Analysis of the maritime logistic system in Chile and the design of a parametric model to decision making

The internationalisation of investments and the globalisation of the markets have created a high level of competition among manufacturing and services companies which has transcended the competition among nations. In this environment, quality information and exact timing are the sole answers for generating comparative and competitive advantages with respect to other manufacturers and providers. Inspired by these challenges, Latin American countries have searched for ways to increase and diversify their exports in order to heighten their trade balance surpluses. This, in turn, helps them to overcome their debt problems and gain access to a better quality of life. With these criteria in mind, these countries have begun to join the economic aperture and globalisation processes. United by their common ethnic heritage, they are driven by the growing need to co-ordinate national and regional decisions in order to achieve a harmonic community development. The efficiency principle imposed by the present international trade scenario requires extreme attention to detail in the administration of production costs and in placing products on the market. Because a product's success is highly sensitive to cost and distribution methods, maritime transport and its associated systems require very specific management techniques. Those management techniques must take into account that as transport is a service it gives added value to the cargo. Thus, the management model, costs involved, planning processes, and area policies are topics of vital importance for achieving these nations' development objectives. The design of specific policies, both operational as well as for development (investments), should comply with certain minimum conditions. The resulting policies should satisfy integrally and harmoniously the requirements the State establishes in its general National Development Strategy. This strategy considers factors of monetary and trade uncertainty. States must be particularly careful to interpret changes, tendencies, circumstances and difficulties which emerge in the international markets they serve, correctly. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyse the existing maritime transport logistic system in Chile, beginning with the history of ports and economic development. Subsequently, this study will analyse all relevant information related to logistics and the lessons learnt during the process of modernization. For analytical purposes, the study establishes an evaluation area which has been represented by a "graph" built up from nodes and links.These symbolise the complex network of port systems, hinterlands, roads, railways and coastal shipping. Likewise, the links and nodes have direction, intensity and values that the study intends to describe and evaluate. Moreover, hinterlands are not as exclusive as they were before. Consequently, most of the port systems face a very competitive market in offering services for international hinterlands/foreland. Therefore, this thesis will conclude that at least some Latin American countries establish land bridges between them. There have been some studies about the land bridges, "inter-oceanic corridors" or "integration corridors" options in South America.The Pacific Ocean Basin and the APEC countries represent a huge market for those Atlantic countries which have products to export and import from that vast area of the globe. The existence of the main industrial site of South America running from the Atlantic side of South America to the Pacific Coast, which forms an "Industrial Banana", is the foundation of a massive demand to and from both coasts. The study evaluated the logistics system through different criteria, such as logistics, physical capacities, and economic, social, environmental and political considerations. Having established these criteria, the researcher can better evaluate the relevant parameters and variables to consider in the design of the parametric model.La internacionalizacion de las inversiones y la globalizacion de los mercados, han creado un alto nivel de competitividad entre los proveedores de manufactura o de servicios, lo que trasciende a la competitividad entre las naciones. En este escenario, la informacion de calidad y respuesta en tiempo real son la respuesta para generar ventajas comparativas y competitivas respecto de otros productores y proveedores. Inspirados en estos cambios, los paises Latinoamericanos han buscado formas como aumentar y diversificar sus exportaciones, con el proposito de incrementar sus balanzas comerciales. Esto les ayuda a sobrellevar sus problemas de deuda, accediendo a mejor calidad de vida. Con estos criterios en mente, los paises de la Region han accedido a los procesos de apertura economica y globalizacion de los mercados. Unidos por la herencia etnica comun, ven una creciente necesidad por la coordinacion de sus decisiones nacionales y regionales, de manera de alcanzar el desarrollo comun de manera harmonica. Los principios de eficiencia impuestos por el presente esquema de comercio internacional, requiren de una atencion especial en la gestion de los costos de produccion y en la colocacion de los productos en los mercados. Considerando que el exito del producto es sensible a su costo, los sistemas de distribucion y logistica requiren de tecnicas especificas de gestion. Por ello, los modelos de gestion, costos, procesos de planificacion y politicas sectoriales son de vital importancia para alcanzar los objetivos nacionales de desarrollo. El diseno de politicas sectoriales, tanto operacionales como de desarrollo (inversiones), deberian cumplir con los minimas condiciones para lograr su objetivo pais. Las politicas resultantes debieran satisfacer de manera integral y harmonica, los requirimientos que el Estado ha establecido en su Estrategia Nacional de Desarrollo. Dicha estrategia debe incluir las incertidumbres monetarias y de commercio. Los Estados deben ser particularmente cuidadosos para interpretar correctamente los cambios, tendencias, circunstancias y dificultades que emergen de los mercados internacionales que ellos sirven. Por lo indicado anteriormente, el proposito de esta tesis es analizar el sistema de logistica maritima en Chile, comenzando con la historia de sus puertos y desarrollo economico, posteriormente el analisis de la informacion relevante a logistica y las lecciones aprendidas durante el proceso de modernizacion economica. Con propositos analiticos, el estudio determino una zona fisica de evaluacion que esta representada por la "teoria de grafos". Esta simboliza la compleja red de puertos, hinterlands, caminos, ferrovias y transporte maritimo costero. Los nodos y sus enlaces tienen direccion, intensidad y valores que el estudio pretende evaluar y dimensionar. Mas aun, en la actualidad el hinterland de los puertos ha dejado de ser exclusivo, consecuentemente, los sistemas portuarios enfrentan una agresiva competencia para ofertar servicios a sus hinterland/foreland, por lo cual algunos paises latinoamericanos construyeron "puentes terrestres" entre ellos, el estudio indica algunas opciones de "puentes terrestres", "corredores inter-oceanicos" o "corredores de integracion" identificados en America del Sur. La cuenca del Pacifico y los paises APEC representan un mercado enorme para los paises de la costa Atlantica. La existencia de la principal area industrial de Sudamerica se configura entre el Atlantico y Pacifico, forma lo que el autor denomina como la "Banana Industrial", lo que origina una enorme demanda en los dos sentidos. El estudio evalua los sistemas desde diferentes criterios, tales como: sus capacidades fisicas y logisticas, sus consideraciones economicas, politicas, sociales, y medio ambientales. Una vez establesidos los criterios, el investigador puede identificar y evaluar de mejor forma los parametros y variables a considerar en el diseno del "modelo parametrico"