Countermeasures for port logistics development

As a node of the global comprehensive transportation network, the port has been playing an increasingly important role in the development of modern logistics: the port realizes the function of modern logistics center with compound advantages, the port has a strategic position in international logistics, and the port provides value-added services through the logistics system. In order to meet the needs of economic globalization, modern ports need to constantly improve their logistics functions, so it is necessary to study the strategies to improve the logistics functions of modern ports: generally, port logistics centers should be established, their functions should be improved by improving the modern logistics model of ports, the logistics information construction should be accelerated, the service concept of port logistics should be strengthened, the advantages of port third-party logistics should be brought into play, and policy guidance should be strengthened while promoting coordinated development and improving management system.

The proposition of the problem and its research significance

Transportation is the main carrier of logistics. With the integration of the world economy, the connotation of logistics is gradually expanding. As a node of the global comprehensive transportation network, the function of the port is constantly expanding. Ports are playing an increasingly important role in developing modern logistics. Historically, the world's ports have experienced three generations in its development process: maritime cargo handling and storage center → value-added goods service center → international logistics center. Modern port is not only the hub of land-sea combined transport goods, but also the distribution center of international commodity storage and distribution, integrating logistics service center, business center, information service center and personnel service center. In the new era, port logistics presents the following new characteristics: large logistics. Economic integration promotes the international, large-scale and systematic development of port logistics, and a highly integrated supply chain channel relationship is formed through joint planning and operation within the port logistics industry; Integration. Relying on the logistics park near the port, we will carry out comprehensive logistics services, provide the best logistics solutions for the transportation of goods in the port and sea, including hinterland transportation, customs declaration, inspection, packaging and inventory management, and provide comprehensive services such as finance and insurance; Virtual chain. Port logistics must be an efficient virtual supply chain based on port logistics information platform. Any link in the supply chain can achieve the purpose of sharing resources and information, realize the overall function optimization of logistics services, and form a virtual port covering the whole world by relying on virtual chain. These new features put forward new requirements for the traditional port logistics operation mode. In order to meet the needs of economic globalization, modern ports need to constantly improve their logistics functions, and it is of great significance to study the strategies to improve the logistics functions of modern ports.

Position in modern logistics industry

The function of modern ports is mainly embodied in the establishment of a powerful modern logistics system based on the port's transportation transit function, and then the development of warehousing, distribution, processing and modification, packaging and other industries will drive the development of the entire port-facing industrial belt. Modern logistics industry is one of the important pillar industries in the development of port industry.

Port realizes the function of modern logistics center with compound advantages: international freight is accelerating the transformation from isolated practitioners to modern logistics system to better meet the individual needs of different customers. Therefore, ports are required to play a more active role in modern logistics system. Traditional port activities only have the functions of transit and product distribution. With the development of international multimodal transport and the increase of complexity of integrated transport chain, ports, as nodes of global integrated transport network, will have more extensive functions. The function of modern ports is to continuously expand inland with the port as the center and provide convenient transportation, business and financial services for customers. Modern logistics is a comprehensive service system with transportation as the main link. As a node of the global integrated transportation network, the function of the port is also developing towards providing all-round value-added services. The expansion of port function is not only the requirement of modern logistics development, but also the embodiment of port's role in promoting modern logistics development.

The development of modern logistics in ports has the following advantages: ① Modern ports are the leader of integrated logistics supply chain. As a logistics distribution center, modern ports are not only responsible for warehousing, sorting, tally, distribution, inversion, sub-packaging, loading and unloading, processing and distribution, but also responsible for the intelligent work of the whole supply chain. ② Modern port is the best combination point of production factors. Due to the advantages of port transportation, many of the most important ports in the world have the layout of "front port and back factory", and many powerful enterprises also choose port cities as development places. The important ports in the world are basically important industrial bases. Modern ports have effectively promoted the development of regional economy, gathered the best manpower, material resources and financial resources, and become regional and even international commercial centers. ③ Modern ports are the most important information centers. For international trade, as a technical node in the international logistics chain, the port is the intersection of ships, navigation, inland transportation, communication, economy and technology. Shippers, freight forwarders, shipowners, shipping agents, wholesale and retail companies, packaging companies, land transportation companies and customs commodity inspection agencies have settled in the port area. Modern ports have developed from simple transportation centers to today's logistics centers through distribution centers. With the development of international multimodal transport and global integrated logistics services, modern ports, as nodes of the global transportation network, will develop into all-round value-added services and become the gathering center of commodity flow, capital flow, technology flow and information flow. (4) Modern port is the largest cargo distribution center in the integrated logistics supply chain. Port is the hub of land and water transportation, the distribution center of water goods, and the starting point and end point of ocean transportation. Integrated logistics not only forms the separation of hub and port at sea, but also forms an inland network system of multimodal transport with ports, docks and inland logistics centers as distribution points and different modes of transportation as transportation channels on land. Therefore, the port is also the largest cargo assembly point.

