Maria Huge-Brodin

The first theme relates to continued research within the frame of “green business models for logistics service providers” and “the role of logistics service providers in green supply chain management”. Based on the identification of green-wise proactive logistics service providers (LSP) we develop knowledge, hypotheses and models of how LSPs can become more competitive and greener. This research takes both a strategic and management approach in which we study more operational issues and relate them to strategic efforts and long-term consequences. For LSPs as well as for shippers in the supply chain, a strategic as well as operative alignment is crucial for green efforts to have the desired effects, and we continue this research through dyadic research. This is also applicable to the area of city logistics/urban distribution, where dyadic and supply chain collaborations must become more effective also among non-company organisations. 

Our prior research has been explorative to its nature, and a multitude of theoretical approaches have been taken to increase the understanding of the phenomenon. At this stage of knowledge building, it is becoming increasingly relevant to address the research challenges with theoretical perspectives and to take a more deductive approach to the research. 

The second theme stems from the research described above. As we have come to understand the business making among logistics service providers in general, and their business with their customers in “ordinary supply chains” more specifically, a new challenge has surfaced. With respect to transportation there are many possibilities for making them greener in developing technology. New fuels, motor standards, aerodynamic design of the vehicles as well as new and supporting IT-applications promise considerable improvements. In addition, there is increasing insight that behavioural aspects such as eco-driving can contribute both to decreasing the environmental stress and increasing the economic efficiency in transports. 

Still, although these measures are well known and not very complicated, they become adopted by logistics actors at a surprisingly slow speed. This challenge addresses technology providers, transport- and logistics service providers and transport buyers - that can be businesses as well as consumers. One hypothesis that we pursue is whether it can be the business making between companies that set barriers to the development. Prior research has shown that the short time frames of contracts strongly delimits LSPs’ willingness to invest in new technology or knowledge, even though the pay-off time is short – however far beyond the contract time frames. This is one of many possible explanations that need to be further investigated. A number of recent initiatives address the “slowness of technology and knowledge spread and up-take” in the transport- and supply chains. Taking a deeper grip into the technological details, and understanding their business consequences constitutes a new challenge for us as logistics researchers. In particular, the development of alternative and fossil-free transport solution challenges the operations of logistics service providers as well as business models for all logistics actors. This combination of technology and business making is necessary - if we want to decrease the negative sides of transports!

Logistics Systems for Recycling - Research as a PhD student

Recycling is a means of saving resources in a world with restricted access to new (virgin) material. Reverse logistics is a core concept in green logistics, and through efficient and effective management of reverse flows logistics can contribute both to improving the environment and reducing costs and resource waste of many kinds. Logistics Systems for Recycling (LSR) was the theme for my research leading to a PhD in 2002 (Huge-Brodin, 2002). My approach to this research challenge was a wide-spanning systems analysis of LSR regarding product properties, logistics structures and management, interorganisational relationships and power.  In extension to the “traditional” logistics system I, together with my former supervisor, developed the concept of including the consumer into the industrial recycling system, where we challenged the role of the consumer as a logistics provider, and extended the value stream mapping in a supply chain to include the consumer in a circular setting.

Environmental Consequences of Structural changes in logistics - Research as an Assistant professor

This research focused on the trend of changing logistics structures, e.g. centralisation of distribution systems, and added the environmental consequences of such changes, alongside its effects on costs and delivery service.  This theme has evolved and later I have, together with fellow researchers, studied large structural changes playing with system boundaries. The way you set the logistics system’s boundaries in research have a very strong influence on the results you can assess. Solutions that may appear as attractive in a narrow environment may even prove harmful when expanding the system boundaries. 

Competitive and Green business models for logistics service provision - Research as an Associate professor

A large research grant in 2008 from VINNOVA (Sweden’s Innovation Agency) was the starting point for my group’s research into greening the business models for logistics service providers and also into the relationships between logistics service providers and their customers in the supply chain.  We have studied different aspects of business models for logistics service providers (LSPs). LSPs approach the increasing environmental demands in sometimes similar, and sometimes different ways. Parts of our research has attempted to understand why those companies take on this strategic challenge in the way they do. We have studied this development on the Swedish market as well as comparing different countries in Europe, through case studies and questionnaire survey. Among various LSPs we found the most pro-active among small and medium sized players, however pro-activity is not very common. Many LSPs struggle with the financial side of environmentally related investments, as the demand from customers is still fairly low and in particular the customer’s interest in paying for environmental improvement. 

We have also studied the greening of logistics service provision from the buyer perspective, and to complement the two sides a dyadic perspective was applied, in which we analysed the actual interaction in relationships between logistics service providers and their customers.