Innovation leads to growth. That is what 5 success stories in the logistics sector clearly demonstrate. Flanders will still be an attractive focal-point for logistics activities tomorrow. Certainly if we convert weaknesses into opportunities.
A complex daily surgery schedule must balance the needs of individual patients with available equipment and recovery beds, and will benefit from employing a planning tool using algorithms that can be accessed through user-friendly software. Brecht Cardoen and Erik Demeulemeester set out to examine how a decision support system using optimization algorithms can help medical staff improve their scheduling.
The financial crisis, triggered by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, resulted in a spectacular dip in industrial production in 2009 and into 2010. However, over the same period, retail sales remained fairly constant. In this paper, the authors argue that the shockwave throughout the industrial world was caused by the inventory policy adopted by manufacturing companies: due to the de-stocking and re-stocking practices, real demand was distorted along the value chain. The authors urge close monitoring of, and insight into, the real state of consumer demand to ensure the sustainability of the current economic recovery.
The changing European market and increased globalisation may have consequences for current top logistics regions, such as Flanders (Belgium). New regional distribution centres to serve the local East European markets may arise, but they will not replace the economic value-adding distribution centres currently located in Flanders. In addition to helping us understand the differences between the European Distribution Centres and giving us a view on their landscape, the analysis of these centres can also guide a region in developing its logistics policies.