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快递服务业概述
An Overview
of Express Delivery Services
Material
Source :A Report By US-ASEAN Business Council,2005
Author : James I. Campbell Jr.
A
．
Characteristics of an Express Delivery
Company
Four
major
integrators
:
UPS,
FedEx,
TNT,
and
DHL,
account
for
almost
85
percent of the world
’
s
express shipments. The services that these
companies provide generally share the
following characteristics which
differentiate them from other
traditional forms of delivery services:
Door-to-door
delivery :
this
includes
the
seamless
transfer
across
multiple modes
of transport . the
“
integrated
”
aspect of
the service offered frees
the customer
from the need to make complex transportation
arrangements
for pick-up and delivery.
Close custodial control : Using
sophisticated information systems
that
enhance
security
,
EDS
firms
maintain
close
custodial
and
administrative
control
over
all
shipments.
This
is
particularly
important to reduce the risk of loss or
damage to goods in transit.
Track and
trace technology : Shippers and consignees may
track the
precise
movement
and
location
of
their
shipments
and
confirm
delivery
with
the
use of sophisticated
‘
track
and trace
’
technology that an
EDS firm
provides.
Facilitation of customs clearance : EDS
firms assist with customs
clearance
so
that
customers
do
not
have
to
navigate
bureaucratic
customs
regimes and the required paperwork.
High level of reliability : EDS firms
promise that packages will
arrive
at
the
required
destination
,
on
time
,this
is
particularly
important
for
shipments
of
high-tech
components
due
for
production
lines
,
as well as essential
financial documents.
Global service
: the major EDS firms offer their customers
delivery
to market and cities worldwide
through an intricate network of air hubs
and stations. EDS is a network
business.
Speed of delivery : Most
importantly , Overnight and
Second-day
express services reduce overall
inventory and warehousing needs , and
imize supply chain
efficiency .
the
average shipping time
form
the U.S .
to Southeast Asia is about
2-3 working days door-to-door . Together ,
these characteristics bring businesses
timely , secure , and guaranteed
worldwide
delivery
of
documents
,
products
,
components
,
and
spare
parts
to
assist with efficient supply chain management.
B. Benefits to Businesses
Air cargo represents 40 percent of the value of
global trade . The
bulk
of
this
is
handle
by
EDS
firms .
Servicing
the
needs
of
both
multinational corporations and the
emergent small and medium enterprise
SME
sector
in
their
manufacturing
,
import
,
and
export
activities
,
this
industry
has
been
an
important
engine
for
economic
growth
.
Sectors
which
heavily
rely
on
EDS
to
remain
competitive
are
knowledge-based
and
technologically
advanced
,
including
that
of
pharmaceuticals
and
biotechnology
,
information
technology
and
telecoms
,
textiles
,
automotive & transport , engineering ,
financial and business service ,
and
traditional manufacturing .
To remain
competitive , companies today focus not only on
product
performance but also factor in
how
well costs
can be
managed
and reduced
through
distribution
and
production
,
and
how
quickly
parts
can
be
brought
together
,
assembled
,
and
distributed
to
global
markets
.
EDS
firms
help
with
the
smooth
orchestration
of
these
activities
and
are
therefore
part
of the critical
infrastructure for efficient supply chain
management .
Reducing Inventory and
Other Indirect Costs .
With the support
of EDS
, companies no
longer have
to maintain
large
inventories
and
can
therefore
carry
out
better
concentration
,
rationalization , and location of
warehouses . In a study conducted by
Gausch and Kogan 2001 , companies in
developing countries were found to
have
2-5 times more inventory holdings in the
manufacturing sector than
companies in
the U . S .
Having these inventories
could consequently reduce unit production
costs
by
20
percent
.
In
a
typical
Asian
emerging
market
,
logistics
supply
chain costs is as high as 22-24 percent
of total production costs for
manufacturers . In another study , it
was found that for every $$1 spent
on
express
transportation
,
companies
would
save
$$1.50
in
warehousing
and
inventory
cost
.
For
manufacturers
,taking
advantage
of
the
availability
of
EDS
allows
for
more
efficient
stock
management
and
production
techniques
to
be
practiced
,
including
the
ability
to
respond
more
quickly
to stock outages ,
and production interruptions . These indirect
costs
are not always visible and often
overlooked but are critical to SMEs in
emerging economies . Other immediate
cost savings can also be realized
through
greater
flexibility
in
sourcing
.
The
flexibility
allows
companies
to
source
from
a
wider
array
of
suppliers
and
reduce
their
input
costs .
