Supporting logistics collaboration through Electronic Logistics marketplaces

Globalized commerce has made logistics collaboration more and more important. Electronic Logistics marketplaces (ELMs) are now offering collaboration functionalities, but the collaboration concept in an ELM has not been studied systematically. In this paper, we identify nine types of logistics collaboration on two dimensions: the parties involved in the collaboration and the level of collaboration. Based on the classification, the opportunities and challenges for supporting each type of logistics collaboration through ELMs are explored. Our findings suggest that logistics cooperation and coordination tends to be supported more suitably than collaboration by ELMs.