We should aid refugees, but not those who out to exploit the system
AirCargo archive stories #239
Wednesday, 04 November 2015
WHILE most people in ‘our’ part of the world sympathise with the plight of Middle Eastern and African refugees, the sheer numbers have caused enormous problems not only for European transport and logistics networks but also globally.
Confidence in the supply chain has been eroded, extra-worrying if more trouble is to come.
It is not helped by the suggestion that only a minority of the refugees are from war-torn regions, their lives endangered. Reporting by reputable news services indicates many are primarily economic refugees, looking for a better life, generous social welfare and the chance to gain citizenship rights.
And the poignant image of a young boy dead on a beach, used as a beacon to shame nations and communities to accept large numbers of the refugees was – while terrible in absolute terms – somewhat tainted by claims his father was a people-smuggler himself, moving from a secure but unwanted job.
None of this should lower our sense of responsibility to re-house and support genuine refugees.
But many of those who fled to ‘safety’ look like drawing the short straw yet again, while those others who disrupt transport and logistics come through triumphant. We do not know how many would-be terrorists are amongst them. Terror groups have boasted the numbers are high. It might be bluster…but maybe not.
Industry blethering that disruptions to ground transport – road, rail and associated logistics infrastructure – have been to the advantage of air cargo are fatuous.
Certainly there have been short-term advantages which might gain impetus as shippers and customers discover that air cargo is an option worth considering. The comparative costing has changed as road and rail moved to impose waiting and storage fees to cope with disruptions. But it’s unlikely that this will have a sustained impact.
What’s more, such schadenfreude fails to take account of the inter-modal restructuring of the supply chain, an evolutionary process which weighs the advantages by cost and convenience. The disruptions might have tweaked the model slightly, but it is designed to be dynamic.
Longer term effects could be more emphasis on cargo consolidation at hub airports – happening already, of course – and the spread of logistics facilities to enable close-to-market supply back-up, again now trending as online purchasing boosts feasibility. - Kelvin King
We should aid refugees, but not those who out to exploit the system
AirCargo archive stories #239
Wednesday, 04 November 2015
WHILE most people in ‘our’ part of the world sympathise with the plight of Middle Eastern and African refugees, the sheer numbers have caused enormous problems not only for European transport and logistics networks but also globally.
Confidence in the supply chain has been eroded, extra-worrying if more trouble is to come.
It is not helped by the suggestion that only a minority of the refugees are from war-torn regions, their lives endangered. Reporting by reputable news services indicates many are primarily economic refugees, looking for a better life, generous social welfare and the chance to gain citizenship rights.
And the poignant image of a young boy dead on a beach, used as a beacon to shame nations and communities to accept large numbers of the refugees was – while terrible in absolute terms – somewhat tainted by claims his father was a people-smuggler himself, moving from a secure but unwanted job.
None of this should lower our sense of responsibility to re-house and support genuine refugees.
But many of those who fled to ‘safety’ look like drawing the short straw yet again, while those others who disrupt transport and logistics come through triumphant. We do not know how many would-be terrorists are amongst them. Terror groups have boasted the numbers are high. It might be bluster…but maybe not.
Industry blethering that disruptions to ground transport – road, rail and associated logistics infrastructure – have been to the advantage of air cargo are fatuous.
Certainly there have been short-term advantages which might gain impetus as shippers and customers discover that air cargo is an option worth considering. The comparative costing has changed as road and rail moved to impose waiting and storage fees to cope with disruptions. But it’s unlikely that this will have a sustained impact.
What’s more, such schadenfreude fails to take account of the inter-modal restructuring of the supply chain, an evolutionary process which weighs the advantages by cost and convenience. The disruptions might have tweaked the model slightly, but it is designed to be dynamic.
Longer term effects could be more emphasis on cargo consolidation at hub airports – happening already, of course – and the spread of logistics facilities to enable close-to-market supply back-up, again now trending as online purchasing boosts feasibility. - Kelvin King
