¹University of Genoa, Italian Centre of Excellence for Integrated Logistics, Via Vivaldi 5, Genoa 16126, Italy. E-mail: ferrari@economia.unige.it

Abstract

In the early 1990s the birth of an EU borderless trade area triggered radical changes in the logistic strategy of distributors and manufacturers in order to better serve the new, enlarged, European market. The old country-based approach has been progressively replaced by a continental one, founded on a different network of distribution facilities. The process of hubbing and the creation of European Distribution Centres (EDCs), led to an unprecedented logistics restructuring. The paper aims at outlining the main reasons of this evolution, highlighting pros and cons of this strategic choice and the impact on the development plans of sea ports. The recent EU enlargement from 15 to 25 members is generating a new change leading to a de-concentration of the distribution system for main manufacturers, setting up new EDCs in the Eastern Europe. The paper focuses on the implications of this reverse trend and investigates the role that Southern range ports can play in this further logistics restructuring, as they represent a strategically located gateway to serve these regions.