Regional valuation of infrastructure improvements. The case of Swedish road freight

Is it possible to identify regional differences among shippers in their valuation of infrastructure improvements? The question is analysed within a random utility approach where parameters are estimated by a logit model. Data consists of a Swedish stated preference study from 1992. The results indicate that regional differences may exist but a considerable heterogeneity in the empirical material prohibit robust results in some cases. However, regional differences seem to exist when industrial mix, shipping distance and goods values are held constant. Independent of the limitations, the results should render implications to any infrastructure benefit analysis where parameters from spatial averages are used. The results are based on short term decisions and one should recognise that parameters may vary under mid- and long- term.Regional preferences; road transportation; freight demand; stated preference analysis; random utility models; logit model

Estimation of interregional freight flows with a gravity model by OLS estimation, Poisson and neural network specifications

In this paper we compare three different specifications of gravity models for inter regional freight flow prediction. The most used specification with OLS estimation is compared with a model where data are assumed to be Poisson distributed. We also compare these with a Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network. Data consists of freight flows between Norwegian counties. The attribute describing the nodes is population and distance in kilometers gives the friction on transport links. Since we here only are interested in inter regional flows all intra regional flows are excluded. Results are also compared with an earlier study by Bergkvist and Westin (1997) were all data were used. Estimations indicate that OLS compared to Poisson and Neural Network specifications will produce worse predictions. However, the question on how to compare performance is not undisputable and of great importance since different measures can produce quite different results, not just in scale but also in ranking. When non-linear models are used the lack of a simple interpretable R-square measure as in linear regression is evident. We therefore use different measures of performance and discuss their pros and cons. Bergkvist E. and Westin L. (1997) Estimation of gravity models by OLS estimation, NLS estimation, Poisson and Neural Network specifications. Submitted to "Analytical advances in Transportation Systems and Spatial Dynamics." Eds. Gastaldi M. and Reggiani A.

Design suggestions of Holmen Skog new wood terminal in northern Sweden

Holmen Skog befinner sig i en besvärlig situation när det kommer till virke-sanskaffningen då cirka 70 procent av skogsinnehavet är i norra Sverige och deras industrier befinner sig i södra och mellersta Sverige. Detta leder till att det krävs långväga transporter för att leverera virket till industrierna. Placering och designen på en virkesterminal spelar stor roll för kostnadsef-fektiva och säkra leveranser, vilket i sin tur påverkar lönsamheten. Designen bör utformas så att interntransporterna och hanteringen av inkommande och utgående virkesvolymer minimeras samt att tiden för omlastning hålls nere. Denna studie, som gjorts på uppdrag av Holmen Skog AB har syftet att ta fram tre designförslag på hur nya virkesterminaler kan byggas utifrån de årsvolymer som terminalförslagen ska hantera. Dessa är 300-, 500- respek-tive 700 000 kubikmeter. Holmen Skogs krav på terminalen är även att den skulle hantera både rundvirke och flis samt att omsättningshastighet och buf-fert skulle vara högst två veckor. Metodiken som valdes för framtagningen av lagerdesignen baserades på Mohsen (2002) designmetod, ramverk för design av lagerhuslayout. Ramver-ket har modifierats för att vara tillämpbar på en virkesterminal. De faktorer, frånsett byggkostnaden, som främst påverkar kostnaden för en terminal är mätsystem, maskinpark, investerings- samt driftkostnader. Av dessa är det driftkostnaderna samt kostnaderna för maskinparken som på-verkar kostnaden mest. Totalkostnaden per hanterad kubikmeter för de två större terminalerna är relativt lika. Den minsta terminalen är dyrare per han-terad kubikmeter.Holmen Skog is in a difficult situation when it comes to roundwood acquisition as most of their forest is located in northern Sweden, while their industries are in southern Sweden. As a result of this they need to transport the wood long distances. The design of the terminal affects the profitability of the company. The focus on the design should therefore be to minimise unnecessary transportation, as well as of handling the wood, in order to minimize the costs. The purpose of this study, which has been ordered by Holmen Skog, is to present three design suggestions on how a terminal should look. The vol-umes which the terminals will handle is 300-, 500- and 700 000 cubic meters. Holmen Skog demands on the terminal is that it could handle both roundwood and chips and that the rate of turnover is max two weeks. The method used in this study is based on Mohsen (2002) framework for the design of warehouse layout. The framework was modified so it would be able to be used on a forest terminal. The factors which will affect the cost brought up in this study, are the meas-uring system, the machine park, the cost of investment, as well as operating costs. The results show that the operating costs and he costs of the machine park are the two factors affecting the cost per cubic meter more than the oth-ers. The total cost per handled cubic meter for the two larger terminals are related. The smaller terminal is more expensive per handled cubic meter

