Search results

The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for a freight consolidation company to adopt blockchain for the shipping community. Our research critically examine the challenges faced by a global shipping company that offer freight consolidation businesses and explore the use of Blockchain technology to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of freight booking operations.

This paper is a case study, ECU Worldwide, with focus on transforming their operations using blockchain technology for the freight booking industry. As the case is explorative in nature, the research aim to unearth the complex blockchain adoption phenomenon in the industry as the technology is very nascent at present. The research is primarily grounded on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theory.

The research finds that blockchain technology supports solving many issues and inefficiencies of global shipping operations but there are some barriers that they need to overcome. The research provides a framework and recommendations for global company to consider when considering Blockchain technology for implementation. Our research finding shows that smart contracts can be set up at critical points along with the shipment route namely the storage, customs, carrier, transporters and consignee stage to ensure greater security and transparency.

The research provides recommendations to key stakeholders involved in freight forwarding segment of logistics industry while adopting blockchain technology. Apart from the methodological limitation of the research, the research is limited to Singapore in terms of geographical coverage.

The drivers and barriers identified in the study can give practitioners insight of using blockchain for the industry. The proposed framework can assist companies in the shipping industry to prepare themselves to adopt blockchain for the community.

This case study is the first of its kind to examine the use of blockchain to explore the adoption in logistics Industry in Singapore and perhaps worldwide.

The purpose of this paper is to study the process, network, skills and practices of service parts logistics organizations in the Asia Pacific region. Specifically, it attempts to propose a new framework for service parts logistics management based on interview inputs from several leading automotive and aerospace companies. This paper also seeks to identify the trends and opportunities for service parts logistics in Singapore.

Companies from aerospace and automotive industries involved in service logistics activities were involved in the study. Data were obtained primarily through interviews with key executives of the company.

This paper summarizes some of the industry findings on service parts logistics in the Asia Pacific region. To succeed in the service logistics business, companies should not focus on cost factors alone. Instead, companies should adopt the proposed framework and look into other factors.

The research is limited to companies in the aerospace and automotive industries only.

This framework was drawn from industry inputs and can be easily applied in decision making.

The paper provides a new framework to assist decision makers in deciding where a company should locate its service part logistics hub.

A study was conducted on a leading US‐based computer maker to examine its reverse logistics operations in the Asia‐Pacific region. This US company had set up a spare parts business unit in Singapore to take care of the Asia‐Pacific customers for its products, which were still under warranty or service contracts. Defective parts were sent to its US headquarters for refurbishment and repair, and subsequently return to the Asia‐Pacific region. The study revealed a number of interesting findings. These included: about 50 percent of the products returned to the USA cost less than half the reverse logistics costs; the current information technology systems supporting the reverse logistics operations are not used in assisting the company’s managers in making critical decisions but in data collection; and decision making on reverse logistics at each of the company’s Asia‐Pacific offices was inconsistent and lacked standardization. Recommendations were subsequently made to overcome some of the inefficiencies in managing the reverse supply chain.

This paper seeks to present a decision‐making model for manufacturers to maximize their profits in reverse logistics operations.

A system dynamic model has been developed to complement with prior models and is validated using data collected from a computer company manufacturer handling returns with volumes transacted over a period of two years.

The results from the model indicate that part replacements from suppliers are more profitable than refurbished computer parts. In addition, transportation delay and supplier delay in processing returns have a significant impact on the viability of reverse logistics regardless of return volumes.

The current model is not designed for third‐party logistics (3PL) offering reverse logistics services. However, this can be accomplished by resetting some of the parameters in the model. The other limitations are exchange rate fluctuation and product depreciation which are not incorporated in the model. This is important in Asia where each country has its own currency which fluctuates with time.

This dynamic model will assist decision‐makers to test new policies related to reverse logistics, for example, liberal versus conservative return policy from supplier, shipment consolidation (longer delays) versus direct shipment, batch (longer delays) versus JIT remanufacturing, pricing of new parts versus re‐condition parts, as well as to examine its long‐term viability.

Using system dynamics to understand the profitability of reverse logistics for both replacement parts to suppliers and refurbished parts to manufacturers.

