verdenshandlen haft afgørende indflydelse på logistikudviklingen og på udviklingen af SCM-tankegangen. Mange virksomheder har for at kunne fastholde deres konkurrenceevne fokuseret på deres kernekompetence og outsourcet områder, hvor man har ment ikke at kunne fastholde tilstrækkelig effektivitet. Denne udvikling medfører, at der i mange forsyningskæder er behov for en tæt koordinering af opgavernes løsning mellem virksomhederne. Det kan give sig udtryk i ønsker om tættere samarbejde med kunder og leverandører specielt inden for områder, hvor konkurrencen er hårdest, og kravet om kundetilpassede produkter er størst. For standardprodukter (commodities), som kan købes mange steder, er der ikke nødvendigvis et ønske om et vedvarende samarbejde i forsyningskæden eller rettere det forsyningsnetværk, virksomheden er en del. Det kan f. eks. være en fordel ind imellem at skifte leverandører for at sikre den nødvendige omkostningseffektivitet. Alligevel vil der også her være stigende krav om fleksibilitet og kort responstid for at kunne leve op til udviklingen og ændringer i kundernes krav. I begge tilfælde stilles der krav til den enkelte virksomheds interne integration, men der stilles også krav til virksomhedens evne til integration med kunder og leverandører, uanset om de er midlertidige eller faste, og jo mere kundetilpassede produkter og ydelser, jo større er integrationskravene. 1 Udarbejdet som en del af et forskningsprojekt i informationsteknologi under centerkontrakten: Fremtidens transportkoncepter. 1 Et centralt værktøj i integrationen er IT. Internt i virksomhederne er det i de senere år kommet til udtryk ved implementering af mere eller mindre avancerede ERP-systemer, og eksternt via f.eks. EDI-opkoblinger til kunder og leverandører samt e-indkøb og handel på e-markedspladser. Det er dog åbenbart, at det faktiske integrationsniveau (internt og eksternt) baseret på IT er meget forskelligt - afhængig af den enkelte virksomhed - og at de mere avancerede løsninger primært er noget softwareleverandørerne og konsulentbureauerne præsenterer og noget, især de største virksomheder overvejer/forsøger sig med. I de fleste virksomheder anvendes IT primært til at holde styr på virksomhedens transaktionsdata, og egentlige beslutningsstøtteværktøjer er stadig meget primitive, ligesom IT-integration til eksterne parter også er begrænset (Nielsen et al 2002 og Møller et al 2003). Det er imidlertid åbenbart, at kravene til at kunne håndtere IT i forbindelse med beslutningsstøtte og i forbindelse med ekstern integration vil vokse på grund af konstante krav om øget effektivitet og om mere kundetilpassede produkter og ydelserNo keywords;

Hans Christian Andersen and the Blue Light

This article examines the development of energy law illustrated through the authorship of Hans Christian Andersen (1802-1875). The focus is on the implementing of city gas, which happened in the lifetime of H.C. Andersen. Based on the literary observations of H.C. Andersen the changes in the legal framework in energy law and other regulatory areas are analysed. H.C. Andersen’s references to gas lighting provides an emotional experience to change and an approach towards the empathetic understanding to make changing life recognizably human. With this reference I have availed of the opportunity to briefly describe the historical development of energy and laws which were introduced and developed into the modern legislation we now have. – Through his literary greatness H.C Andersen not only generates an attitude of respect toward energy but also widens horizons for lawyers when we look at the energy challenges on the global level

Hans Christian Andersen and the Blue Light

This article examines the development of energy law illustrated through the authorship of Hans Christian Andersen (1802-1875). The focus is on the implementing of city gas, which happened in the lifetime of H.C. Andersen. Based on the literary observations of H.C. Andersen the changes in the legal framework in energy law and other regulatory areas are analysed. H.C. Andersen’s references to gas lighting provides an emotional experience to change and an approach towards the empathetic understanding to make changing life recognizably human. With this reference I have availed of the opportunity to briefly describe the historical development of energy and laws which were introduced and developed into the modern legislation we now have. – Through his literary greatness H.C Andersen not only generates an attitude of respect toward energy but also widens horizons for lawyers when we look at the energy challenges on the global level

Foreword

No abstrac

Experimental observation of plasmons in a graphene monolayer resting on a two-dimensional subwavelength silicon grating

We experimentally demonstrate graphene-plasmon polariton excitation in a continuous graphene monolayer resting on a two-dimensional subwavelength silicon grating. The subwavelength silicon grating is fabricated by a nanosphere lithography technique with a self-assembled nanosphere array as a template. Measured transmission spectra illustrate the excitation of graphene-plasmon polaritons, which is further supported by numerical simulations and theoretical prediction of plasmonband diagrams. Our grating-assisted coupling to graphene-plasmon polaritons forms an important platform for graphene-based opto-electronics applications.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, revised version accepted by AP