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...Transportation and Logistics

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Transportation and logistics operations determines the efficiency of supply chain of products and services. It covers air, rail, road, water and pipeline transportation of both goods and people. It involves warehousing and storage facilities to store goods, materials handling, packaging and the integration of information flow through supply chain management.

The transportation, logistics and distribution industry has been transformed by the growing importance of global e-commerce, that has created demand for new and expanded transportation systems and services. New business models, technologies, regulations, and stakeholder expectations have also had a profound effect on transportation providers.

Smart transportation leverages the application of smart solutions and services in the transportation infrastructure to deliver real-time information about traffic flow and commuters.

Airlines and airports, shipping companies, logistics service providers and other transportation companies are all part of the process to keep people and products on the move.

In terms of cargo transportation, trade relations between China, North America and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are forecast to drive up traffic demand over the coming years.

The haulage and logistics industry is complicated by the nature of the business itself facing staff shortages and seasonal pressures. Logistics is a complex integration of information, material handling, production, packaging, transportation, inventory and warehousing and as such, various skilled and unskilled workers are required to maintain operations.

In the logistics industry, intermodal freight traffic is the most common choice to move consumer goods- shipped in containers that move interchangeably by commercial vehicles, railroads and container ships. The key players in this industry include Deutsche Post DHL, United Parcel Service, Maersk and JSC Russian Railways.

In U.K, significant future growth in freight and passenger traffic is also expected, potentially doubling by 2030, This will be enhanced by strategic investments such as HS2, Crossrail, Thameslink, London Underground upgrades and the nationwide electrification programme.
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Sustaining growth is gradually becoming challenging as several profitable expanding markets are reaching saturation, and leading players are consolidating their market share. Innovation is going to be the key determinant for the growth and profit margins of commercial transport companies, as to improve the quality, load, delivery time and cost of facilitating the products and services.

New developments in logistics and transportation have enhanced and optimized the e-commerce market.

The shift from retail to e-retail has boosted activity for logistics companies to deliver the increasing number of goods purchased from online retailers and tech firms such as Amazon, Google and Japan’s Rakuten tapping into the logistics market and further expand their supply chains.

Accurate inventory and efficient logistics are essential for successful business. IoT-based supply chain management and the use of innovative sensor and tracking technologies, logistics operatives gain access to information regarding the location and status of their deliveries.

Wholesale distribution represents the largest channel to market for manufacturers and the most valuable supply chain for retailers and end customers.

Technology is pivotal, particularly with regard to limiting low value-added labour activities, including inventory control, warehouse management, billing and delivery-route scheduling.

Although advanced warehouse management systems are improving productivity in the logistics and warehousing sector, raw materials, parts and finished products are transiting longer distances, by different means of transportation and transport providers are faced with ever decreasing timeframes and rising risks.

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Our research reports provide forward-thinking industry analysis around the changes in all areas of the transportation sector including road, railway, air and water, and industry-specific news for the leading companies in this sector. Also insights into the trends, market sizing, opportunities, marketing strategies, key growth drivers and challenges of the logistics and warehousing sector.

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The aviation industry comprises passenger airlines, freight forwarders and facilitating infrastructure such as airports and warehouses.

Global passenger demand is on the rise both in mature and emerging markets, where the population is becoming increasingly mobile.

The leading passenger airlines in terms of passenger traffic include Lufthansa, and Delta Air Lines, while Emirates leads the cargo carriers, based on freight mileage. Ryanair, Southwest Airlines and EasyJet are key players in the low-cost category, attracting a growing customer base.

The United States, Brazil, China and the European Union are the most important markets for air travel, with the busiest airports being the Atlanta International Airport, handling over 90 million passengers annually, and Hong Kong International Airport, handling over four million tons of freight per year.

In light of continued passenger traffic growth, airlines are expected to add new models to their fleets.

Airport Systems: Increasing air traffic is one of the major drivers fuelling the growth of smart airports, passenger screening, self-services, and investment in business intelligence across all airport operations.

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Companies operating in the public transport sector are keen on diversifying, their businesses in new markets by adopting novel technologies.

