Analytic Hierarchy Process Modelling of Location Competitiveness for a Regional Logistics Distribution Center Serving Northeast Asia

Purpose - As the global product network expands through both internationalization and diversification of the multimodal transportation system, corporate strategies have shifted to emphasize the importance of a high value-added international logistics system. To guide policies and strategies to attract relevant industries, this study aims to analyze the location competitiveness of regional logistics distribution center to serve Northeast Asia. Design/methodology - Multi-criteria techniques are considered to offer a promising framework for evaluating decision-making factors. This paper employed an analytic hierarchy process to analyze the hierarchal structure of determinants for selecting the location of a regional logistics distribution center. Adopting both qualitative and quantitative evaluations, this study suggest political implications for a regional logistics distribution center development, such as the direction of political support, service differentiation and infrastructure development. Findings - This study developed a location competitiveness evaluation model, based on the case study of the major port-cities in Northeast Asia. Evaluation model incorporates five factors underpinning 17 components extracted using factor analysis. The results revealed that the logistics factor is the most significant factor for evaluating the competitiveness of a regional logistics distribution center. The remaining factors were market, costs, and services environment. Comparing qualitative and quantitative evaluations, results provide useful insights for a regional logistics distribution center development in Northeast Asia. Originality/value - This study revealed differences between qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The finding implies that prior works on evaluation models of competitiveness has not successfully measured the gap between quantitative data and expert’ evaluations. To overcome this limitation, this paper considered both actual data such as actual distance, cost, the number of companies located, and expert opinions.