This study addresses the design of a horizontal collaborative logistics network comprising multiple players at the same echelon of the supply chain to reduce logistics costs by leveraging joint replenishment, distribution center sharing, and risk-pooling. A designated player within each coalition functions as a joint distribution center, facilitating consolidated shipment and distributing it to other players within the coalition. The study reveals the problem’s non-superadditive nature, advocating for the use of a coalition structure for horizontal collaboration design. Formulating the problem as a cooperative game, we develop a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model along with an exact algorithm to optimize each coalition. Then, we propose a dynamic programming algorithm to find the optimal stable coalitions. Results indicate that coordination costs emerge as a crucial factor influencing the cost-effectiveness and structure of horizontal collaboration. Furthermore, horizontal collaboration proves especially advantageous for a few small and medium-sized companies, high levels of uncertainty, significant facility opening costs, close geographical proximity, and low coordination costs.

This paper contributes to the transport purchasing knowledge by the synthesis of four contextual factors consisting of eighteen variables that contextualise shippers' specification of transport-related criteria. A survey study is used to examine how contextual variables influence shippers' specification of six transport-related criteria in Sweden: vehicles and equipment, subcontractors, mode of transport, work instructions, transport time and time precision. The findings indicate that shippers play a dominant role in the specification of transport services, specified as resources, processes and output of services. The specification of output is dominated by shippers, whereas the specification of one type of resource (i.e., subcontractors) is dominated by transport providers. Shippers' specification of transport-related criteria differs across industry, company size, profession (e.g., transport manager or procurement manager), purchase task (e.g., size of contract) and service type (e.g., variation in location of recipients). It is noted that shippers participate in joint specifications with transport providers when the context is complex.

The logistics industry has undergone significant changes due to high demand, competition, cost pressures, interruptions, and labor market limitations affecting supply chains. As a result, there has been a significant adoption of automation in internal logistics such as warehousing, stock control, and material handling, leading to increased organizational competitiveness by reducing manual labor costs and time spent on these operations. The use of autonomous road transport holds potential to improve transport performance within areas of safety, sustainability, and efficiency. However, for autonomous transport to be fully realized, loading and unloading processes at shipping and receiving facilities must also be automated. This paper takes a systems approach to identify the challenges and requirements for automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous truck transport potentially within a production setting. By addressing these challenges and meeting the necessary requirements, it may be possible to fully realize the benefits of autonomous transport and improve overall transport performance.

Purpose This paper aims to develop a framework for switching a service supplier in a supply network. Design/methodology/approach The study builds on existing literature in the field of purchasing and supply management, public procurement (PP) and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing approach, as well as on an illustrative example case, from the PP context, of a supplier switch in a service delivery process. Findings During a switching process, the buyer must simultaneously manage the ending of a relationship with the incumbent supplier and the beginning of a relationship with a new supplier. Collaboration with the focal suppliers to develop a service process with standardized components prevents disruptions in the service processes and reduces the impact of the switch on the wider network. Research limitations/implications The conceptualization suggested in this paper needs to be further explored in different empirical contexts to assess its practical adequacy. Practical implications Practitioners responsible for service procurement can use the findings to develop collaboration with suppliers, both when it comes to service process development and to the switching process. Furthermore, the authors highlight the importance of ending competencies and the development of an exit plan to conduct a “beautiful exit.” Originality/value The paper integrates relationship initiation and ending studies, as well as procurement process models to develop a refined switching process framework. Many PPs rely on short-term relationships due to the legal obligation to frequently invite suppliers to tender, thus understanding the supplier switching process is important both for private and public sector actors.

Purpose - With various challenges in the digital era, stakeholders are expressing growing interests in understanding the impact of emerging and disruptive technologies on freight transportation. This paper provides a systematic literature review of the current state of affairs as well as future trends and aims to support stakeholders' decision-making in logistics management in the era of disruptive technologies. Design/methodology/approach - Several recent and representative articles from academic, industrial and governmental perspectives were investigated to set the scene for this research and to serve as a baseline for electing nine emerging technologies, which were then used to conduct a systematic literature review covering the literature within the area during the past twelve years. Findings - 3D printing, artificial intelligence, automated robots, autonomous vehicles, big data analytics, blockchain, drones, electric vehicles and the Internet of Things were identified as the emerging technologies. The current state of existing research and potential future opportunities were analyzed. Research limitations/implications - Since the potential literature body is almost impossible to fully cover, a tradeoff between the number of emerging technologies and the related literature reviewed has been performed. However, the paper provides a novel approach to select the emerging and disruptive technologies and a systematic literature review to fill the identified research gap in the related literature. Practical implications -The research support various stakeholders to better capture the current status of and the future opportunities in freight transportation and gain a clearer understanding of the disruptive technologies as well as to guide them in how to deploy these initiatives in future decision-making. Originality/value - By providing a systematic literature review on the trends, themes and research opportunities in the era of disruptive technologies, the papers bring about broad and comprehensive review on the impact of disruptive technologies on logistics and transportation as well as opportunities to support management decision support in the logistics industry.

