THE CONCEPT OF LOGISTICS CLUSTERS AND EFFICIENCY OF ECONOMIC ENTERPRISES

Abstract

In Poland, Europe and worldwide, business strategies are implemented to ensure economic growth as a result of the impact of innovation and regional competitiveness. One of the effective and already proven methods of this strategy is building a competitive advantage based on the development of regional clusters. In their operations, clusters use the benefits of agglomeration, scale, range as well as local facilities resulting from production processes and distribution of knowledge. The concept of logistics clusters perfectly fits the aims of business clusters. The efficiency of logistics processes is perceived through the prism of cluster’s efficiency and effectiveness; the cluster philosophy can be used in logistics activities in order to seek optimization of its processes. Combining a cluster project with a logistics activity is one of the ways to improve competitiveness. Logistics clusters have the ability of a wider use of solutions developed by individual companies forming a cluster as well as solutions developed by companies from other sectors with which such enterprises cooperate. It is possible due to the development of innovative solutions in customer service, based on the experienceand cooperation of enterprises which can be considered as logistic and entities from other sectors of economy. The emergence of logistics clusters is stimulated by processes of internationalization and liberalization of material and capital flows, permanent search for new sources of competitive advantage, e. g. by optimizing logistics processes leading to cost reduction and by minimizing development disproportions of EU regions. The influence of market environment and existing trends causes that the analysis of a value chain and its network of connections as well as the course of processes should lead to a stage of selecting the most beneficial structures of this chain and the sequence of processes in this chain (Obłój, 1998, p. 215). As a consequence, logistics clusters including, for example, companies from freight-transportation-logistics (FTL) industry, will be looking for more effective ways of functioning. While examining the impact of logistics processes implemented in cluster initiatives on company’s financial results, it is necessary to determine the share of logistics costs in total costs and their impact on other areas of this company.