Strategically located along major shipping routes between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, Singapore has been a key global transshipment hub for goods moving between the East and the West. Today, the city-state has developed into one of the world’s busiest air and sea ports with its world-class infrastructure and efficient customs. In a recent World Bank Report (2007), Singapore was ranked the world’s top logistics hub.

Indeed, the world’s leading manufacturers and third-party service providers (3PLs) have acknowledged Singapore’s excellent logistics connectivity. Today, half of the world’s top 25 3PLs have established regional headquarters in Singapore, alongside another nine that have set up operations here. In addition, Singapore is a key manufacturing base for global leaders in the biomedical sciences, chemicals, energy, electronics, and aerospace industries.

Against this backdrop of demonstrated success, Singapore recognizes that with rapid globalization and technological development, supply chains and trade patterns are fast changing. So to stay ahead of the curve and establish a position of thought leadership, The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific (TLI-Asia Pacific) was created as an organization focused on research, industry outreach and educational programs.

Established in 1998, TLI-Asia Pacific is a collaborative effort between the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). This collaboration offers the best combination of Western expertise with a strong knowledge of Asian supply chains in areas such as global logistics, industrial engineering, and supply chain management.

TLI-Asia Pacific is more than just an academic institution. Its close links and partnerships with industry and government enable the institute to develop workable solutions to relevant logistics/SCM challenges. To keep these competencies sharp, TLI-Asia Pacific’s capabilities are anchored in three foundations: research, industry outreach, and education.

Research at TLI-Asia Pacific is focused on defense logistics, supply chain intelligence, supply chain optimization, and supply chain technology. Key areas of interest include managing changes in physical infrastructure and hub strategies, dealing with varying levels of economic development across major markets, building a more secure and integrated global network, greening the supply chain, and managing the outsourcing of non-core activities. To date, TLI-Asia Pacific’s work has appeared in 66 publications that include journal entries, conference submissions, book chapters, editorials, and white papers. Top companies and government agencies (e.g.such as IBM, NOL, and the Singapore Economic Development Board) are also engaging the institute in ongoing research collaborations.

Here is a sampling of the group’s recent research projects:

• Supply chain design through business process re-engineering. In a study commissioned by a major telecommunications player, TLI-Asia Pacific’s research team identified best practices from top-performing supply chains. The objective was to help the client design a demand driven supply chain that will influence product design and optimize efficiency through probability analysis.

• Logistics factors that impede ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) single market. TLI-Asia Pacific concluded that inefficient customs procedures and inspections, in combination with land transport barriers, were the key obstacles to seamless logistics connectivity across ASEAN. The institute proceeded to establish a comprehensive indicator for logistics infrastructural performance in ASEAN.

• Consolidation trends in Asia. The institute identified three business models that 3PLs could adopt as their industry consolidates: (1)Yield Innovators that focus on basic transportation and warehousing; (2) Portfolio Innovators that offer high value services, global commerce, fulfillment and visibility; and (3) Orchestration Innovators that provide end users with one-stop coordination among all modes of transportation and services. The team concluded that supply chain efficiencies will improve as these business models converge.

In addition to research, TLI-Asia Pacific conducts regular outreach programs with industry to promote thought leadership, knowledge dissemination, and executive learning. The institute’s emphasis on knowledge is expressed in the mnemonic for its outreach initiative: THINK (TLI-Asia Pacific, Higher education, Industry, Networking, Know-how).

The initiative includes the THINK Series, which provides a platform for industry leaders, supply chain practitioners, and academia to address emerging issues, technology and capabilities shaping the industry landscape. The topics discussed include thought leadership and talent development as well as sustainable, innovative SCM solutions that can be integrated into the companies’ human resource, logistics, and supply chain strategies. TLI-Asia Pacific is the organizer of Supply Chain Exchange, a yearly industry conference that brings together key companies in the supply chain community.

TLI-Asia Pacific also collaborates with key industry organizations and publications to conduct THINK forums for regional conferences. These groups have included Singapore Logistics Association and CSCMP. This year, TLI-Asia Pacific will launch a new platform, THINK Executive, which assembles a strategic lineup of senior executives, supply chain thought leaders, researchers, and government representatives to discuss common research topics. Companies involved in this consortium will save on research costs with a dedicated research team from the institute and will engage invaluable networking and interaction on the most relevant strategic issues related to Supply Chain and Logistics.

TLI-Asia Pacific seeks to nurture supply chain strategists and leaders. The institute’s Dual Masters Program (DMP), for example, draws on the strengths of NUS and Georgia Tech’s masters of science programs to provide a well-rounded education with courses in engineering, international trade/finance, and logistics. Companies attest to the quality of the graduates with global firms like UPS and DHL offering scholarships for successful applicants. DMP has more than 100 alumni to date.

In addition to postgraduate courses, TLI-Asia Pacific offers executive education programs for supply chain executives as well as for communication and technology professionals working in the supply chain. These programs disseminate best practices and enhance productivity among 3PLs and supply chain departments in multinational corporations that operate in Singapore and the region.

The institute has also launched collaborative executive courses with other universities and with industry partners such as Accenture Supply Chain Academy, Motorola University, and Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (Singapore).

Singapore has long been recognized as a world-class logistics hub. As globalization intensifies and supply chains become increasingly complex, Singapore continues to lead by anchoring and developing a strong knowledge base to deliver supply chain innovation.

TLI-Asia Pacific, with its unique model that builds on strong collaboration with the industry and government, is one of Singapore’s key drivers of SCM know-how. Not only does TLI-Asia Pacific benefit from being run by two world-class universities—the National University of Singapore and Georgia Tech—its co-location with world-leading 3PLs and manufacturers also provides access to the industry’s best practices and cutting edge technology.

With strong industry recognition and governmental support, we believe that TLI-Asia Pacific is set to strengthen Singapore’s position as thought leader in global logistics and supply chain management.