Properly functioning logistics in enterprises is largely a matter of efficient transport. However, in many enterprises, logistics departments are giving up maintaining their own transport, guided primarily by economic calculations and administrative considerations, which involve shifting the responsibility for the efficient execution of transport processes to an external carrier. This trend has been observed for a long time not only in enterprises but also among the largest logistics operators.
Transport, being an immanent part of the logistics processes carried out in an enterprise, is not always its property; therefore, the problems of transport service in logistics should also be considered in relation to the entire transport industry, including transport companies. The speed of changes occurring in the environment forces enterprises to constantly adapt to market needs, as well as to changes in operational strategies.
In market economy conditions, most enterprises face problems related to competition and competitiveness. Enterprises compete with each other for customer favor in order to survive in the market, gain a stronger position, and achieve satisfactory profits.
Competition is a process by which market participants, striving to realize their interests, attempt to present offers that are more favorable than others in terms of price, quality, or other characteristics influencing the decision to conclude a transaction. It is also a process in which market participants try to avoid the consequences of others presenting more favorable offers. The accuracy of choosing the right competition strategy also depends, among other things, on the degree of knowledge of service buyers, their preferences, needs
and the level of satisfaction of these needs.
It is difficult to make a definitive classification that would indicate what kind of strategies should be applied in transport companies, taking as a criterion, for example, the size of the enterprise, the type of services performed, and the market on which the company operates. A certain verification of the application of specific strategies are the features that should characterize enterprises choosing a given strategy. Possessing these features (e.g., brand, funds for marketing research, operational flexibility, etc.), however, does not guarantee market success.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4/2004.