Reinder Pieters

Models for decision making in purchasing: Kralic versus Monczka

Most purchasers in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden rely upon the portfolio method of Kraljic for decision making. In the USA Monszka has become extremely popular amongst purchasers with his Michigan State University (MSU) model. This article tries to compare both models and will show that both models should be used side-by-side as they enforce each other.

Digiscan: a tool to find made-to-measure solutions for improving efficiencies in transportation

Logistics should always be in search for improvement. Digiscan is a tool which can help any company which deals with a substantial amount of freight transport flows, to choose and implement the most effective way to improve its transport efficiency which really suits this specific company best. The tool is developed to the order of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management on the basis of many years of practical consulting to transporting companies, resulting in really large efficiency gains. At the same time the tools helps companies and students from universities for professional education that help these companies, to make a sound analysis of the company. The tool now appears to be a successful instrument both for students and companies in The Netherlands, but could be used as a basis for setting up similar tools for other countries, providing the data and algorithms are easy transferable for other situations.

Innovative Approaches to Improve Sustainability of Physical Distribution in Dutch Agrifood Supply Chains

Sustainability has become an important issue in all aspects of corporate policy. This also applies to organizations operating in agrifood supply chains. Most literature on sustainability in the agrifood industry focuses on food security or prevention of food losses. However, little attention has been paid to how organizations working in agrifood supply chains use new approaches and innovations for making physical distribution more sustainable. Therefore we set up a study on how companies in the agrifood supply chains use innovations to improve the sustainability of the physical distribution. For this purpose, we have interviewed key managers of 14 Dutch companies—6 logistics service providers, 3 wholesalers and 5 food processors—all involved in agrifood value chains on how they approach, and innovatively improve, sustainability within physical distribution. We found that all the groups of companies have sustainability in their mission and use various innovations for improving the sustainability of their physical distribution. We also found that various links in the chain preferred different types of innovations e.g. food processors preferred innovations linked to reduction strategy and wholesalers focused on innovations related to efficiency strategy. The applied innovations were not linked to the supply chain as a whole, but concentrated on a specific aspect of the supply chain and were often initiated by a partner from outside the agrifood supply chain.

Learning from Experiences in Sustainable Transport Practice: Green Freight Europe and the Implementation of a Best Cases Database

Background: For many logistics service providers and shippers sustainable transport is still a relatively recent issue, even if almost every transportation company is engaged in sustainability. Each has had different experiences with making transportation more sustainable. By looking at the efforts and successes of others sharing these experiences could help shippers and logistics service providers to obtain new innovative ideas of how to become more sustainable. The certification organization Green Freight Europe (GFE) wants to develop a database for these types of experiences in order to encourage its members to generate sustainable initiatives. Method: In support of this plan, we interviewed several logistics service providers and shippers and conducted a brief survey among GFE members. Results: Sustainability forms one of the goals for all interviewed companies mainly based on cost reduction but followed closely as a tool to attract new customers. At the moment, the information obtained to keep updated on sustainability comes mainly from truck producers and not from information from best cases from other logistics service providers. Conclusions: We have found that there is a willingness to submit best cases, but also a fear that the submitter will miss his competitive advantage by telling others about his innovations.

Competences as used by professionals in logistics: differences between shippers and logistic service providers

Educating students to become a logistics professional, requires a certain set of competences to be attained. This study investigates which competences are required in logistics business practice, and whether a differentiation may be noticed in the actual profiles of logistics professional. The focus of this study is to determine which aspects are needed in modern day logistics as a professional. It takes the view from logistic professionals working for a shipper as well as for a logistic service provider. It shows that there is a difference in the competences for both groups and that logistics still has a long way to go for being fully accepted in the boardroom of an organization.