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Visit Alan McKinnon's LinkedIn page



Logistics - a major industry in its own right
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. 

Love Logistics video


Latest book

Book contents

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Video introduction to the book

Complimentary download of Chapter 1

Welcome

Professor Alan McKinnon
Professor Alan McKinnon

Welcome 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, Edinburgh


 

Blogs on logistics topics

PhD Workshop in Stellenbosch, South Africa

Between the 9 and 13 September 2024, Kuehne Logistics University jointly ran a doctoral workshop with Stellenbosch University, South Africa.  Like the previous one in April 2023, this workshop was held in Stellenbosch and funded by the Kühne Foundation’s LEARN Logistics Education Program. Once again I joined the team of professors delivering the workshop.  Over five days we examined research developments in supply chain aspects of resilience, AI, environmental sustainability and human resource management.  Our group of  seven professors was supplemented by nine guest speakers from industry and academia who gave presentations, joined panel discussions and interacted with the excellent group of doctoral students who joined the workshop from Belgium, Colombia, Ethiopia, Germany, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK.  The students also gave presentations summarising their PhD projects which cover a broad cross-section of supply chain topics and methodologies. There was also a detailed discussion of research dissemination issues and a field trip to one of South Africa’s main apple storage, packing and distribution hubs, operated by Two-a-Day pty. 

© Professor Alan McKinnon 2024

Kuehne Logistics University
Hamburg
Germany

contactme@alanmckinnon.co.uk

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© Professor Alan McKinnon 2024

 

Kuehne Logistics University
Hamburg
Germany

 

contactme@alanmckinnon.co.uk

 

Contact me

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Sitemap

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