The multiple identities of ports have a strategic position in international logistics: according to the viewpoint of modern logistics, ports are in a very important strategic position in modern production, trade and transportation, mainly because: ① ports are the hub of land and water transportation, the distribution center of water goods, and the starting point and end point of marine transportation. No matter container cargo or bulk cargo, ocean transportation always bears the largest volume, so the port is always the assembly place of the largest amount of goods in the whole transportation chain. (2) Port is the best combination point of global production factors. Ports are often the most logical location that combines the production factors with huge differences in endowments between the two countries in the most favorable way. The major ports in the world are basically important industrial bases. (3) In international trade, the port has always been the largest and most important node where different modes of transportation meet. Shippers, freight forwarders, shipowners, shipping agents, commodity wholesale departments, retailers, packaging companies, land transportation companies, customs, commodity inspection authorities and other related institutions have settled in the port area. With the development of regional international trade, the computer system of logistics center must be connected with the computer system of the above-mentioned units, and the information about business flow, logistics, loading and unloading transportation and warehousing will be collected in port and logistics center in time. Therefore, the port occupies a core strategic position in the modern logistics system.

3. The port provides value-added services through the logistics system: From the content of modern logistics services, the port has a very prominent location advantage. In the process of continuous development of modern logistics, ports can not only provide modern logistics services such as cargo transfer, loading and unloading, warehousing, etc. , but also use their information and communication and EDI network to provide users with the required market and decision-making information. The port is also a talent service center, providing trade negotiation conditions, talent supply and seamen's service, providing comfortable living and entertainment space, and strengthening the integration relationship between port and city. Modern ports can simplify the flow of trade and logistics through their own location advantages and many functions derived from them, so that ports can provide minimum interruption and maximum value-added on modern logistics nodes.

New requirements and development countermeasures

(A) the new requirements of port logistics operating environment In the new economic background, port logistics needs to constantly improve its traditional intelligence. However, as far as the current operation status of China port logistics is concerned, there is still a certain gap between its service concept, technical operation and strategic vision and actual demand. ① Modern logistics needs port logistics to establish a brand-new service concept. Most of China's port logistics industry is still in the stage of profit concept, and its service consciousness is weak. Generally speaking, the development process of port logistics is a process from the concept of cost to the concept of profit and then to the concept of integrated logistics service. In addition to pursuing the efficiency and cost of natural circulation of goods, the logistics service concept should also strengthen the customer-oriented service consciousness, effectively change the management mode and integrate according to the requirements of modern logistics; ② Modern port logistics needs high technology as the support of its industrialized operation. High-tech is widely used in the development of modern port industry, which is reflected in operation management, loading and unloading technology and many other aspects. In order to improve operational efficiency, electronic data exchange technology and information automatic integration technology will be widely used in ports, and the strength of information exchange ability will become the focus of competition among ports in the future and an important key to daily management; The background of economic globalization requires port logistics to have a brand-new strategic consciousness. The global integration of logistics is manifested in international multimodal transport. Major shipping companies extend their transportation capacity from sea to inland and air, from traditional maritime carriers to integrated carriers providing integrated logistics services, in order to pursue continuity, stability and traceability within the transportation system, and shipping companies have gradually become major investors in ports. (4) Shipping joint venture requires port logistics to have the crisis consciousness of being eliminated. In recent years, in order to improve the efficiency of port operation, major shipping companies in the world have set up strategic joint ventures to expand the scope of joint ventures from ports to onshore facilities. The development of this global strategic alliance of international shipping companies will promote the polarization of ports. Because the operating cost of large ships is very high, in order to reduce the operating cost, its loading and unloading ports must have comprehensive capabilities such as all-weather access, rapid loading and unloading, customs clearance, collection and distribution, etc. Therefore, the selection of ports and terminals by global strategic alliances will be more concentrated, and ports with good geographical location and strong operational capabilities will attract more shipping consortia, and the trend of port polarization will be more obvious.

