Surflogh Scotland shines at STAR Conference
The presentation was part of a wider session focusing on measures to enable economic growth through sustainable logistics which also included papers on road freight in port cities (part of the EU CIVITAS PORTIS Horizon 2020 project) and the logistics needs of the Scottish aquaculture industry.
Jonathan and Keith’s paper specifically highlighted the research carried out to date on the Edinburgh pilot, in which the prime focus has been to identify the critical elements leading to successful commercial operations, i.e. the underlying business model. In this respect, three key areas were emphasised, namely a strong sense of corporate social responsibility, the formation of key partnerships with established logistic providers and finally a business founded upon bottom up considerations rather than top down requirements.
The paper was well received by a knowledgeable audience, with considerable discussion surrounding the value of the reduction of the externalities caused by urban road freight through such initiatives and whether these should be recognised by some form of public subsidy.
The full paper will be shortly available from the STAR Conference Website (http://starconference.org.uk/).