It is common to hear, and sometimes read technical documents relating to the Carriage of Goods and Logistics, words and terms that seem to respond to different concepts depending on the person who uses it at that time.
With this post, José Manuel Almoguera, wise in the field with 30 years of experience in the field, shows us some grammatical details concerning the Carriage of Goods and Logistics.
These terms are used by a proxy application (a word is used when it should be used the other), or simply erroneous thereof (none of the expressions respond accurately, but approaching and come to understand, what is He wants to express). Let’s see what the engineer tells us Almoguera.
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1) Differences in use between Transport and Logistics
It is without doubt one of the most common cases. Why sometimes we talk about logistics when in reality we are referring to transportation? Why say things transport are not?
Probably the great development experienced by the science of logistics in recent years has led to use this term with excessive profusion and situations for which the term transport was, and remains, the most appropriate.
How many times the word referred to simple Logistic Corridor transport corridors where the goods are from a source to destination without additional logistical tasks necessary to this logistical hear the same content?
Conversely, it is how much has been said and written reference to transport chains? When transporting it meant only a part of all operations involved, many of them with logistical (storage, assembly, ..).
Transport is the operation that allows you to move a thing (and associated information) from one place to another.
Logistics involves all operations (including transportation) necessary to make the transfer of the most efficient in the weather conditions, safety and price agreed form.
Logistics as transportation encompasses and goes beyond (planning, organization, storage system, inventory control, .. …). Transportation is part of logistics and represents the physical movement of goods and information flows.
2) Differences between Intermodal Transport and Multimodal Transport
How many times we have met with people (even professionals) that have been expressed in the following lines: “These cars, which now go by truck and will take the boat will use an intermodal chain …” or “The container is the cornerstone of multimodal transport … “?
Although in principle it seems that there are important errors phrases are not accurate and can lead to no less equivocal.
Intermodal Transportation Transportation is one that uses the loading unit (container, swap body semi-trailer, ..). Multimodal transport is one in which different transport modes involved.
We can say therefore that, usually all be Multimodal Transport Intermodal (but would not make much sense to use loading units) but the contrary is not possible to say the same.
While Terminal Container Terminal is an intermodal marine terminal dedicated to transporting vehicles would be a multimodal terminal.
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3) The difference between the terms and Mobile Container Box
It is more correct to say that container Moving box. The truth is that this phrase could be applied to some speeches in the field of intermodal transportation of goods or simply to comments released from the seat of a passenger vehicle overtakes a truck with a sort of large metal box resting on a platform.
Without doubt, the container is the most important, most used and most transcendence has had on the development of intermodal transport in recent years, but it is not alone and you have to give relevance and know distinguish what is called mobile box.
Although the two are loading units, the container is designed for a normally sea-land and sea-rail intermodal transport. Instead, mobile case, meanwhile, it is for an intermodal road-rail transport.
This implies, above all, differences in dimensions (the mobile box is better dimensions of trucks adapts and has a better use) as well as other functional differences, such as the stackability of the container and the inability to do mobile box.
4) Difference between Interoperability and Intermodal
What do you think the following statements ?:
The seaplane is an intermodal transport mode because it allows travel by sea and air.
The seaplane is a mode of transport interoperable because it allows operate at sea and in the air.
What do you think right? If you answered the first congratulations !; otherwise, the response, although quite logical, is not precise.
Intermodal (in this case could be discussed if it is inter- or multimodality, but we think that the plane itself is the charging unit) always occurs when two or more different transport modes (air-sea-hydro and appear -Plane -).
Interoperability occurs when, in the same way, the operating conditions in various stages of the transport chain requires certain adjustments to the vehicle to move throughout it.
This is the case, for example, the railways must move from one country to another with rail networks with gauges and / or different electrification systems. Change systems automatic axes or biphasic or three-phase motors are examples of adaptations of interoperability.
5) When using Strategic location and location strategy
Logistics centers became fashionable as one of the most efficient transport infrastructure in attracting trade flows and elements of economic development of the territories, the mid-90s.
Since then, what Spanish Community has not opened its logistics center with an advertising dossier where in an image on an appropriate scale (for strategy) could be seen as the Centre (as a fat point), in a world map was perfectly positioned to capture almost all flows from the rest of the world?
That’s what it was called Strategic Location profusely; that is, all located in the Peninsula Center had a privileged and similar strategic location for all of them.
Well, I do not !, Here is an example of perverse use of the concept, when in fact it was Locating Strategy Center managers to attract customers.
The strategic location of a logistics center must be ratified from one study to the appropriate scale to determine the actual availability of flows to the center (both departure and arrival) and the possibility of competitive service markets.
The rest are localization strategies (or commercial position if preferred).