The Nature of a Supply Chain

An economic activity involved in manufacturing or distribution is linked to a complex system of suppliers and customers, which must be supported by a transport system. The system as a whole is known as a supply chain; a sequence of transportation and inventory management tasks. A supplier can be another’s

Major Commercial Actors in Freight Distribution

The global freight transport industry is composed of a series of key actors: Maritime shipping lines. They control long distance segments of the global freight distribution system by linking major markets (maritime ranges). A highly capital intensive industry with ship assets that are deployed along a network configuration involving a

The Commercialization of Transportation

Commercialization involves the extension of the operational scale of passenger and freight transport systems so that that they can reach their optimal market potential. Although an optimal market size can never be attained due to regulations preventing monopolies and differences in consumer preferences (e.g. modal choice), the trend towards maximal

World Nominal GDP, 2000-21

Note: Current US Dollars.Source: World Bank Development Indicators. The global generation of wealth remains highly concentrated. The four largest economies, the United States, Japan, China, and Germany, alone accounted for more than 40% of the world’s GDP. Thus, nine countries (G8 + China) generated more than half the global economic

The Economic Output of the World’s Major Metropolitan Areas, 2012

Source: “Global MetroMonitor 2012: Slowdown, Recovery, and Interdependence” (Washington: Brookings Institution). Large metropolitan areas are the foci of global commercial activity as well as global economic output. The world’s 300 largest metropolitan areas account for 19% of the global population but for 48% of the global GDP. They tend to dominate

Drivers of Change in Manufacturing

Source: Future of Manufacturing Council, World Economic Forum. The manufacturing sector is subject to transitions as economies develop, and so do their capabilities. Three stages can be identified with a growing level of added value and complexity, each characterized by different manufacturing strategies and policies. These stages are not necessarily

GDP Share of Manufacturing, Selected Countries, 1970-2021

Source: United Nations Statistical Division.Note: The sharp drop in the GDP share of manufacturing for China between 2003 and 2004 is the outcome of a statistical redefinition. In previous years manufacturing was included with mining and utilities. From 2004, manufacturing was reported independently. The shift in the contribution of manufacturing