The European logistics industry is a major economic sector, representing 13.3% of GDP. The volume of goods moved within EU-25 countries is increasing significantly, which is partly related to overall GDP growth, as well as logistics trends such as the growing importance of production relocated to lower-cost countries and the centralization of warehouse facilities, resulting in the need to cover greater distances between the production hall and the end customer. The market share of rail transport is declining – due to its low flexibility and lack of competitiveness – in favor of a gradual increase in road transport. Despite this, the productivity of road transport is falling, which is partly related to heavy road congestion and resulting delivery delays, as well as higher operating costs due to regulations on driver working time limits and a shortage of qualified drivers. Road transport is also strongly linked to crude oil (73% of oil consumption in Europe is attributed to transport), which has recently been characterized by sudden price fluctuations, resulting in unpredictable fuel costs. Road transport also has a significant impact on the natural environment, accounting for approximately 6% of total CO2 emissions in Europe. Other external determinants of road transport, such as noise, accidents, road congestion, air quality, and infrastructure, are also not without significance.
The main factor for the success of the venture is the role of logistics functions and access to key information necessary to ensure the free flow of goods in the supply chain. In October 2007, the European Commission formulated a goal for Europe to increase the efficiency, integration, and sustainability of freight transport. The Commission defined an action plan intended to increase Europe’s prosperity and competitiveness, improve international social and environmental dependencies, reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels, and optimize potential transport flows over medium and long distances. To enable the implementation of the proposed action plan, the Commission established research funding (via the 7th Framework Programme) to develop models demonstrating the possibility of optimally combining rail, road, and water transport within existing main transport corridors, so as to achieve sustainable use of existing resources. This full and effective integration of transport modes in logistics chains is referred to as COMODALITY. A significant group of relevant logistics areas has been identified, including e-freight and intelligent transport systems, which should be subjected to detailed analysis. Logistics systems were created mainly to support individual modes of transport and are often specific to a given country due to different practices and capabilities existing in that state. The level of complexity is higher in intermodal transport chains because different entities are responsible for the organization and control of individual stages of the transport chain. The above issues are further complicated by the fact of increasing customer requirements, who specify exactly what and when they want to receive.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2/2009.