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A recent meeting involved co‐operation with the organisers of the Canadian High Technology Show and the local Chapter of the SMTA. The programme included an inspiring keynote address by Mr Frank J. Pipp, Xerox Corporation. The topic of the address was ‘Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Control and the Evaluation of Total Quality Control in Xerox Corporation.’

This chapter reviews and analyses the contemporary development of liner shipping, port development and competition. It begins with a comprehensive review on the latest developmental trends of liner shipping and business strategies, as well as their impacts on port development and competition. Then, it discusses the responses of ports, past, present and (likely) future, in addressing these new demands and challenges. A very important point from this analysis indicates that, in the past decade, port development and competition have gradually evolved from being individual, technical efficiency-oriented to become more regional, economic efficiency-oriented. At the same time, ports have also moved out of their rather passive positions and undertaken positive steps to avert the traditionally strong bargaining power of shipping lines. This illustrates that port development and competition is a continuous morphological process which can change dramatically within a rather short period of time. This chapter provides a new perspective on port development and competition and a decent platform for further research.

The choice of mode of transport used by a shipper to move his goods does not depend solely upon relative transportation costs. It should be viewed as one part of the complex process of deciding the method of distributing a product which, apart from transport, involves materials handling and packaging, inventory control and warehousing and order processing procedures. The transport operator providing a premium system of transport such as air freight may well be able to justify its use if appropriate economies can be obtained from other distribution activities. For example, a shipper would be prepared to incur higher transport costs if he were able to reduce the size of the inventory he had to hold to meet demand. Demonstrating in numerical terms the potential benefits from any changes in the distribution system is a difficult task because of the complexity of inter‐relationships involved. A computer‐based analysis is essential. However, because the results of such analysis must be easily understood it is also necessary that the system employed is simple to use, sparing in its input requirements, with a readily assimilated output: in short, it has to be efficient in the marketing sense, as well as an accurate model of the distribution system.

As logistics and distribution emerge as major disciplines, more rigorous and advanced analysis is required on each of the major decision areas within the total logistic and distribution systems. This article concentrates on the warehouse location problem, reviewing comparatively a taxonomy of quantitative methods applied in logistics management. The paper stresses the advantages and limitations of each of the techniques and their possible practical applications, suggesting a feasible alogarithm for dealing with the “Warehouse Location Problem”.

The International Society for Hybrid Microelectronics invites the submission of technical papers for presentation at the above event. All original unpublished papers on microelectronics related topics are welcomed.

A variety of published material is available from which the value, volume and direction of UK international trade can be readily determined. However, this information provides a measure of freight movements across a UK trade boundary (ports, airports) only, and allows no straightforward means of determining the magnitude and origins of international freight flows inland of such boundaries.

Examines the use of a non‐metric multidimensional scaling to establish the requirements of shippers, in terms of desirable characteristics for eight different types of movement. Believes that transport companies often develop marketing strategies without paying sufficiently close attention to the shippers' needs. Provides comparisons of actual adverts with requirements of shippers, such as desirable characteristics for differing types of movements. Concludes that some interesting findings have emerged from this study and this approach may prove to be a worthwhile method for transportation companies to re‐evaluate the advert segment of their marketing strategies.

Management in service industries are constantly faced with the problem of balancing customer service against achieving a high level of economic efficiency in managing their own resources. The problem is shown to be particularly acute in the management of Freightliner Terminals where there are extraordinary fluctuations in the demand for the service. A computer model is described which simulates operations at a terminal and assists management in predicting the likely performance of the terminal for different levels of throughput.

In the present financial climate, the search for cost‐savings is intensifying. Transport and physical distribution are prime areas for examina‐tion, but their complexity often defies standard financial controls. When the transport analyst appears on the scene brandishing a modelling package, there is a temptation to place the problem in his hands. It is timely, therefore, to take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of such methods.

This valuable annual probably needs no recommending to those involved in container transport. It provides a comprehensive review of current developments both from the technological and the environmental points of view. In addition considerable background material is included which together with a trilingual glossary of definitions makes this an essential desk top book for the man in the transport firing line.