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LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models
LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models
LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models
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LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models

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Il volume presenta interventi e studi relativi al progetto europeo LOGICAL, finanziato dal programma europeo Central Europe e focalizzato sui temi dell'informatica e del cloud computing applicati alla logistica. La prima parte del volume contiene gli atti della Conferenza internazionale che si è tenuta a Bologna su questi temi. La seconda parte presenta un modello di business plan per l'implementazione dei servizi di logistica innovativa nei Paesi del Centro Europa che sono stati partner del progetto.
LanguageItaliano
Release dateJan 17, 2015
ISBN9788891172266
LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models

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    LOGICAL - Transnational logistics improvement through cloud computing and innovative business models - Marino Cavallo

    LOGICAL

    Transnational logistics improvement

    through cloud computing

    and innovative business models

    Edited by Marino Cavallo

    LOGICAL project is implemented through the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme co-financed by the ERDF

    © LOGICAL project

    Foto e immagini:

    © Gerard j. putz | shutterstock.com/Mijìke Brake/s_oleg/Stephen Mahar/vladiwelt | istockphoto.com/alexsi

    ISBN 9788891172266

    Table of contents

    Introduction

    Abbreviations

    Part One - Proceedings of the International Conference

    1 Logistics between new business models and sustainability

    1.1 New logistics and business performances

    1.2 The role of new technologies: the project LOGICAL

    2 For a more competitive and sustainable territory: indicators and good practices

    2.1 From the managerial to the entrepreneurial approach: some changes in towns and in territories

    2.2 Towards a more competitive and sustainable territory: some observations

    2.3 How to measure competitiveness and sustainability: some indicators

    2.4 In search of best practices in logistics

    2.5 Conclusions: competitiveness and sustainability, a profitable challenge

    3 The European Project LOGICAL: analysis on sustainable logistics and experimentation of the Logistics Broker service

    3.1 Introduction

    3.2 The survey

    3.3 The activation of the Broker Logistics service

    3.4 Conclusion

    4 The improvement of transnational logistics through cloud computing and innovative cooperative business models: the project LOGICAL

    4.1 Introduction

    4.2 Objectives of the survey

    4.3 Description of the questionnaire

    4.4 The results of the interviews carried out in Bologna (Italy)

    4.5 Overview of IT applications used within the regional logistics companies

    5 Business cases

    5.1 Demand for services in local businesses

    5.2 Logistics services for e-commerce: a case study

    5.3 The case of Artoni Group

    5.4 Cloud computing in mobile applications for SMEs

    6 ICT innovations in logistics services by ICOOR

    7 The strategies of Emilia-Romagna region for the development of innovative and sustainable logistics and ITS

    8 Bibliography

    Part two - Joint Framework Business Plan

    9 Task description

    10 Problem identification

    11 Legal background

    12 Users and use cases

    12.1 Users

    12.1.1 Logistics service providers (LSP)

    12.1.2 Shippers of all logistics-related industrial and trading sectors

    12.1.3 Logistics hubs & clusters

    12.1.4 Logistics-related software developers and vendors

    12.1.5 Private customers, non-logistic companies

    12.2 Use cases

    12.2.1 Generic Use Cases

    12.2.2 Special use case Slovenia (Koper)

    12.2.3 Special use case Italy (Bologna)

    12.2.4 Special use case Hungary (Záhony)

    12.2.5 Special use cases Germany

    13 Organisational structure, contracts

    13.1 Organisational structure

    13.2 HW/SW/HR assumptions

    13.3 Partner contracts

    14 Services

    14.1 SALT Solutions: LogBase on Demand

    14.2 RICOH - freight document converter

    15 Costs, incomes, balance

    15.1 Costs

    15.1.1 Summary of system costs

    15.1.2 Detailed costs

    15.2 Needed incomes to cover the costs

    15.2.1 Needed incomes in the partner countries

    15.2.2 Pay-per-use concept and subscription based fees

    15.2.3 Calculated incomes for Germany

    15.2.4 Calculated incomes for Poland

    15.2.5 Calculated incomes for Italy

    15.2.6 Calculated incomes for Hungary

    15.2.7 Calculated incomes for Czech Republic

    15.2.8 Calculated incomes for Slovenia

    15.2.9 Calculated incomes for the LOGICAL cloud

    15.3 Balance

    16 Risks, opportunities

    16.1 Germany

    16.2 Poland

    16.3 Italy

    16.4 Hungary

    16.5 Czech Republic

    16.6 Slovenia

    17 References

    18 List of tables

    Introduction

    The essays contained in this volume are organized into two parts, rather recognizable and independent but, at the same time, closely integrated as for their objectives. The first part contains the proceedings of an international conference on logistics innovation and cloud computing. The second part focuses on the business plan of a logistics service actually managed according to a new e-services-based pattern with the contribution of international partners. This model consists in a platform of services addressed to companies. The platform is based on cloud computing and the economic sustainability of this service will be analysed in the second part of the book. Before examining the contents of the volume in detail, it is worth delving into the importance of logistics in our economic system. And this is what I will try to do in the following brief introduction.

