Logistics Manager
  • Logistics
    • A-E
      • 3rd Party Logistics
      • Air Cargo
      • Coronavirus
      • Express & e-delivery
      • Editor’s Blog
    • F-M
      • Health & Safety
      • International logistics
      • Latest issue
      • Logistics & Supply Chain
    • O-Z
      • Ocean Freight
      • Policy and legislation
      • Professional development
      • Rail freight
      • Road transport
      • Sustainability
      • Temperature-controlled
  • Intralogistics
    • Automation
    • Commercial Vehicles
    • Equipment
    • Infrastructure & Services
    • IT & Software
    • Materials handling
    • Packaging
    • Picking and sortation
    • Robotics and innovation
    • Storage
  • Supply Chain
    • A-L
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Energy
      • Fashion
      • Food & drink
      • Forecasting
      • Healthcare and Pharma
      • Hi-tech
    • M-Z
      • Manufacturing
      • Military
      • Omni-channel
      • Public Sector
      • Retail
      • SME
      • Sourcing and procurement
      • Supply Chain Analysis
      • Supply Chain Awards
      • Supply Chain Strategy
      • Supply Chain Technology
      • Supply Chain Visibility
      • Technology
  • Property
    • A-M
      • Big Sheds
      • Design & Build
      • East Midlands and East Anglia
      • M25 East
      • M25 West
      • Mid-box
    • M-Z
      • North East & Yorkshire
      • North West
      • Scotland
      • South-West & Wales
      • Speculative Development
      • Urban Warehouses
      • West Midlands
  • Corporate Insight
  • Digital Magazines
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
  • Events
    • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
    • ESG Industrial & Logistics Conference
    • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
    • CiTTi Awards
    • IntraLogisteX
    • Robotics & Automation
  • Webinars
LinkedIn Twitter
  • Subscribe
  • Free weekly e-newsletter
  • Free daily e-newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
LinkedIn Twitter
Logistics Manager
SUBSCRIBE >
  • Logistics
      • 3rd Party Logistics
      • Air Cargo
      • Coronavirus
      • Express & e-delivery
      • Editor’s Blog
      • Health & Safety
      • International logistics
      • Latest issue
      • Logistics & Supply Chain
      • Ocean Freight
      • Policy and legislation
      • Professional development
      • Rail freight
      • Road transport
      • Sustainability
      • Temperature-controlled
  • Intralogistics
      • Automation
      • Commercial Vehicles
      • Equipment
      • Infrastructure & Services
      • IT & Software
      • Materials handling
      • Packaging
      • Picking and sortation
      • Robotics and innovation
      • Storage
  • Supply Chain
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Energy
      • Fashion
      • Food & drink
      • Forecasting
      • Healthcare and Pharma
      • Hi-tech
      • Manufacturing
      • Military
      • Omni-channel
      • Public Sector
      • Retail
      • SME
      • Sourcing and procurement
      • Supply Chain Analysis
      • Supply Chain Awards
      • Supply Chain Strategy
      • Supply Chain Technology
      • Supply Chain Visibility
      • Technology
  • Property
      • Big Sheds
      • Design & Build
      • East Midlands and East Anglia
      • M25 East
      • M25 West
      • Mid-box
      • North East & Yorkshire
      • North West
      • Scotland
      • South-West & Wales
      • Speculative Development
      • Urban Warehouses
      • West Midlands
  • Corporate Insight
  • Events
    • Events News
      • Conferences
      • Exhibitions
      • Top 50
    • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
    • Industrial & Logistics Property Conference
    • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
    • CiTTi Awards
    • IntraLogisteX
    • Robotics & Automation
  • Digital Magazines
    1. December 2023
    2. November 2023
    3. October 2023
    4. September 2023
    5. August 2023
    6. July 2023
    7. June 2023
    Featured

    Logistics Manager Magazine December 2023

    4th December 2023By James McLoughlin
    Recent
    4th December 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine December 2023

    6th November 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine November 2023

    2nd October 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine October 2023

  • Webinars
LinkedIn Twitter
Logistics Manager
Logistics & Supply Chain

Sleeping with the enemy

Alexandra LeonardsBy Alexandra Leonards1st November 20045 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Email Facebook

Collaboration, a new thing? Older hands may think we’ve been here before. Ten or more years ago, the buzzword was partnership or and while that movement effected a real sea-change in the way we view strategic supplier relationships it was, as so many buzzwords are, oversold.

The problem was that although partnership was undoubtedly an approach to a fairer sharing of costs and benefits in a business relationship, companies were still tied into existing power structures (which will always exist). It is not reasonable to expect, say, a global FMCG manufacturer with unique brands to treat with local bottlers or transport companies – or second division retailers for that matter – on equal terms. Even if the will and the profit motive are both there, there are only so many relationships that even the best-staffed megas can sensibly cope with.

