Logistics Clusters Book Summary - Logistics Clusters Book explained in key points

Logistics Clusters summary

Yossi Sheffi

Delivering Value and Driving Growth

4.1 (10 ratings)
18 mins
Table of Contents

    Logistics Clusters
    Summary of 10 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 10

    A logistics cluster makes it easier for companies to get their products from point A to point B quickly.

    How exactly did your favorite pair of shoes get from the factory that produced them to the store you bought them in?

    The set of operations needed to coordinate this complex chain of events is called a logistics cluster: a group of logistics-related business activities concentrated in a single geographic area.

    Interestingly, different companies utilize clusters in different ways.

    Zara, a Spanish clothing retailer with over 1,500 stores across the globe, uses a logistics cluster located in Zaragoza, Spain. (Although Zara was not named after Zaragoza!) The company chose this small Spanish city as the site for a major distribution center and springboard for coordinating the company’s worldwide logistics.

    Why Zaragoza? Why not a fashion capital such as Paris or Milan, or some city in China that specializes in low-cost clothing production?

    Zara’s distribution center is a part of Europe’s largest logistics park, called the PLAZA – or Plataforma Logística de Zaragoza – which means the logistics platform of Zaragoza.

    This park boasts excellent highway, rail and air freight infrastructure, allowing Zara to deliver ready-to-sell products within 24 hours to all its European stores, and within just 48 hours, to all its stores worldwide.

    Another company that benefits from PLAZA’s logistics prowess is Caladero, Spain’s largest processor and distributor of fresh fish. With its 80 fishing boats worldwide, Caladero’s distribution chain needs to be flawless: no easy task, as the company only has a few days to deliver fish to ensure freshness.

    So Caladero centralizes all its distributional operations at this one site, with its optimal location and transportation infrastructure.

    But how does this benefit Caladero exactly? Conveniently, Zaragoza is equidistant from Spain’s four biggest cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao. This enables the fish company to deliver the freshest fish possible to the most customers.

    Want to see all full key ideas from Logistics Clusters?

    Key ideas in Logistics Clusters

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is Logistics Clusters about?

    Logistics Clusters (2012) is the textbook for logistics operations in the modern world. You’ll learn how logistics clusters develop – such as Europe’s largest logistics park in Zaragoza, Spain – and which geographic and governmental factors influence their development. Importantly, you’ll discover exactly how logistic clusters affect both the local and global economy.

    Best quote from Logistics Clusters

    Basic logistics services – transportation and storage – enable trade.

    —Yossi Sheffi
    example alt text

    Who should read Logistics Clusters?

    • People involved in supply chain management and logistics
    • Entrepreneurs, business owners and politicians concerned with local business
    • Consumers curious about how a product gets from A to B globally

    About the Author

    Yossi Sheffi is the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. He has also worked on supply chain problems with top logistics service providers and manufacturers.

    Categories with Logistics Clusters

    Books like Logistics Clusters

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    28 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial