Transport Logistics

 iv) Need to enhance implementation of indicators by the private sector

Many companies have interests in performance measurement. The real challenge is to define

indicators that are useful to improving performance and to implement them with all relevant

stakeholders. It is difficult to measure performance in supply chains. Partners who are willing to look

beyond their own scope will ensure their position as good supply-chain players.

v) Need to collect data and compare costs appropriately

In order to improve the basis of transport policy, data collection, obtained from logistics service

providers, is essential. It is also necessary to focus on data useful for international comparisons and on

indicators useful for analysis associated with transport policy objectives. Shippers, as well as transport

operators, can be direct suppliers of relevant data.

To collect relevant information in a cost-effective way, it may be necessary to conduct sample

surveys, complemented by information from modal statistics and traffic counts, particularly in relation

to the performance of different supply chains. A special area of interest is the growing importance of

the so-called ‘last mile’: the delivery of goods to consumers in urban areas. Due to developments and

opportunities in Business-to-Consumer e-commerce and the tendency among consumers to spend less

time on shopping, there is a growing need for home deliveries. This will have huge implications for

supply chains and transport. An area that is often missing in research is how to replace passenger

transport to and from shops by alternative environmentally-friendly means.

In making international comparisons of costs, technical issues need to be addressed such as:

selection of appropriate units, international normalisation of cost/price elements, the need to consider

that cost differences mainly depend on differences in labour cost, which is higher in developed

countries, and that logistics costs vary depending on several factors such as regulation, distance and

type of goods.

In summary, indicators need to be selected which are relevant, plausible and for which data can

be obtained. They should be applied in a way that provides both industry and government with the

insights necessary to determine factors contributing to inefficiencies in supply chains, and

strategies/policies to lift performance.

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