Mesologistik

System optimization at the site and in the international chain

The importance of sea port regions is not only expressed in its capacity for the international exchange of goods, but far more as an essential value-added partner of international supply chains. For the competitiveness, it is crucial to couple seaport development, handling efficiency and hinterland transport. At this, seaports represent gate functions, which are involved in international logistics concepts. Transport, logistics and site development are inextricably linked. In that regard, it requires a process-orientated system optimization at the site and in the international chain. Especially against the background of increasing networking in global supply chains and rising sea transport capacity, the importance of quantitative and qualitative designs of maritime transhipment areas is rising up. There are new tasks and site distributions in value networks, new forms of cooperation, new technical processes and organizational innovations as well as new logistical products. In this context, both solutions on transport and regional economics as well as solutions on business management and logistics for the maritime site are important, for example concerning intermodal transport chains, issues of risk and safety in the transport chain, the design of mass customization solutions or the work flow management in the supply chain and in the region. This is called (in the sense of differentiating micro and macro logistics) a maritime characterized meso-logistics. The interaction of the partners contributes substantially to achieve a quantitatively and qualitatively excellent control of the logistical complexity of a company, in the chain and at the site. The demand of flexible and reliable problem-solving potential of a site for supply chain needs of customers around the world is more and more increasing. These are also essential for decisions of company locations in an international context.

The aim of the project funded by the Kieserling Foundation was to present and to analyze the importance of the performance of meso-logistics for the maritime location Bremen and Bremerhaven, i.e. to show the importance of system optimization "transport, logistics and site development". For this purpose, proposals concerning design and optimization have been developed and chances and risks have been evaluated and composed from a business perspective. In Addition, the possibility to realize a real and virtual showcase concerning the fascination of maritime logistics in the state of Bremen is conceptualized.

The elaborated results invite interested parties to deal with innovative transportation and logistics solutions, to learn about their performance and to recognize their importance for logistics in Germany. This was supported by the creation of a teaching and training module called “Performance Meso-logistics” for education and training institutions in the state of Bremen. The project harmonizes with EU policies about the realization of knowledge regions in Europe and the qualification of maritime interfaces, such as those related to Motorways of the Sea.