Page 13 - Case Study Annual 2015

Survey

‘Logistics Barometer’ offers insights
into industry solutions

Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Department of Logistics has launched the Logistics
Barometer South Africa 2015, which provides grounded insight to empower statutory

regulators, infrastructure owners, policy makers, economic planners and industry
players to come together and deal with the issues raised by the analysis.

The Logistics Barometer SA 2015 reports on this place and time utility as a percentage of GDP is
logistics costs calculated up until 2013, and the benchmark in gauging logistics efficiency and the
forecasted up to 2015. At R393-billion, logistics impact of cost drivers on the industry. SA’s logistics costs
costs in 2013 equalled 11,1% of SA’s GDP. as a percentage of GDP in 2013 was 11,1%, which is
Globally ranked 33rd in terms of GDP, some may higher than developed countries but competitive when
consider SA small. But it is a small economy that plays compared to other developing regions.
the role of regional connector and powerhouse – with
an appetite for logistics. The 11,1% of 2013 is 0,5 percentage points down
from 2012 as a direct result of more efficient last-mile
SA is one of only three countries that routinely distribution. The diesel price hikes endured in 2013
measures and reports logistics costs as a percentage of spurred a drive towards more efficient supply chain
GDP in a quantitative manner – the others being the management, reducing the number of tonne-kilometres
USA and Brazil. spent on last-mile distribution. The impact of the
industry response clearly offset the impact of the fuel
In 2013 the economic engine churned out a GDP price hike in that year. Since 2013 it is estimated that
that constituted 0,44% of the global GDP. The economic the logistics costs as a percentage of GDP rose to 11,4%
activity reflected by the GDP produced 781,7-million in 2014 and will rise further to 11,7% in 2015 (given
tonnes of commodities that had to be conveyed across specific industry assumptions).
a surface logistics system that represents 0,6% of
the global road and 2,0% of global
rail networks. The tonne-kilometres
incurred in moving this freight across
the 19th largest road and 11th largest
rail networks in the world measured
more than 1% of global tonne-
kilometres. SA’s contribution to global
surface transport intensity is more than
double its contribution to global GDP.
Much of this freight had to move over
quay walls as imports and exports and
there SA handled 1,3% of the world’s
liquid bulk trade, 1,7% of containers
and 5,1% of dry bulk.

The cost of time and place utility

Logistics puts freight at the right place,
at the right time. Expressing the cost of

the logistics news case study annual 2015 11