Exploring the Nature and Consequences of a Fragmented Activity: The Example of Foremen Managing Operations in an Inland Port

Christophe Munduteguy
Additional contact information
Christophe Munduteguy: IFSTTAR/SPLOTT - Systèmes Productifs, Logistique, Organisation des Transports et Travail - IFSTTAR - Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: A river container terminal concentrates many of the constraints encountered by different transport modes (road, rail, and waterways) involved in the delivery of merchandises. For the operators in charge of handling operations during peaks of activity, this configuration yields significant difficulties when performing planning, scheduling and dispatching tasks. The research conducted at the second French river port unravels the mechanisms involved in the management of these dynamic environments. Following a series of interviews and preliminary observations, we conducted systematic observations of the foremen's work. These middle managers are located at the juncture of management and production. The data was completed with additional interviews for the purpose of cross-checking the validity of the results. The results point to the extreme variability of situations and the high exposure to uncertainty inherent in the transport business. Beyond the tasks of loading and unloading, completed by checks and other operations, container handling consists in trying to absorb, or at least reduce the effects of the combination of constraints in the delivery of merchandises and to ensure greater flow of traffic in the network node. The results also highlight organizational compromises through the permanent adjustment of the means of production in the scheduling and dispatching activities.

Keywords: CONTENEUR; PLANIFICATION (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-01-01
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in Work: Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 2012, 41 (1), pp 6039-6046. ⟨10.3233/WOR-2012-1057-6039⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00958153

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-1057-6039

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().