Trial lecture - time and place
10.15, in Room A-1.025
Trial lecture title:
"Illustrate and critically discuss the implications an up-stream consolidation might have on supply chain (e.g. planning, management and performance) and its repercussions downstream (e.g. cost environment, mode choice, flexibility, and resilience) with respect to containerized freight transport in the light of digitalization and trust building among operators"
Adjudication committee
- Christa Marleen Sys, Lecturer, PhD, University of Antwerpen, Belgium
- Thomas Pawlik, Professor, PhD, HSB City University of Applied Sciences, Bremen, Germany
- Edoardo Marcucci, Professor, Molde University College
Chair of defence
Supervisor
Additional information
About the thesis:
In the typical structure of the supply chains associated with the Asia-Europe container trade, containers are stuffed in China, and the cargo is subsequently cross-docked at a major European logistics hub or a distribution center closer to the customer for further distribution to the final retailing points. However, this solution may not be optimal from the perspective of total logistics cost and CO2 emissions. This research is based on case studies obtained from Scandinavian chain retailers. The findings suggest that the new solutions characterized by upstream buyer consolidation and a downstream rail-based intermodal system may have positive impacts on logistics cost and CO2 emissions. In addition, the author also reveals certain areas for the application of the new solutions characterized by store-level consolidation. The analysis suggests that such new solutions might be desirable as an alternative to the usual arrangements in this China-Europe container trade. The findings of this research would benefit actors in the transport and retailing industries.
The project contribute to the literature in the following three aspects:
- Identification of new supply chain solutions in sea-based China-Europe cargo flows.
- The influence of upstream buyer consolidation on supply chain performance in terms of cost and environment.
- The occasions to which upstream store-level consolidation can apply
This research work is partly based on the SeaConAZ-project, which is funded by the Norwegian Research Council under the Transport 2025 programme and partly funded by the ENRICH project under the EC FP7.
Ning Lin (age 34) comes from Beijing, China. He holds a Bachelor from Beijing Union University from 2007 and a Master of Science in Logistics from Molde University College from 2013.