Intermodal solutions, compared to the use of only road, in port hinterland transport involve numerous actors and activities that increase operational uncertainty.The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of information, through an information processing perspective, for operational coordination in supporting operational disruption management in intermodal hinterland transport.A qualitative case study approach is adopted to obtain an in-depth understanding of operational coordination in a hinterland transport system.The results provide insights into how the actors use information processing for coordination to influence the mitigation of the impact from operational disruptions.The paper supports managers in improving disruption management by understand the processing of real-time information in the coordination for intermodal hinterland transport solutions.This paper provides input for operational disruptions using information for coordination on a day-to-day basis via an information processing perspective in contrast to the predominant coordination at a strategic level in the literature.

This paper explores transport purchasing among companies in Sweden and France. The purpose is to analyse shippers' management of transport purchasing, e.g organisation and provider selection criteria. A cross-case analysis of 20 companies based in France and Sweden, identifies similarities and differences between transport purchasing management practices in these two geographical and cultural contexts. This research makes an academic contribution from a managerial point of view comparing transport solution selection criteria within European countries. It also allows to collect rich data on shipper's perceptions regarding their providers' environmental practices. The results suggest that environmental concerns are more influential to the carrier selection for the Swedish shippers than for the French shippers. Although French government settled a legislation (decree 2011–1336) to help carriers calculating their carbon dioxide emissions, shippers do not value the compliance of this decree and estimate more voluntary programs. We observed that an accurate and standardized method for measuring transportation carbon dioxide emissions was still lacking, making environmental comparison between carriers difficult.

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to identify and discuss the transport service triad (TST) as a key unit of analysis to understand the operations and conditions for change in freight transport systems at the micro level, i.e. at the level of analysis where business decisions and change interaction take place.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framing is rooted in the IMP approach and in the literature on triads. A case study approach is used to illustrate the TST by analyzing a case involving a wholesaler of installation products, tools and supplies, a main construction company and a transport service provider.FindingsThe paper shows how the connections between the business relationships in the TST, influenced by connections to relationships outside the triad, impact on the efficiency in freight transport. The paper illustrates how analysis of TSTs can be applied in micro-level studies of change in freight transport systems and in supply networks.Research limitations/implicationsThe triadic approach is instrumental to understand change in the transport system because it includes all relevant parties and relationships of concern, as well as the logic framing of their actions. However, while arguing that TSTs are generic to their nature, each TST is unique and needs to be identified and analyzed in its specific context.Practical implicationsThe suggested framework may contribute to an understanding of the embeddedness of transport services in supply/business networks. The framework may support the development of new ways of operating and creating value for customers and offering sustainable transport solutions.Originality/valueFrom the transport policy makers’ perspective, micro-level analysis is important to understand behavioral adjustments to new policies.

The growth of containerised sea transport has caused a demand for improved efficiency and increased capacity in the transit through seaports as well as in the transport to and from seaports in the hinterland. To stimulate the development of those seamless intermodal transport chains, the concept of dry ports has been established. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how value-added services can support the transformation of a conventional inland terminal into a dry port and how an existing dry port can be further developed through the use of value-added services. This conceptual paper combines literature from the field of dry ports with literature addressing value-added services, with data obtained through interviews with actors in the transport system. The conclusions indicate that the development of dry ports and their viability may depend on different value-added services being available at the dry port, however only once the infrastructure and basic services are in place. Furthermore, the availability of value-added services may increase the dry port’s attractiveness. This paper provides a platform for further research on the importance of value-added services for dry ports’ development.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop a transport portfolio framework (TPF) and explore its use as a decision support tool for shippers wanting to improve their transport system in terms of reducing their carbon footprint.Design/methodology/approach– The TPF has been designed on the basis relevant theoretical frameworks in logistics and thereafter tested and further developed by the use of empirical data from a case study. Quantitative methods are used to find patterns in the shipment statistics for import flows obtained from a food retailer and carriers.Findings– The TPF highlights different avenues for decreasing the carbon footprint, by identifying the product flow characteristics that might affect modal split and load factor, and it is believed that these can help shippers’ intent on analysing the largest potential for improvement. This potential is estimated based on how the key variables, modal split and load factor, can be improved.Practical implications– Shippers can use the TPF as a decision support tool in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by: structuring complexity, managing data and finding effective solutions.Social implications– Reducing emissions is an increasingly important priority for shippers and the TPF helps them to direct their efforts towards approaches that have a substantial impact.Originality/value– The TPF provides an opportunity to match different approaches for improving the environmental performance with the potential for reducing carbon footprint in shippers’ transportation networks, by taking into account the complexity of logistics network.

