An Experience Sharing:
Theme-Based Research Project
Transforming Hong Kong’s Ocean
Container Transport Logistics Network
(OCTLN)
June 20, 2014
Presented by Dr James Wang, HKU
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Theme-Based Research Project:
Transforming Hong Kong’s Ocean Container Transport
Logistics Network (11/2011 – 10/2016)
Project Coordinator: Prof.
Chung-Yee Lee (HKUST)
Co-PIs:
Albert Ha, Jeff Hong, Qian Liu, Ho-Yin Mak, Xiangtong Qi,
Hongtao Zhang, Jiheng Zhang, Rachel Zhang (IELM & ISOM at HKUST),
James Wang (Geography at HKU)
Houmin Yan (School of Business at City U)
Collaborators:
Jan Fransoo (Eindhoven U of Tech, Netherlands)
Kap Hwan Kim (Pusan Univ. Korea)
Zhou Xu (HK Poly-U)
… NUS, UK,………….
Where did the theme come from?
Before the theme-based project, Prof. Chung-Yee Lee had
been working in Ocean Transport Logistics related research
and projects for 10 years: mainly in Terminal Operation
Efficiency Improvement.
Before joined HKUST in 2001, he had extensive research
experience collaborated with industry in US, especially in
semiconductor manufacturing and business processing
management.
After join HKUST, he also had experience of conducting large
research grants. He has conducted several keynote
speeches in related area, especially in INFORMS Annual
Meeting in 2010 in Austin, TX.
INFORMS is the world's largest professional society in Operations Research/
Management Science and its annual conference is the most important
conference in our area - it has attracted close to 5,000 participants in
2010 Conference.
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Where did the theme come from?
In preparing the keynote speech for INFORMS, he spent
one year, interviewing industry executives - not only
terminal operators, but also shipping liners, freight
forwarders, …., and shippers.
He also conducted extensive literature review in related
areas – not only in terminal operation efficiency
improvement but also the whole supply chain.
In interviewing with industry executives and literature
reviewing, he found that
i) Logistics management, especially in ocean container
transport, is still very important for HK.
ii) Ocean container transport involves not only terminal
operators, but also shipping liners, freight forwarders
(third party logistics) , shippers and also government
policy makers. Namely, it involves whole supply chain
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issues.
Where did the theme come from?
Furthermore, he found that OR/MS literature
mainly focuses in terminal operation
efficiency improvement, and seldom study
the ocean container transport related supply
chain issues.
For example, contract theory, revenue
management, information sharing,
disruption management, scheduling
reliability,…etc, are all very import issues in
ocean transport logistics, yet understudied.
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How to team up?
Prof Lee found that there are four areas that should
be addressed:
Area 1. Tactical Issues on Ocean Container
Logistics Supply Chain Networks
Area 2: Strategic Issues on Ocean Container
Logistics Supply Chain Networks
Area 3: Policy Issues: Hong Kong's Strategic
Future Direction
Area 4: Integrated Decision Support System
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How to team up?
He then contacted potential investigators, especially
i) Prof. Albert Ha, who is a world renown scholar in supply
chain management. Clearly, it is a very important area for
the ocean transport logistics.
ii) Myself, for government policy related research. We had
then met several times to generate potential research topics
(He knew that I had done research in related areas, though
we never met before that)
iii) Prof. Houmin Yan who has extensive experience in
information technology, especially in integration of decision
support system.
These three professors and Prof. Lee himself, then become the
coordinators of four areas of sub-themes.
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Drafting the proposal
(a) Tactical planning: innovative research issues
(i) container port operations improvement;
(ii) vessel speed optimization;
(iii) safety and disruption management;
(iv) tactical liner service network design.
(b) Strategic planning: challenges and opportunities
(i) contracting;
(ii) information sharing;
(iii) firm to firm competition;
(iv) revenue management;
(v) shipping securitization;\
(c) Strategic future directions: HK’s multi-gateway-based
network structure
(d) Integrated decision support system
Preparation for reviewers’ interview

Balanced approach –
 Language
in the presentation: General in
the words used, but specifically clear in
focused areas of our expertize
 Demonstrating
both frontier knowledge in
the specific areas of research and the indepth understanding of the real world
needs

Rehearsal

Time management
 “Division
of labor” for Q & A
 Demonstration
of our team work spirit
Project Management
Regular seminar every two months
Management team meeting semi-annually
Project Coordinator
(Chung-Yee Lee)
Tactical Planning
Area Coordinator
(Chung-Yee Lee)
Industry
Advisory Board
Strategic Future Integrated Decision
Strategic Planning
Support System
Direction
Area Coordinator
Area Coordinator Area Coordinator
Area Coordinator
(Houmin Yan)
(James Wang)
(Albert Ha)
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0
Thanks.
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