Untitled - Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego

The dominant share of German economy in total value of logistics services
provided in Europe, ca 23-25% 15 , is worth emphasising. The total value of these
services, depending on the number of the countries taken into consideration, is
between EUR 600 million to EUR 730 million, the latter value referring to EU-15
plus Switzerland and Norway 16 .
Development and modification of future logistics systems will increasingly
determine competitiveness of companies and regions in the globalizing economy.
The share of logistics costs in total costs is often treated as a measure and
an indicator of success of logistics in a company and success of the company. It
happens despite the fact that the costs are underestimated even by 50% and
treated as a “ballast impossible to optimize”, and because there is no understanding
that they can become “a leverage of profits” 17 The practice indicates
that optimization of logistics processes does not consist only in aiming at reducing
costs but rather in modification of logistics processes and structures, thanks
to which logistics, generating “income of its own”, becomes a financial leverage
of the company. 18 The potential for reducing logistics costs in some sectors is estimated
at 10 to 20% 19 .
A review of available materials indicates that tendencies in changes of the
level of logistics costs (or their share in total costs, GDP or sales revenue) in
modern economy do not show a uniform pattern. To say that they will be decreasing
may be just as true as to say they will keep increasing or that they will
remain stable. It depends mainly on the point of reference - the country, economic
sectors, group of companies or individual companies. It is very important
to adopt a specified, concrete time perspective, since in a certain period of time
the costs can grow, and in another - they can decrease or remain relatively stable.
There are many factors that decide about it.
22.4. New trends in modern logistics
In must be emphasised that in practice we have to do with a continuous process
under which logistics adjusts to the changing requirements of market environment,
from local through to global dimension, which has led to the emergence
15 Cf.: Rede des Bundesministers fuer Wirtschaft und Arbeit, Wolfgang Clement, beim Besuch des Unternehmens
Fiege am 23. August 2005 in Erfurt. Regierung online.
16 Cf.: Neuvermessung der Logistyk…op. cit. p. 2.
17 Cf.; N.Lebelt und G.Smekal; Signifikante Kostensenkung. [in:] MM Logistik, 15 April 2005, Ausgabe
3.
18 Ibidem.
19 Ibidem.
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