An increase in sea freight flows generates an almost proportional increase in inland freight flows, and what takes place inland will influence the ability of intermodal transport systems to further accommodate the growth of international trade. This could be facilitated by dry ports, which have been developed to support seaport operations as well as the overall operations of intermodal transport systems.The aim of this paper is to develop the Wilmsmeier et al. (2011) framework of directional development by taking into account development over time. The purpose is to contribute to the understanding of the development of seaport-dry port dyads by the analysis of two in-depth case studies from Northern Europe. A qualitative research strategy is applied to increase understanding of the development. The results contribute to earlier studies of spatial development of seaport-dry port development by taking into account development over time and by increasing the understanding of the actors, the types of dry ports and the services influencing the development of the dyads. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Many companies want to reduce the environmental impact of their transports, especially CO2 emissions. This paper examines the importance large shippers attribute to environmental aspects when purchasing freight transport services and the trade-off with other aspects, specifically how these have changed over the last decade. The starting point is a proposed theoretical model for the marketing of environmental advantages in transportation services. Results from two studies are analyzed, including data from two telephone-initiated surveys in 2003 and 2012 with regard to the purchasing of freight transportation services among large shippers in manufacturing and wholesale companies in Sweden. The response rates were high (64% in 2003 and 30% in 2012) and represent a solid number of responses (in 2003, n=406 and in 2012, n=175). The results show that the attributed importance to environmental aspects has been stable over time. Basic service aspects of transportation services related to the reliability and transport quality were the top priorities for logistics managers when selecting transport providers, in addition to geographic coverage and a low price. Price is however most important when selecting transport solutions. Transport providers need to know shippers' preferences when considering marketing of environmentally preferable transport services.

Purpose: It is becoming increasingly important to analyze the environmental impact and overall effectiveness of goods transport systems. When making decisions that will have short or long term effects on these systems there is a need to understand their consequences thereby it is necessary to measure and evaluate different options. The impact of transport on the environment, climate, health and other factors can be calculated as external costs and be internalized. Also in logistics there are a number of costs that are intangible and very hard to calculate, for instance service deficiency costs which also needs to be internalized and become a part of the total cost. The purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate a tool that can be used to analyse the potential effect of different ways to improve transport of goods on the overall logistics system performance. The tool should combine both economical and environmental performance objectives by providing estimates and corresponding uncertainties of: 1) transport efficiency and effectiveness, expressed as total logistics cost, and 2) environmental and other external interference, expressed as external costs. Research approach: The calculation tool is used in a case study to in in order understand the need for and availability of data needed for the using the analysis tool. In order to capture the intrinsic uncertainties in these types of models, uncertainty calculations are made. Findings and Originality: The result is a total cost analysis model, which takes uncertainty into account when analyzing the environmental impact and overall effectiveness of goods transport systems. By internalizing external effects it is possible to give a certain indication of the effect of different proposed logistics changes. Practical Impact: The new tool can be helpful for decision makers at different hierarchical levels in an organization. From tactical decisions regarding goods transports but also strategic decision making regarding for instance localization of production units and warehouses. There is a need for better understanding of the long-term effects of transport decision and how these will be influenced if the full cost of environmental effects is considered. By improving this understanding the environmental impact caused by goods transport may be reduced at the same time as the competitiveness of the companies may be increased.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for analysing the contextual influence on the configuration of purchasing processes for freight transport services. A conceptual model suggests that three contextual dimensions, purchase task, importance, and service type, influence the different stages of the purchasing process. Data from seven case companies are used to explore the links between contextual factors and how the purchasing of freight transport is performed. Eight different types of context, and their implications for the configuration of the purchasing process, are presented. The framework offers guidance on the configuration of the purchasing process in specific contexts, highlighting, for example, that the level of detail of the specification stage can depend on the type of context.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the purchasing of transport services by the largest shippers of goods in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents empirical results from a survey conducted in 2012 on manufacturing and wholesale companies in Sweden with more than 100 employees. Respondents were employees responsible for the purchase of goods transport services. In total, 586 companies were asked to participate in the survey, and 175 responses were received, which is a response rate of 30%. Findings The results include an increased knowledge of the purchase of goods transport services in Sweden. This paper presents a general picture of companies purchasing transport services that generate a large share of the goods flows in Sweden. The findings include a description of the transport buyers and their customers, the function of the decision-makers, the selection of transport modes, demands on the services and the relation with transport providers in terms of contracts, and environmental aspects of transport purchasing. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) This paper presents a limited selection of data from the survey, which is mainly analyzed by univariate data analysis. The survey is planned to be repeated every two years to make it possible to study changes in demand for transport purchase. This work forms a baseline for future surveys. Practical implications The result is available for transport buyers and transport companies, and can be used as benchmarking of their activities related to logistics and purchasing of transport. Social implications – Improved awareness of the role of transport purchasing process in contributing to put focus on environmental sustainability will have a long term effect on minimising negative effects on the environment. Originality/value The extensive empirical data add to the general knowledge of the structure of demand for transport services among the largest transport buying manufacturing companies and wholesale companies in Sweden