International Logistics Strategies for the 1980s

Abstract

Major changes are already under way in the international distribution operations of many companies, with even more broad‐based ones likely in the future. The recent deregulation of the US ocean liner companies will create new opportunities for international shippers to redesign existing distribution channels in order to reduce order cycle days and shipment costs. Further, as the United States continues to shift towards a technology and service‐based economy—implying that it will produce fewer goods domestically and buy more from abroad—it is clear that for many firms international logistics will become a more important part of the physical distribution function before the end of the 1980s.