Review of Public Transport In Sweden: Implementation on the Passenger Rail Market and Plans for the Local Public Transport Market

Up until now competition in the Swedish passenger rail industry has been for rather than on the market. The Parliament has now decided to fully open the market for passenger rail services. This liberalisation means that rail operating companies will be allowed to provide passenger rail services on the entire domestic network. Competition will be gradually introduced. 2012 will be the first year when a complete capacity allocation procedure has taken place based on the new open market conditions. Conditions surrounding local and regional public transportation have been investigated with a view to modernize the national legislation and strengthen passengers´ rights. This process is pending and proposals concerning passengers´ rights are yet to be submitted. It is envisaged that a bill be presented in the spring 2010 that will set out, inter alia, principles for entering the local and regional markets for pubic transportation and that the roles and objectives of the local authorities are redefined. One must look back some 30 years to find a revision of the same magnitude. Changes in the way that the market works and in society as a whole are the triggers behind this developmentInstitute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Review of Public Transport In Sweden: Implementation on the Passenger Rail Market and Plans for the Local Public Transport Market

Up until now competition in the Swedish passenger rail industry has been for rather than on the market. The Parliament has now decided to fully open the market for passenger rail services. This liberalisation means that rail operating companies will be allowed to provide passenger rail services on the entire domestic network. Competition will be gradually introduced. 2012 will be the first year when a complete capacity allocation procedure has taken place based on the new open market conditions. Conditions surrounding local and regional public transportation have been investigated with a view to modernize the national legislation and strengthen passengers´ rights. This process is pending and proposals concerning passengers´ rights are yet to be submitted. It is envisaged that a bill be presented in the spring 2010 that will set out, inter alia, principles for entering the local and regional markets for pubic transportation and that the roles and objectives of the local authorities are redefined. One must look back some 30 years to find a revision of the same magnitude. Changes in the way that the market works and in society as a whole are the triggers behind this developmentInstitute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Distribution Center Location Analysis For Nordic Countries By Using Network Optimization Tools

Many supply chain and logistics related location decisions are driven by demand. This paper analyses population densities in Sweden, Finland, Norway and partly Denmark and analyses how a minimum impedance approach would set up the distribution center (DC) locations. For each scenario, travel time maps are generated. Firstly, each country is analyzed separately and 1...5 DC cases are analyzed. Then a merged Nordic area is introduced and a similar approach is used to set up 1…6 DCs. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to study how the large population of Umeå or Vaasa should be increased in order to make the top five in the Nordic level. The results show distribution centers could be formed in the case of population driven demand products. This also gives insight into how the results can vary when changing perspective from national analysis to Nordic level.fi=vertaisarvioimaton|en=nonPeerReviewed

