The Logistics Sector on the Southern Shores of the Western ... - cetmo

October 2010<strong>The</strong> <strong>Logistics</strong> <strong>Sector</strong>on the Southern Shores of the Western MediterraneanItaly, France and Spain (for more details, see the European Cluster Observatory website).<strong>The</strong> cluster approach is also applied to the logistics sector in South American countries suchas Chile, Uruguay and Peru, as well as in Asian countries.From an operational viewpoint, cluster creation implies a process in which it is crucial toidentify a driving force, a group of companies and a leader or leaders to steer the process.This is relatively easy in industry, but more difficult in the case of the logistics sector.Next, it is necessary to define the objectives and strategy of the clusters, and to choose a setof projects to be implemented. One of the factors the strategic plan should take into accountis the organizational formula to be adopted. <strong>The</strong> necessary resources must be available,including a manager or a person able to work full time on the initiative.Although clusters are areas intended for companies, the government also has its role to play.Its main functions are to support the cluster financially (and facilitate access to fundingsources), foster contact between the business core and support sectors (universities, trainingcentres, technology platforms, hub managers, etc.) and disseminate the results achieved.This report therefore recommends studying how to use cluster methodology to create a newspecific area for collaboration between operating companies and, in this way, supportprocesses for reforming the logistics sector while contributing to the implementation ofprogrammes designed to modernize businesses.16 CETMO