(II) Countermeasures for the development of port logistics To realize port logistics and develop a traditional port with single function into a logistics park or logistics center. It is an important direction of modern port construction and development. The so-called port logistics refers to the integrated logistics network that serves the port area and widely radiated areas through planned and targeted development by using modern logistics concepts according to its own geographical advantages and characteristics of economic environment. The logistics port no longer only has the simple function of loading and unloading goods. Due to the adoption of modern communication technology and automatic transportation and storage technology, various modern modes of transportation converge in the port to transport goods to the vast hinterland overseas and inland. At this time, the port has become a transportation hub and plays a transshipment function. Then, taking modern transportation as the main line, it integrates various logistics functions such as warehousing, packaging, distribution, processing and information service, so as to transform the port from a transportation hub into a logistics network node with wider connotation and higher level. Goods can not only flow smoothly on the logistics network, but also serve customers, develop distribution and processing services according to customers' needs, and increase the value of goods during port transshipment through processing services, thus achieving the purpose of improving port functions.

The overall development direction is to establish a port logistics center: the basic form of a port logistics center generally has three types of all-round logistics centers, which have the circulation functions of business flow, logistics, information flow and capital flow, and are equipped with perfect service infrastructure; Infrastructure logistics center, which mainly provides the infrastructure needed for logistics, information flow and capital flow; Commercial logistics center, it only has the function of business flow. The highest goal of port logistics center is to meet the needs of customers to the greatest extent. In order to achieve the goal of logistics center, port logistics center should have the functions of logistics distribution, goods warehousing and distribution, international logistics service, market transaction, information management, service consultation and value-added services. This breaks through the original design concept of the port as a single transportation hub infrastructure. According to the functional requirements of modern logistics, the port resources should be re-integrated, and the port functions should be adapted to the requirements of future international container multimodal transport and international logistics network nodes through functional diversification, internationalization of standards, rationalization of layout, modernization of management and high efficiency of operation, so as to comprehensively enhance the port competitiveness.

4. Perfecting the function of modern port logistics mode: From the development mode of port logistics, it can be divided into two types: inward-oriented and outward-oriented. The inward-looking development model mainly starts with fully optimizing the port's memory resources, reorganizing and optimizing the internal resource allocation, and improving the port's logistics function on the basis of efficient use of various resources. Its operating philosophy focuses on management. From the analysis of the development of port logistics, the transformation strategy should be: transforming the main business and stripping the system. Under the background of economic globalization, the competition between ports is gradually evolving into the competition between logistics chains. The transformation of main business is an inevitable choice. The so-called main business transformation is to use the concept and operation mode of modern logistics to transform the existing operation mechanism and organization mode of the port, and take improving the efficiency of goods passing through the port as the main index of port construction and operation, thus improving the core competitiveness of the logistics chain where the port is located. System stripping is to strip off the self-operated logistics business of the port system, concentrate it to form a logistics department to operate independently, and gradually become a completely independent third-party logistics service mainly providing "supply logistics services" in the process of gradually transforming into a profit center. The export-oriented development model mainly starts with the relationship objects involved in the port, and pays full attention to the vertical and horizontal relations in the development of port logistics, that is, the sustainable development of port logistics is realized through the in-depth development of the external environment, and its operation concept focuses on management. Vertical port cooperation includes: port enterprises hand over some docks, warehouses and yards to enterprises with logistics chains to engage in enterprise logistics in the port area; Build logistics chain with shipping, highway, railway and other transportation enterprises; Port enterprises and factor market and consumer market resources integration, etc. Horizontal cooperation is mainly manifested in the coordinated development of port groups, and it is necessary to establish a stable strategic alliance between hub ports and replenishment ports to unite the same business and interests.