En analys av vrakade stockar i massaved

Efterfrågan på massaved ökar hela tiden och det arbetas aktivt inom skogsnäringen för att förbättra och effektivisera virkesmätningen av massaveden. På senare tid har bildmätning ökat drastiskt och planer på att förnya kvalitetsbestämmelserna för massaved finns, då den nuvarande bland annat innehåller parametrar som är svårbedömda vid bildmätning. Detta kan dock medföra att vissa parametrar bedöms hårdare än tidigare. Det finns även planer på att börja dela in massaved i två kvalitetsklasser redan vid inmätningen. På uppdrag av Holmen Skog har en analys gjorts för att se var vrakproblemen förekommer, i vilka längd- och diameterklasser som de största volymerna vrak förekommer. Datat som ligger till grund för analysen är stocknotor för Holmen region nord år 2016 samt 2017, där de största volymerna för varje vrakorsak redovisas. Hypotesen i arbetet har varit att upparbetningsfel har varit en av de största vrakorsakerna hos massaveden viket resultaten har bekräftat. Utöver upparbetningsfelen har det visat sig att fel längd och diameter på stockarna är ett problem. Vi har även kunnat visa att vrakning på grund av upparbetningsfel inte är kopplat till någon specifik läng- och diameterklass. Om det nya bestämmelserna införs så finns det en oro att de nya och strängare bestämmelser kan försvåra arbetet i skogen i och med att upparbetningsfel i dagsläget är den största orsaken för vrakning av massaved.The demand for pulpwood is increasing all the time, and working to improve and streamline the assessment of the quality of pulp is crucial. Recently, image measurement has increased drastically and plans to renew quality determination exist, as the current includes parameters that are difficult to assess in camera measurement. However, this may cause some parameters to be judged more strictly than before. There are also plans to begin separating pulpwood in quality classes already at the measuring station. Holmen Skog therefore wanted an analysis in order to see where the reject problems are in regards to length and diameter classes where the rejection occurs. The data underlying the analysis were stocknotes for the Holmen region Nord in 2016 and 2017, where the largest volumes for each cause of rejection were reported. The hypothesis has been that processing errors is one of the biggest causes of rejection, and this was also confirmed by the results. In addition to the processing error, it has been found that another major problem has been the length and diameter of the logs. There are concerns that the new regulations will make the harvesting more difficult in the forest

Eckpfeiler erweiterte Produzentenverantwortung

Die erweiterte Produzentenverantwortung stellt ein wichtiges Leitprinzip für eine integrierte Produktpolitik dar. Seit 1994 ist sie in Schweden gesetzlich verankert. Verordnungen regeln die Nachgebrauchsphase von Verpackungen, Altpapier, Reifen, Autos und Elektronikprodukten. Ökologische Erfolge sind sichtbar. Angesichts des bisher begrenzten Einflusses auf das Pro­duktdesign ist darauf zu achten, dass weitere Anreize für Produktinnovationen gesetzt werden

Godstransporter i Botnia Atlantica-regionen : metoder for kartlegging og dokumentasjon

Rapporten drøfter hvilke faktorer som påvirker godsmengder og godsstrømmer i en region, redegjør for datakilder og metoder som kan benyttes til å dokumentere omfanget av godstransport i en region samt skissere mulig opplegg for en godstransportkartlegging i Botnia Atlantica-regionen. Det etableres en prinsipiell modell som kan benyttes til å diskutere hvordan ulike faktorer påvirker valg av transportløsning, godsmengder, godsstrømmer og antall godsbevegelser. Videre diskuteres hvilken informasjon ulike datakilder kan gi om godstransport i en region og hvilken nytte de ulike datakilder har. En konklusjon er at pålitelig informasjon, spesielt om transportstrømmer, er ressurskrevende å fremskaffe. En kombinasjon av primær- og sekundærdatakilder kan være en mulig tilnærming. Før en gjennomfører en storstilt datainnhenting er det viktig at brukerne av informasjonen har en klar oppfatning av hva det ønskes informasjon om

Discontinuities and Best Practices in Virtual Research Collaboration

Research collaboration has become increasingly global, as collaboration technologies continue to advance and as research problems become more interdisciplinary and global. Virtual research teams have processes and challenges that are unique from a typical virtual team, and we need a better understanding of how such teams can utilize virtual research environments to their advantage. We examine this question from a review of the relevant literature and an analysis of experiences and reflections from a doctoral seminar that studied and experienced the process of virtual research collaboration