Main characteristics of international logistics

1. Environmental differences

A very important feature of international logistics is the differences in logistics environments among countries, especially the differences in logistics soft environments. The different laws applicable to logistics in different countries make international logistics much more complex than domestic logistics in a country, and may even disrupt international logistics; Different countries with different levels of economic and technological development will result in international logistics being supported by different technological conditions, and some regions may even be unable to apply certain technologies, forcing a decline in the overall level of international logistics system; Different countries have different standards, which also makes it difficult to "connect" internationally, making it difficult to establish an international logistics system; The customs and cultures of different countries also greatly limit international logistics.

International logistics

Due to the differences in logistics environments, an international logistics system needs to operate in several different legal, cultural, customary, linguistic, technological, and facility environments, which undoubtedly greatly increases the difficulty and complexity of logistics.

2. Wide system scope

The functional elements of logistics itself and the communication between the system and the outside world are very complex. International logistics adds elements from different countries to this complex system, which not only involves the vastness of the region and space, but also involves more internal and external factors, requiring longer time. The direct consequence of the vastness is an increase in difficulty and complexity, and an increase in risk.

Of course, it is precisely because of this that once international logistics is integrated into modern system technology, its effectiveness becomes more significant than before. For example, after the opening of a certain "continental bridge", the international logistics speed will double and the benefits will significantly increase, indicating this point.

3. High standardization requirements

To ensure smooth international logistics, unified standards are very important. It can be said that without unified standards, the level of international logistics cannot be improved. The United States and Europe have basically achieved unified standards for logistics tools and facilities, such as using 1000 pallets × 1200 millimeters, several unified specifications and barcode technology for containers, greatly reducing logistics costs and the difficulty of transportation. Countries that do not align with this standard will inevitably consume more time and costs in many aspects such as transportation and vehicle replacement, thereby reducing their international competitiveness.

In terms of logistics information transmission technology, European countries have not only standardized within enterprises, but also standardized between enterprises and the European unified market, which makes communication between European countries simpler and more effective than with countries in Asia, Africa, and other countries.

4. International information system support

International information systems are a very important support tool for international logistics, especially international intermodal transportation. The difficulty of establishing an international information system is twofold: firstly, it is difficult to manage, secondly, it requires huge investment, and secondly, due to the high level of logistics information in some regions of the world and the low level in others, there may be imbalanced information levels, making the establishment of information systems even more difficult.

A good way to establish an international logistics information system is to connect it with the public information systems of customs in various countries, and timely grasp the actual situation of various ports, airports, intermodal transportation routes, and stations, providing support for supply or sales logistics decisions. International logistics was the earliest field to develop Electronic Data Interchange (EDl), and international logistics based on EDI will have a significant impact on the internationalization of logistics.