While the demand for public transport has steadily increased over the years, companies are facing underperformance issues, government subsidization, and, in general, low standard of service in certain countries.

Although many approaches to privatize the industry have been initiated, the rail industry continues to be mostly state-controlled.

Rail traffic encompasses passenger rail travel and cargo freight rail transport. The world’s leading markets for rail traffic include China, the United States and Russia. The largest companies transporting freight and passengers by rail include Amtrak, Union Pacific, Deutsche Bahn, East Japan Railway and SNCF.

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The United States features the world’s largest railroad station: Grand Central Terminal in New York, with 44 platforms serving 67 tracks. However, the busiest train stations are situated in Japan – one of the most densely populated countries globally. Along with China, Japan is ranked as the largest market for passenger rail traffic.

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The marine industry’s sustainable growth is vulnerable to commercial (declining freight rates, slow economic growth, excess tonnage) and political developments. Besides this, freight carriers, port operators, and exporters are also targeted with new regulations.

The world’s merchant fleet includes passenger ships, crude oil tankers, dry cargo ships, and container ships.

The biggest passenger ships in service are operated by Royal Caribbean International.

The biggest freight ships can be divided into Supertankers [Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC)] and Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV), including the subcategory of Triple E container vessels - "energy efficient", "economies of scale" and "environmentally improved".

Copenhagen-based AP Møller-Mærsk is the world’s largest shipper, based on revenue and capacity of about 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units.

(Twenty-foot equivalent units (or TEUs) are the industry’s standard unit of measure, denoting the capacity of a standard freight container.)

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Leading container ship operators, based on chartered TEUs

As of late, tankers and container ships have come under threat from maritime piracy in trade routes around the east African and Indonesian coasts.

China, South Korea and Japan are the world’s main shipbuilding nations; leading shipyards include Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The busiest ports are located in Asia, the largest ones being Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Port of Los Angeles and the adjoining Port of Long Beach together form the largest port outside of Asia.

Overall, China is projected to play a crucial role, competing with Greece and rest of the Europe. India is expected to follow China closely; Japan and South Korea are projected to lose substantial market share in the coming decade.

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The transportation, logistics and distribution industry has been challenged to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. The industry faces a broad array of workforce challenges, from an industry image that could be enhanced, to difficulty recruiting non-traditional labour pools, to obstacles to training both new and present workers.

The continued health of the transportation industry, and the other sectors that depend on it, require the industry’s stakeholders to work in partnership to implement effective solutions that successfully address these challenges:

Challenge 1: Image, Outreach, and Recruitment

  • Demand for workers is increasing in select sectors including rail, transit, and trucking.

  • Negative perceptions of wages and advancement opportunities lend a negative image of the industry.

  • Educators and guidance counselors lack of awareness of career opportunities in the industry.

Challenge 2: Retention and Advancement

  • Retention of entry-level workers is a challenge

  • Entry-level employees often lack the skills needed to advance.

  • It can be difficult to recruit talented managers.

Challenge 3: Training: Entry-Level Workers

  • Some entry-level workers lack soft skills and/or other occupational skills (e.g., safety skills, using new technology).

  • National certifications could be beneficial, as well as standard training models.

  • Barriers to training include the cost and location of training, as well as time spent in training, away from the job.

Challenge 4: IT dependence: Attempts at rationalisation have also created an increased dependency upon information technology.

Challenge 5: HR and payroll: This changing environment presents new challenges for HR and payroll teams. With an increased importance on delivering cost-efficiencies through efficient transactional HR and payroll processing, in addition to effective attraction, retention and management of the workforce. HR and payroll teams must be reliable, flexible and well-supported.

Our reports provide key statistics and analysis on market operating conditions, business challenges, current and historical industry growth trends, and more. They offer an explanation of the structure of the industry and analysis across the value chain, market sizes, revenue growth, market and product trends, demographics, price trends, product/company rankings or comparisons, key players profiles, comparing national and multinational operators by sales, market share, investments, projects, partners and expansion strategies,designed to provide a better understanding of a market's competitive landscape, and market forecasts, projecting how current trends will influence industry sales and consumption patterns in the future, latest market developments and analyzing the potential effects of regulatory changes in conjunction with the background macroeconomic outlook.

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