3. Accelerate the construction of logistics informatization: modern ports should establish a network platform covering all commercial circulation and warehousing and transportation enterprises in the radiation area to realize the full interconnection of information among enterprises, customers and relevant management institutions; Establish a logistics publishing system to realize the sharing and exchange of information resources; Establish a resource trading system, including the release of resource supply and demand and the realization of automatic trading function. The development of port logistics industry should make full use of bar code technology, database technology, electronic ordering system, electronic data exchange and other information technologies to continuously improve the port logistics information system. At the same time, it is necessary to expand business cooperation, establish the network operation of international logistics system and realize the leap of modern port logistics quality. Improve the high-performance public logistics information platform. Using EDI, Internet and other information technologies, ports and ports, ports and customs, ports and shippers, ports and carriers are connected to form an open organic whole, which provides information related to cargo status, such as shipper tracking, cargo handover documents, bill of lading processing and management, customs clearance, intermodal transport, warehousing, sailing schedule forecast, berth use, freight market situation and so on. Expand business cooperation and establish international logistics, so that the port can have a logistics information port.

4. Strengthen the service concept of port logistics: Port service level is one of the standards to measure port logistics. Doing a good job of service is equivalent to grasping the essence of port logistics and is also the biggest source of profit for port logistics. We should start with the quality of employees and strengthen. Port services are divided into three levels: first, core services, mainly cargo handling; The second is to use different loading and unloading machinery and transportation tools to complete auxiliary services such as loading and unloading, transportation, stacking and storage of goods in a specific freight yard; The third is to provide high-quality and convenient extension services for the delivery of goods. Port enterprises should focus on customer needs, standardize services, improve core service quality, enhance service characteristics, establish a brand image beyond the general, win customer trust and establish competitive advantages. Logistics service consciousness: speed up the construction of port logistics park and provide various logistics value-added services; Constantly develop innovative port logistics service varieties; The service should be flexible, aiming at meeting the needs of customers and changing at any time according to the changes of customer needs.

5. Develop the advantages of port third-party logistics: Traditionally, ports are an important part of modern logistics industry, and ports only need to provide services around modern logistics industry. However, the management of Shenzhen Merchants Logistics Group believes that ports should directly carry out third-party logistics services. The functions of the port mainly include loading and unloading transportation, cargo distribution, trade, information, unpacking and packaging, tourism and so on. These functions are similar to those of logistics parks built around the country. This shows that the port industry is an important link; At present, the role of ports in logistics is similar to that of the government, but the difference is that the government is more free than enterprises in providing low-price preferential policies; As long as the port area takes a step forward, even a small step, it will become a fully functional park, but the logistics park will never become a port area. Therefore, in cities with ports, the government should tilt land resources and preferential policies for setting up logistics parks to ports to support the healthy development of port logistics. Ports can gain an advantage in market competition by setting up third-party logistics companies to provide domestic logistics services around their main goods. Considering the richness of logistics resources outside Hong Kong, the company does not need to invest in building its own transportation and storage resources outside Hong Kong, but only needs to provide customers with multimodal transport solutions and effectively implement them. Many warehousing and transportation companies carry out self-operated business with port business as the core, and ports can make full use of their special position to restrain outsourcers. It is the scarcity of ports in a region and the interest correlation between ports and surrounding logistics enterprises that make port enterprises have unique advantages in establishing third-party logistics enterprises in China.

6. Strengthen policy guidance, promote coordinated development, and improve the management system: relevant government departments should create a fair, open and orderly competitive macro environment for the development of modern port logistics through policy guidance and market regulation, formulate a development plan for modern logistics industry, straighten out the existing port system, and especially study and establish an incentive mechanism to encourage ports to develop modern logistics industry. The development of port logistics will inevitably link ports with shipping enterprises. Only by strengthening the cooperation between port and shipping can the formation and operation of port logistics be satisfied, and port and shipping enterprises can truly develop their own characteristics and advantages. Only in this way can the modern logistics system develop smoothly. With the advent of the modern logistics era in the world, in order to adapt to the development of modern transportation technology, especially the improvement of the natural conditions and equipment requirements of the port due to the large-scale ships, the port construction should strengthen the port infrastructure construction, including the construction of the number of container terminals, loading and unloading capacity, dock yard and waterway depth, so as to meet the needs of the large-scale and super-large-scale international container ships. On the basis of the above measures, it is necessary to improve the modern logistics management system of the port: first, the internal process design of various circulation industries should be systematic, so that the logistics process can be in a stable and coordinated system; Secondly, the combination and systematization of various logistics industries enables port logistics to select, process and package goods on the basis of traditional operations, thereby increasing the value of import and export business, and providing customers with multi-functional services such as inspection, customs declaration, receipt, port collection and distribution processing according to market development and the needs of shippers, thus forming an open and interoperable logistics service platform.