The European Community has an established policy of encouraging sustainable transport, such as multimodal transport operations involving road, rail, inland waterway and short sea shipping (SSS). To stimulate modal-shift to short sea shipping, the European Union is seeking for extra policy actions. One of the research topics in the 5th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP5) is the potential benefits in lead-time of deploying high-speed vessels (HSV) in short sea shipping freight transport. This paper discusses the policy recommendations of the FP5 project ‘SPIN-HSV’. It analyses the European SSS freight market, studies the need for deploying high-speed vessels to speed up SSS transport along the supply chain, and suggests the main topics of E.U. policy in the near future. We conclude that Community policy should not focus on promoting HSV for short sea freight transport. If there is a need for speed in SSS, market parties will seek HSV solutions by themselves. Community policy should primarily focus on promoting SSS in general in order to achieve further growth in SSS transport volumes. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2004) 6, 236–251. doi:10.1057/palgrave.mel.9100111
Kurzfassung
Die Zielsetzung nach einem hohen Servicegrad bei gleichzeitig geringen Lagerbeständen stellt Unternehmen insbesondere in volatilen Märkten vor eine große Herausforderung. Im diesem Beitrag wird ein dynamischer Ansatz für die zukunftsorientierte Disposition von Lagerbeständen vorgestellt. Auf Basis von Prognosedaten und deren Güte sowie der Lieferantenzuverlässigkeit wird ein dynamischer Sicherheitsbestandsverlauf ermittelt. Dieser befähigt Unternehmen, ein anforderungsgerechtes, transparentes und zukunftsorientiertes Bestandsmanagement zu führen.
A wide variety of materials and chemicals are used in the development, production, cleaning, packaging, sterilization and shipment of medical devices. Some of these materials are used in large quantities and are often a source of waste. Some materials, such as poly vinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, have toxicity concerns. Additionally, many chemicals including chlorinated solvents and ethylene oxide are carcinogenic or highly toxic and can be detrimental to the environment and public health. While the medical device industry is highly regulated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration, new green initiatives in the European Union are modifying the regulatory oversight of chemicals, materials, and their manufacture. In addition, hospitals are working to reduce waste and pollution as part of their operations and are increasingly asking vendors to assist them. Minimizing waste and pollution associated with medical devices can improve a company's environmental performance and save money. The primary focus in medical device manufacturing is patient safety and compatibility. Environmental considerations, which can include potential cost savings, are often overlooked in the design and process development phases. Numerous pollution prevention and energy efficiency options exist for medical device manufacturers. These options can be integrated into the development, design and process protocols, and engineering change orders when designing a new product or improving an existing part. By having a process design evaluation plan that includes environmental considerations, companies can effectively manage the creation of waste streams, toxicity of material inputs, and process efficiencies as a mechanism at both the front-end and the duration of the product line. These options often cut costs and can help reduce current and prospective regulatory burdens. The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) at the University of Minnesota has been assisting businesses with pollution prevention and cost savings for 25 years. MnTAP's engineers and scientists have worked with the medical device industry to reduce the quantity of packaging and waste associated with cardiac catheters, reduce the use of toxic cleaning solvents, minimize the use of PVC, and research safer disinfection and sterilization methods. This poster includes case studies of the above mentioned projects, an overview of less toxic sterilization methods, and tools for medical device manufacturing that meet FDA requirements, but reduce waste and toxicity during production and use.
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