SU launches Logistics Barometer

With South Africa being one of only three countries that routinely measures and reports logistics costs as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in a quantitative manner, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Department of Logistics has launched the Logistics Barometer South Africa 2015. It reports on logistics costs calculated up to 2013, and forecasted up to 2015.

“This research serves the country as a whole, as it is used for strategic decision-making on a provincial as well as national level. It provides regulators, policy makers, infrastructure owners, economic planners as well as others who operate in the logistics field with intelligence to deal with the issues identified,” says Zane Simpson, researcher in the SU Department of Logistics.

“This research puts SU on the cutting edge in terms of calculating logistics costs using international benchmarks,” adds Simpson.

This project continues the research published over the past ten years, by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Imperial Logistics, in the State of Logistics surveys for South Africa.

“With this barometer we can further contribute to the extensive knowledge base that been created with the State of Logistics surveys over the past ten years,” notes Professor Jan Havenga, who pioneered research into logistics costs at SU.

The Logistics Barometer and its accompanying figures can be downloaded here.