Introducing Flexibility into Business
Structure
EDS allows for more flexible
business solutions . Relying on EDS to
bridge
distances
removes
the
traditionally
important
time-to-market
consideration
and allows companies to make strategic decisions
on where
to
locate
their
business
units
based
on
factors
of
competition
,
proximity
to supporting
industries , and complementary industry hubs .
This is particularly relevant for
knowledge-based industries in the
biomedical and pharmaceutical field .
In a survey conducted of European
companies
in
Germany
on
the
usage
of
EDS
,
80
percent
of
survey
respondents
reported the
importance of being based in locations providing
“
imum
participation in leading research
associations .
”
Decentralization of
research &
development units to hubs where these laboratories
, testing
centers , hospitals , patent
registration offices , and research think
tanks are located allows business to
benefit from an environment of
innovation
important
to
product
development
.
At
the
same
time
,
product
development units rely on EDS to ship
samples to markets for clinical
trials
, deliver highly classified and proprietary legal
documents and
patent applications ,
ship urgently needed drugs to hospitals , and
maintain
“
just-
in-time
”
stock-
management
practices
for
its
laboratories .
C . Economic Benefits
In
many parts of the world , the EDS sector has been
a catalyst to
trade
and
investment
growth
,
generating
profound
multiplier
effects
for
the
wider economy .
For ASEAN
countries
looking to extend
their reach to
global
markets , networks that EDS firms build are
critical . These
networks render supply
chains more efficient and contribute greatly to
export
growth
,
stimulate
foreign
direct
investment
,
and
foster
regional
development and SME
growth .
Facilitating Export Growth
In ASEAN , intra-regional trade
accounts for about 20 percent of
overall trade
.This
is considerably
less
than in most
regions . The
main
reasons
for
the
limited
intra-regional
trade
are
the
“
pattern
of
logistics costs and institutional
barriers to land-based trade
.
”
This
phenomenon
makes
countries
of
the
region
effectively
closer
to
industrial
countries
than
to
each
other
.To
fully
realize
the
benefits
the
ASEAN
Free
Trade
Agreement
AFTA
,
bringing
lagging
economies
and
landlocked
countries in the
region up to median performance levels is key .
There is a causal link between
connectivity and overall growth in
trade , and an even stronger
correlation between transportation and
logistics infrastructure and export
performance .
Transportation
and
logistics-related
costs
in
ASEAN
continue
to
represent
a
substantial
percentage
of
the
actual
costs
of
goods
.A
country
with
high
logistics
costs
is
far
,
in
an
economic
sense
,
from
international markets .
In the study
“
Towards a
Geography of Trade
Costs
”
Hummel 1999 which compared
sales by manufacturers of similar
products , exporters with 1 percent
lower shipping costs enjoy a 5-8
percent
higher
market
share
.
In
another
study
conducted
by
the
McKinsey
Group
,
annual
GDP
for
one
Asian
country
is
forecasted
to
increase
by
1.5
to
2
percent
by
2010 if
logistics
costs
are
reduced
by
15
to
20
percent
.
This
is
in
contrast
to
an
ongoing
$$10
billion
infrastructure
project
which
would only generate
0.7 to 1 percent GDP growth over the same period .
Indeed
,
injecting
competition
into
the
industry
to
lower
logistics
costs
can
give
a
significant
competitive
edge
to
producers
in
an
open
economy
.
Efficient inter-modal transportation ,
including the use of EDS , would
result
in more efficient supply chain management .
These
efficiencies
undoubtedly
replicate
gains
in
the
export
sector
.
A study conducted by the Economic
Strategy Institute conducted that
further
development
and
liberalization
in
the
air
express
industry
could
result in percentages
gains for exports per year from 2004-2008 between
0.386-0.562
percent
per
year
for
Singapore
:
2.895-4.215
percent
per
year
for
Malaysia
,
Thailand
,
and
the
Philippines
；
and
3.86-5.62
percent
per
year
for Vietnam and Indonesia .
Facilitating FDI and Promoting Regional
Development
EDS firms play a critical
role in influencing company decisions on
how much and where to invest .
This
is
especially
applicable
to
remote
markets
where
EDS
firms
assist
in
overcoming
problems
of
geography
and
weaker
transportation
infrastructure . Fifty-eight percent of
participating companies in a
survey
conducted
for
the
report
“
The
Economic
Impact
of
Express
Carriers
in
Europe
”
Oxford Economic
Forecasting , 2004 consider easy access to
markets
,
customers
or
clients
,
as
“
absolutely
essential
”
when
deciding
where to locate .In the EU , the
importance of EDS is compelling without
EDS , 35percent of those interviewed
for a study in Portugal said they
would
have
to
relocate
;
15
percent
of
the
UK
and
10
percent
of
the
Italian
companies surveyed would consider
relocating abroad and 30 percent of