Prioritising the flow of empty trucks: another Brexit anomaly →
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Resources available on this site, including papers, studies, articles and book chapters
GENERAL LOGISTICSSUSTAINABLE LOGISTICSCLIMATE CHANGEFREIGHT TRANSPORTINFRASTRUCTURE AND PROPERTYRETAIL LOGISTICS- Downloads
What exactly is logistics?
Many people think of logistics as simply moving stuff. The appearance of the word on the sides of trucks certainly gives this impression. In practice logistics is a complex mix of freight transport, storage, handling, inventory management and all the IT required to co-ordinate these activities. It is a function that we all take for granted but without which our economy, indeed whole way of life, would collapse. It is a major industry in its own right, accounting for 12% of global GDP, and a major polluter releasing around 10-11% of global CO2 emissions. To get a sense of just how important logistics is, have a look at this video.
Recent book
Kogan Page, London
Welcome
Professor Alan McKinnonWelcome to my personal website. On this site I have assembled many of the outputs of a career spent researching, teaching and advising in the field of logistics.
I had the good fortune to enter this field when it was at an early stage in its development, full of interesting research questions and in the grip of managerial revolution. It remains a vibrant and rapidly evolving subject area, constantly faced with new challenges and opportunities.
One of the greatest challenges logistics managers will have to confront in future decades is climate change. The link between logistics and climate change has been the focus of much of my recent research and features prominently on the site. My book on the decarbonisation of logistics was published in June 2018.
Whatever your interest in logistics, however, there should be something on this site of relevance.
Alan McKinnon
Professor of Logistics, Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg
Professor Emeritus, Heriot-Watt University, EdinburghBlogs on logistics topics
World Bank report on Logistics Decarbonization in Lower Income Countries
This report that I wrote for the World Bank examines how the decarbonization of logistics needs to be adapted to the ‘needs, opportunities, and constraints’ of less developed countries. It does this within the ‘five lever’ framework of rationalising freight demand, switching freight to lower carbon transport modes, improving capacity utilisation, raising energy efficiency and transitioning to renewable energy. For each lever, I summarise trends, assess barriers and enablers, and recommend policy options for the governments of lower income countries.
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