Seock-Jin HONG, Professor, Bordeaux Management School
(BEM)
Source, Supply Chain Frontiers #46(MIT, August 2012) and http://www.zlc.edu.es/projects/
A new European research project called FUTUREMED aims to
improve the competitiveness of ports in the Mediterranean area. The Zaragoza
Logistics Center (ZLC) in Zaragoza, Spain, a Global SCALE Network member
center, is one of the primary partners in the project with other institutions
such as Ministry of Transport, University port authority and etc.
The Mediterranean ports system has long been a historic
gateway to European markets. Its importance in this context has not diminished,
but there are certain parts of the system – notably the so-called Latin Arc –
that have become more prominent in recent years.
The Latin Arc is gaining in economic importance as a link
in supply chains that connect markets in Europe and the Far East. This emerging
economic axis extends from Spain (close to Madrid) through the Valencia region
and Cataluña (Valencia and Barcelona), the Languedoc-Roussillon region in
France (Montpellier, Toulouse, Marseille), and through the Po Valley up to
central-northern Italy (Bologna, Verona, Vicenza).
One reason for the Arc’s increasing significance is the
entry of eastern countries into the European Union (EU). In the future,
products sourced in Asia could cease to be delivered direct to customers in
eastern European countries owing to the long lead times involved. Instead, they
could be delivered through newly established distribution centers in the Latin
Arc. At the same time, the EU wants to minimize the congestion problems and
environmental threats posed by rising traffic levels in the region.
The FUTUREMED project includes partner organizations from
Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain, as well as associated
partners in Croatia, Malta, and Morocco. Its overall goal is to increase the
competitiveness of Mediterranean ports for three types of traffic: freight (Europe-Asia
and intra-Mediterranean), passenger (Ro-Pax; Roll-on Roll-off Passenger) and
touristic (cruises).
To meet this objective, the project team is focusing on
technical and procedural improvements. The main targets are:
- A dynamic system for the real-time management of freight and passenger flows. The goal is to identify actions that will relieve congestion and eliminate bottlenecks in the interface between ports – especially those that are located within cities – and their hinterlands.
- Digitizing intra-EU port-to-port and port-to-operator
communications related to bureaucratic processes such as the enforcement of
Customs regulations.
- Solutions that afford operators higher levels of
visibility along the transportation chain.
- Solutions for a specific supply chain such as
agro-food.
The project intends to define and implement sustainable
middle- and long-term development strategies, by means of concerted territorial
actions and pilot actions. These will be focused on:
- the removal of the current barriers concerning
accessibility of ports (onshore and offshore)
- the integration of ports with the hinterland
- the development of logistic activities and intermodal
transport (factories and consumer markets) in the rear areas of ports
- the development of infomobility with the aim of
fostering attractiveness and to making the port system more efficient
- the specialization of port systems
- the improvement of the quality of services which
integrate the port with the hinterland (railways).
A key component of the project is to develop
environmentally sustainable supply chains. To this end, the project team will
look at intermodal options in the port network. Also of importance are the
promotion of meaningful interactions among port operators, customers, and
stakeholders, and the leveraging of synergies between the facilities.
New standards and regulations will be required to make
way for these improvements. At present, national and international standards
cover similar logistics activities. The idea is to eliminate wasteful
duplication and inconsistencies by developing unified regulations.
Also, it is generally accepted that more accurate and
faster information flows, improved cargo tracking and tracing, and streamlined
customs procedures are necessary if the project is to succeed. But achieving
these improvements is difficult because stakeholders such as third-party logistics
services providers tend to operate “closed” systems that do not communicate
with one another. Thus, there is a need for standards and regulations that
remove these silos and encourage interoperability.
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