    First, in a globalized economy, where information travels in real time all over the planet, there are increasing and faster flows and movements of goods and logistics is now subject to a strong acceleration.

    In fact, the new models of business production and business organization provide a sort of factory distributed in space. Some phases of the productive process can be realized in a country and other phases may be carried out in areas of the world that are even very far from each other.

    It's obvious that an organization so much delocalized and decentralized gives place to new and complex problems in organizing and coordinating the movement of raw materials, semi-manufactured goods and finished goods.

    And yet, the last few years have been the years of lean production, the years of the reduction, until almost the disappearance, of stocks in warehouses, the years of products that are tailored to consumers and to markets. But this means, inevitably, that the stock is no longer within the enterprise but it travels in the streets, it's inside of vessels or aircrafts containing raw materials and products. This creates new and complex problems about the logistics organization of goods and it requires innovative management of flows and of business supply chains.

    But let's focus on the local level. Many studies highlight both the dynamics of concentration and the dynamics of pulverization crossing the local fabric of small and medium enterprises, especially in these delicate and crucial moments for territorial economic systems. The concentration involves better opportunities to intervene and control the logistics flows for companies characterized by an increasing size, and, at the same time, it allows to introduce the most advanced tools in terms of organizational and technological support to logistics management.

    On the other hand, the atomization of productive units requires a greater effort of coordination of logistics services and the ability to intercept very quickly the so fragmented needs and questions coming from productive organizations. Both of these dynamics require to all the economic territorial actors the ability to innovate and to support enterprises in facing the changing economic and productive context and in supporting innovation processes, especially those based on computerization and on e-services.

    To speak of logistics means to be aware that it is one of the areas with the biggest problems in the framework of the current economic crisis. The economic difficulties, particularly for small and medium enterprises, are likely to create strong damage to employment and to make many people loose their job with difficult prospects of re-employment. For these people paths and opportunities of job relocation within the production system will be required, also with training measures.

    In addition to business logistics, and in addition to the logistics associated with large projects and with the major strategic decisions about mobility, there is another level of intervention, where local authorities may play an essential role. I refer to the logistics within productive areas. Industrial areas that are efficient in terms of logistics services are useful to counter the urban sprawl of companies, to improve accessibility to businesses thanks to adequate infrastructure and connections. Good logistics promotes environmental and energy sustainability of productive areas, it counteracts pollution and it reduces traffic on the roads (directly linked to the reduction of accidents and the decrease of heavy traffic).

    Today, thanks to ICT and cloud computing, it is possible to design innovative services, that can both increase the competitiveness of companies located in our region and improve the impact of the traffic of goods, of productive processes and of the supply of goods and services. However, this issue also affects the very considerable efforts invested in the experimentations of innovative solutions for the urban distribution of goods.

    All these ideas have found fertile ground for design and application in the European project called LOGICAL. The project is financed within the European programme Central Europe and it collects a partnership composed of 16 organizations coming from Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovenia.

    The project LOGICAL is aimed at enforcing the efficiency of logistics processes thanks to ICT and transnational cloud computing tools. In particular, the project adopts a multi-cloud approach based on the use of several local cloud hubs connected through a transnational architecture involving businesses and enterprises. The architecture consists in a web-based platform able to provide tools for planning, managing and monitoring multimodal chains of transport. The project LOGICAL has been an occasion to experiment and outline innovative solutions to the logistics needs of companies taking into account, at the same time, also the theme of sustainability and innovation. All these issues are consistent with the approach, the thematic focus and the fields of this volume.

    As mentioned above, this book is divided into two parts. For what concerns the first part, here we can find some contributions highlighting the main themes dealing with the future trends of logistics management between new business models and sustainability. In fact new technologies represent a key-factor suitable to positively affect logistics and to make it more and more sustainable and innovative.

    At this concern, the first chapter will emphasize the importance of encouraging cooperation in business performances, as well as in personal mobility choices. Companies are very complex organizations and they often have to face selfish logistics approaches with rather negative effects in terms of environmental impact, safety and also poor results on economic budgets and final costs of the products. Innovative and cooperative management of logistics may represent a solution to this critical aspect of business behaviour.

    Furthermore, the impact of innovative and sustainable logistics processes would not be limited to productive processes and business performances. In fact, as witnessed by the following contributions contained in the first part of this volume, a more efficient logistics would impact also on the organization of our cities and communities making them be more competitive and sustainable. This is a particularly interesting issue considering that the theme of smart cities and intelligent communities is becoming more and more relevant in the agenda of national authorities and European policies.

    In order to provide concrete examples of good practices in the field of sustainable logistics, this volume contains also the description of an innovative logistics services experimented by the Province of Bologna. The service consists in arranging a brokerage logistics service in order to optmize the loads and the routes thanks to the use of ICT tools and innovative

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