Ports operating in the same geographical range face significant competition among them. In such setting, less competitive ports may continually lose patronage of shippers （indigenous to them） to adjacent ones with b...Ports operating in the same geographical range face significant competition among them. In such setting, less competitive ports may continually lose patronage of shippers （indigenous to them） to adjacent ones with better attributes. The extent of and determinants of inter-port competition in the West Africa＇s coast are of interest to port administrators/operators who risk losing significant portion of their domestic generated cargo traffic to competing neighbouring ports. In this paper, we explore the question of what port specific attributes serve as competitive basis for West Africa＇s coastal ports operating in proximity to the other. Through a survey, users of these ports were asked to identify port specific attributes which they consider when deciding which port to use for shipments making. To enrich our empirical model, data collected from the survey were augmented with secondary data （on the identified attributes） obtained from the respective ports. Statistical evidence from data analysis suggests that ports operating in proximity in the West Africa＇s coast compete on the basis of attributes that minimise costs for port users, viz： ships＇ pre-berthiig time, ship turnround time, crane efficiency and availability of cargo spaces （proxied by frequency of ship calls）. Policy implications of the findings were discussed.展开更多
Despite of the acceleration of investments and the expansion of countries towards the Industry 4.0, companies have difficulties in planning the transition processes and implementation of the scenarios of Industry 4....Despite of the acceleration of investments and the expansion of countries towards the Industry 4.0, companies have difficulties in planning the transition processes and implementation of the scenarios of Industry 4.0. To benefit from the Industry Approach 4.0, it is necessary to take technological and organizational transition processes into account, since the phenomenon involves interoperability between humans; between humans and machines; and between machines and production. This paper proposes to examine the transformation processes of the current industrial model to the Industry 4.0 model of FESTO AG, in addition to the framework proposition for the analysis of transformation processes for Industry 4.0. Through the face-to-face interviews and the institutional materials of FESTO, it was observed that the company inserted in its strategy of products and innovation the concept of Industry 4.0. To do so, FESTO planned and built a new production plant based on connectivity, sustainability, and collaborative environment, especially between man and machine. To support this orientation, FESTO has strengthened its technological base, culture, training of its productive, commercial, and management teams.展开更多
文摘Ports operating in the same geographical range face significant competition among them. In such setting, less competitive ports may continually lose patronage of shippers （indigenous to them） to adjacent ones with better attributes. The extent of and determinants of inter-port competition in the West Africa＇s coast are of interest to port administrators/operators who risk losing significant portion of their domestic generated cargo traffic to competing neighbouring ports. In this paper, we explore the question of what port specific attributes serve as competitive basis for West Africa＇s coastal ports operating in proximity to the other. Through a survey, users of these ports were asked to identify port specific attributes which they consider when deciding which port to use for shipments making. To enrich our empirical model, data collected from the survey were augmented with secondary data （on the identified attributes） obtained from the respective ports. Statistical evidence from data analysis suggests that ports operating in proximity in the West Africa＇s coast compete on the basis of attributes that minimise costs for port users, viz： ships＇ pre-berthiig time, ship turnround time, crane efficiency and availability of cargo spaces （proxied by frequency of ship calls）. Policy implications of the findings were discussed.
文摘Despite of the acceleration of investments and the expansion of countries towards the Industry 4.0, companies have difficulties in planning the transition processes and implementation of the scenarios of Industry 4.0. To benefit from the Industry Approach 4.0, it is necessary to take technological and organizational transition processes into account, since the phenomenon involves interoperability between humans; between humans and machines; and between machines and production. This paper proposes to examine the transformation processes of the current industrial model to the Industry 4.0 model of FESTO AG, in addition to the framework proposition for the analysis of transformation processes for Industry 4.0. Through the face-to-face interviews and the institutional materials of FESTO, it was observed that the company inserted in its strategy of products and innovation the concept of Industry 4.0. To do so, FESTO planned and built a new production plant based on connectivity, sustainability, and collaborative environment, especially between man and machine. To support this orientation, FESTO has strengthened its technological base, culture, training of its productive, commercial, and management teams.