The purpose of this paper is to identify global trends in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, and with that to find out where the opportunities and challenges lie, what the critical success factors are, and how companies can position themselves well in China. As there is currently very limited knowledge about the 3PL industry in China, this study also intends to shed light in this area.

The study is conducted through focus group interviews with senior executives of leading 3PL companies in China followed by a survey with 70 logistics companies.

The key strengths of the logistics industry in China include numerous factors such as good connectivity and new infrastructure, while its main weaknesses are a shortage of qualified staff and slow adoption of technologies. There are a number of concerns and issues raised, such as lack of qualified staff, oversupply of warehousing space in China, competition from the influx of foreign 3PL companies to China, and regulations on free trade zones, seaports and airports, all of which may have policy implications.

As most of the logistics companies in the study are located and dominating in the Eastern and Southern China, it may be useful to conduct similar study in the new emerging western and central regions of China for comparison.

Managers and investors will appreciate the challenges and opportunities in logistics services in China and have a better insight into Chinese logistics development.

While China has been viewed as a cost effective place for manufacturing, the logistical costs in China are still very high as compared to other developed countries. This research will highlight the key reasons for the high logistical cost in China.

The purpose of this paper is to identify project management issues in a specific construction project in Saudi Arabia, highlighting its unique context.

In the tradition of phenomenological research, a framework based deductive research approach is adopted where a structured questionnaire is used in one‐to‐one interview with project participants.

This research highlights the interaction outcomes of human, project tool & methods, supply chain and finance affecting overall project execution and goes beyond to identify critical linkages in these interactions, including those that will need identification of skill sets required for the project manager's role, options approach and standardization of product and processes together with early involvement of diverse stakeholders in the project for their better execution through ex ante identification of project parameters requiring minimum changes.

The final framework arrived at identifies various tradeoffs involved in project management in the idiosyncratic context of demanding client driving the project needs and internal resistance to change limiting flexibility in project execution. It focuses on deviations from international project execution standards, as found in large construction projects in the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia.

The limitation of the research lies in arriving at generalizable findings based on the study of a single international hotel construction project, and not an industry‐wide questionnaire survey which can, in future, refine and strengthen the framework developed.

A study in the context of Saudi Arabia is seldom reported in international journals although large turnkey construction project opportunities exist for international firms in this country and in the Middle East region.

Transshipment points in container transport are a vital part of the functioning and competitiveness of global logistics systems. However, competition between different geographical locations is ongoing and therefore competitive landscape and leading actors are continuously changing. The purpose of this paper is to understand one of world's leading transshipment points, Singapore, and its competitiveness in the future as lower‐cost alternative locations try to challenge its position.

Observations are based and mostly drawn upon qualitative case study interviews among 11 key companies involved in Singapore's transshipment business. Along with this, second‐hand national statistics are used to support the findings.

As Singapore is the largest container sea port in the world, it has several advantages at its disposal to defend its position against the others. These are mainly due to connectivity around the world, and second, the high frequency of these connections. However, even though the customs procedures are generally argued to be smooth and state of the art, in some comments from real life actors, problematic areas and further room for improvement were inferred. Longitudinal statistics from national consensus also show, for example, that the electronics industry transshipment volumes are on the decline, and the main reason could possibly be due to the relocation of manufacturing sites to China or Vietnam, changing in turn the transshipment point in Asia. For future consideration, Singapore should enhance its capabilities in localization of value‐added services or manufacturing while goods are in‐transit, and also invest in technologies enabling higher container fill rates for airline shipments.

In most qualitative research, amount of observations is always limited and this work is not an exception with this regard. However, reliability caveat is tried to be covered with careful selection of interviewed organizations and using second‐hand national statistics to verify the interviewees' inputs.

This research has value for all countries with high‐cost transshipment points, in building their operations to sustain against new lower‐cost entrants. Also, the functioning of global supply chains with respect to cost, lead time and technical capability are better understood through this case study, as all the examples are drawn from real life.

The paper shows how global logistics networks have changed significantly in recent decades, and it is increasingly in line with case study findings after major sea ports such as Dubai and Shanghai have grown into leading position throughout the world.