Modeling the Clustering of Distribution Centers around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

270 Pages·2007·2.46 MB·English

by  P. Warffemius

Modeling the Clustering of Distribution Centers
around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

location endowments, economies of agglomeration, locked-in logistics
and policy implications

Pim Martinus Jacobus Warffemius
Cover illustration: Composite of busy urban sidewalk
Photographer/ Artist: Wire Design
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Modeling the Clustering of Distribution Centers
around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

location endowments, economies of agglomeration, locked-in logistics
and policy implications

Modelleren van het clusteren van distributie centra rond luchthaven Schiphol:
locatiekwaliteiten, agglomeratievoordelen, logistieke inertie en beleidsimplicaties

Proefschrift

ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
op gezag van de
rector magnificus

Prof.dr. S.W.J. Lamberts

en volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties.

De openbare verdediging zal plaatsvinden op

donderdag 27 september 2007 om 16.00 uur

door

Pim Martinus Jacobus Warffemius

geboren te Reeuwijk
Promotiecommissie

Promotoren:
Prof.dr. A.I.J.M. van der Hoorn
Prof.dr.ing. G.R. Teisman

Overige leden:
Prof.dr. M.B.M. de Koster
Prof.dr. C.W.A.M. van Paridon
Prof.dr. G.P. van Wee

Copromotor:
Dr. H.L. Klaassen

TRAIL Thesis Series nr. T2007/9, the Netherlands TRAIL Research School

TRAIL Research School
P.O. Box 5017
2600 GA Delft
The Netherlands
T : + 31 (0) 15 27 86046
F : + 31 (0) 15 27 84333
E : [email protected]

ISBN 978-90-5584-090-8

Keywords: location theory; location policy; Amsterdam Airport Schiphol; distribution centers;
location endowments; economies of agglomeration; locked-in logistics

Copyright © 2007 by P.M.J. Warffemius

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission of the author.

Printed in the Netherlands
Preface
This thesis deals with the explanation of why distribution centers cluster around Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol. Airports represent important concentrations of economic activity. The
explanation of why economic activities cluster around airports is important for location theory
and location policy regarding airport regions. The amount and nature of economic activity
located in the surrounding areas of airports is inevitably a prime concern for policy makers.

This dissertation was completed under the supervision of Prof.dr. Toon van der Hoorn
(University of Amsterdam), Dr. Henk Klaassen (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and
Prof.dr.ing. Geert Teisman (Erasmus University Rotterdam). I would like to thank my
supervisors for all the support they gave me. The work benefited immensely from their
comments and suggestions. I also would like to thank the other members of my PhD-
Committee for their critical views. I would like to mention especially Prof.dr. René de Koster.
I look back with pleasure to our joint research and discussions that helped me in shaping the
dissertation in its current form.

I thank my colleagues at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, TRAIL The Netherlands
Research School for Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics, and the Dutch Ministry of
Transport, Public Works and Water Management for the pleasant working atmosphere and
giving me the opportunity to finish this thesis. I acknowledge the financial support of the
Transport Research Centre (AVV) of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and
Water Management.

I owe a special debt to Dr. Bart Kuipers for the support he gave me during the initial phase of
this research. Furthermore, this dissertation would not have been completed without the
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support of all the logistics managers, policy makers, Holland International Distribution
Council (HIDC), and the Schiphol Area Development Company (SADC) who shared their
practical knowledge with me.

Finally, but surely not least, I want to thank my family and friends for supporting and
encouraging me in many different ways and for showing a never ending thrust. Although I am
indebted to all, I would like to mention a few names in particular. Of course my parents
Jacques and Fransje, and my sister Olga. Dear Jacques and Fransje, thank you for the solid
basis and all the opportunities you gave me. Dear Olga, thank you for all your support during
the whole process and for being my paranimf. I would like to thank Geert Draijer for his
crucial role at the start of this study. It was he who brought Toon and me together. Chris,
thank you for the proofreading and checking my English. Stefan, thanks for your tips for
talking to the media. Walter, thank you that you were always ready to help whenever a
hardware or software computer problem arose. Wil, thank you for all the administrative work
you have done and for your dedication. Many thanks also to Marc, Ton, and Anja for their
support during the defense of my thesis and for helping to make the day a memorable one.

Pim Warffemius

Capelle aan den IJssel; The Netherlands
September 2007
Contents

1. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE 1
1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................1
1.2 The location allocation problem.....................................................................2
1.3 Focal theory....................................................................................................6
1.4 Research goal and research questions............................................................7
1.5 Outline of the thesis........................................................................................8
2. THE EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTION CENTERS 11
2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................11
2.2 Sketching the wider EDC context................................................................12
2.3 The EDC system of international distribution..............................................15
2.4 Earlier research about EDC location factors................................................19
2.5 Schiphol-dependent EDCs and the role of air cargo....................................22
2.6 Conclusions..................................................................................................25
3. THE EDC LOCATION POLICY 27
3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................27
3.2 Limits of governmental steering...................................................................28
3.3 Goals of the EDC location policy (period 1987-2000)................................31
3.4 Instruments of the EDC location policy (period 1987-2000).......................34
3.5 Conclusions..................................................................................................41
4. APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL LOCATION 43
4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................43
4.2 Normative approach.....................................................................................44
4.3 Behavioral approach.....................................................................................48
4.4 Structural approach.......................................................................................49
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4.5 Conclusions..................................................................................................56
5. MODELING LOCATION ENDOWMENTS, ECONOMIES OF
AGGLOMERATION AND LOCKED-IN LOGISTICS.................................59
5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................59
5.2 Sources of economies of agglomeration.......................................................60
5.3 Modeling location endowments and economies of agglomeration..............65
5.4 Locked-in logistics.......................................................................................70
5.5 Our conceptual model...................................................................................73
5.6 Conclusions..................................................................................................79
6. DESIGNING THE SURVEY TO ASSESS OUR MODEL 81
6.1 Introduction..................................................................................................81
6.2 The testable hypotheses................................................................................82
6.3 Selection of survey method..........................................................................83
6.4 Defining the sampling unit and population..................................................84
6.5 National-EDC-survey: sample design..........................................................85
6.6 National-EDC-survey: questionnaire design................................................87
6.7 Schiphol-EDC-survey: sample design..........................................................89
6.8 Schiphol-EDC-survey: questionnaire design...............................................90
6.9 Conclusions..................................................................................................96
7. A KEY ROLE FOR AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES AND
LOCKED-IN LOGISTICS.................................................................................99
7.1 Introduction..................................................................................................99
7.2 Investigating the Schiphol-EDC-population..............................................100
7.3 Comparing the Schiphol-EDC-population with the
national-EDC-population...........................................................................117
7.4 Policy implications.....................................................................................127
7.5 Conclusions................................................................................................128
Contents v
8. HOW SCHIPHOL-DEPENDENT EDCS CAN TURN INTO
NON-SCHIPHOL-DEPENDENT EDCS.........................................................131
8.1 Introduction................................................................................................131
8.2 Effects of increasing airport and road congestion in terms of relocation...134
8.3 For those warehouses which do not relocate: effects of increasing
airport congestion in terms of modal shift..................................................137
8.4 For those warehouses which do not relocate: effects of increasing road
congestion in terms of modal shift.............................................................140
8.5 Policy implications.....................................................................................143
8.6 Conclusions................................................................................................145
9. CONCLUSIONS 147
9.1 Introduction................................................................................................147
9.2 Research findings.......................................................................................147
9.3 Scientific and societal relevance................................................................152
9.4 Concluding remarks....................................................................................154

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

SUMMARY

SAMENVATTING (DUTCH SUMMARY)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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