Collaboration has more limited aims but may have a more far-reaching impact. As we have seen over the years with the European Supply Chain Excellence Awards process, few companies or organisations are excellent across the supply chain (and if they are, what have they to gain from partnering?). But many, organisations are great at particular aspects of the supply chain and have an inherent capability to extend that limited excellence – it might be in procurement, or transport, or backloading, or fulfilment – to a wider circle than that represented by their current, direct, customers. Users, too, may have ace organisational capabilities in, say, planning, that could be extended beyond the present supply net.

And the point is that these capabilities, while vital to the health of an organisation, are not necessarily discriminators in the competitive environment. A consumer isn’t interested in the price a retailer paid for a product, she is interested in the price at which she can buy it. A resident is unimpressed by the cost of transport – they are interested in how many trucks are going down their road. Governments, at last, are ceasing to worry about whether ‘their’ carriers are shipping the goods, or whether ‘their’ taxpayers are getting grotty jobs in warehouses, and concentrating on wider (ie European or global) benefits to consumers and producers.

So collaboration is a project by project, thing.

But at the same time, it isn’t exclusive. Partnership implies a special relationship between, typically, two parties – and so will tend to exclude everyone else. Collaboration can cover whole networks of suppliers and customers if there is a common need or requirement to be addressed and there is no direct effect on competition as perceived by the end-user or consumer.

That last point is worth making – one of the biggest obstacles to collaboration is the fear that regulatory authorities will deem such arrangements anti-competitive. Given the sometimes bizarre positions that competition authorities adopt, that must always be a risk. But in general, if you disclose your plans to, in the UK, the Office of Fair Trading, it is up to them to object. And many of the issues where collaboration is most effective are precisely those areas where national or European government is demanding action – reducing environmental impacts, alleviating road congestion, curtailing the demand for greenfield sites on which to build large DCs etc. Governments and peoples want these things and provided that collaborative arrangements are open – both in the sense that the people know what is going on and in the sense that they do not preclude other organisations joining in, there should be few legal problems.

And the alternative of each organisation or supply chain painfully groping towards their own individual solutions is not pretty. European supply chains face major and growing challenges. The Working Time Directive, planning restrictions, fuel duties, tolls; a widespread and often uninformed concern in the public eye about the environment, quality of life, globalisation, off-shoring, outsourcing… you name it.

Collaboration can help us prove that this industry takes these issues seriously and is prepared to buy in to best practice. But if we can’t get our heads around this as an industry, solutions will be imposed by national or European governments. And the funny thing about government solutions is that they usually end up being more like problems.

 

Briefing points

  • Partnership tended to mean that you bought into the good and the bad of a partner organisation and worked in a one-to-one relationship
  • Collaboration implies working with the best bits of other organisations and on an open access basis
  • The barriers to collaboration are not primarily legal; they are questions of organisational culture
  • For almost all of the business and social challenges that supply chains face, someone out there has at least a partial answer. Most of the issues are common in impact to all the players so their resolution should be market-neutral but socially and macro-economically beneficial
  • Collaboration must be made to work or politicians are likely to impose less optimal ‘solutions’
Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Alexandra Leonards

Related Stories

Major HGV decarbonisation needed to meet net zero, report claims

30th November 2023

Research shows nearly half of Black Friday returns were paid for

30th November 2023

The Top 50 Logistics Service Providers 2023

28th November 2023
Latest News Stories
4th December 2023

Logistics Manager Magazine December 2023

1st December 2023

Tesla’s legal battle with Swedish authorities amid labour dispute

30th November 2023

Major HGV decarbonisation needed to meet net zero, report claims

Free weekly e-newsletters

Discover what’s causing a stir in the world of logistics and supply chains


Key Content
  • Digital Magazines
  • Logistics
  • Intralogistics
  • Supply Chain
  • Property
  • Corporate Insight
  • Events News
  • Opinion
Akabo Media
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Free Daily E-Newsletter
  • Free Weekly Top Stories E-Newsletters
  • Free Weekly Supply Chain E-Newsletter
  • Free Weekly Property E-Newsletter
  • Sign up to be notified when we publish a new digital edition
Our Events
  • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
  • Industrial & Logistics Property Conference
  • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
  • CiTTi Awards
  • Robotics and Automation Exhibition
  • IntraLogisteX
  • Sustainable Supply Chain Exhibition
© 2023 Akabo Media Ltd Registered No 07766641 England | All rights reserved.
Registered Office: Akabo Media, GG.007, Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guildford St, SE1 0HS
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.
By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie settingsRejectACCEPT ALL
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesCloudflare set the cookie to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
_zm_chtaid2 hoursZoom sets this cookie to facilitate video conferences via zoom from the website.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_gat_gtag_UA_*1 minuteGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store a unique user ID.
_gid1 dayGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded YouTube videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
OAID1 yearCookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysYouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYoutube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
TS018dd1basessionDescription is currently not available.
TS01f92dc5sessionDescription is currently not available.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo