The western region of Sweden, Västra Götaland, consists of four groups of municipalities. One of the groups is named Skaraborg. Skaraborg is highly industrialised with a large number of production units, many owned by international capital and parts of global production and logistic networks. Skaraborgs development is very depending on these companies and their connected small supplier’s development. Logistic development is a cornerstone for several of these companies and consequently for the municipalities in Skaraborg. Falköping is the logistic leading community in Skaraborg. Studies and ongoing processes show clearly the high dependency that Falköping has on Gothenburg as the logistic gateway to support these industries logistic situation and development.

Swedish industry must constantly develop its logistic systems in order to decrease the geografic distance - handicap to the rest of Europe. For many exporting highly automated companies the added cost for this transport-handicap equals to the labour cost. The necessity of controlling these logistic costs is therefore a question of survival. Parallel to this, the logistic systems create a large environmental impact that needs to be effected both on a short term and long term basis. This puts demand on a closer collaboration between industry and society.

The large leading companies in the Falköping region, i.e. the companies that form the logistic links to gateways like Gothenburg, are parts of global production and logistic networks for supply and distribution. The logistic tactical decisions that form the operations are often moved from and made from Falköping and thereby often suboptimizing local production units due to lack of knowledge for local conditions.

Local and regional logistic possibilities must therefore be of larger importance for local and regional industrial networks in coopertion with local and regional authorities. This develops the small and medium companies logistic situation parallel to the large leading companies.

Logistic co-operation between these industrial networks in hinterland Skaraborg and the gateway and logistic centre of Gothenburg is identified as a part of a key strategy for many of these companies. Gateway Gothenburg has however logistic problems. The city has expansion and environmental problems in connection to the heavy goods-flow pressure. One identified strategy for Gothenburg is to outsource logistic activities to the hinterland in such a way that the need for storing and handling in Gothenburg is eliminated and moved to earlier parts of the transport chains. An interaction between these new terminal forms in hinterland Skaraborg and gateway Gothenburg will also promote railway traffic to a larger extent. Both through the co-ordination effects and by moving goods from lorry to rail this effects the environmental conditions.

Present situation
A freight terminal that can co-ordinate transport and handling of cargo, expand kombiterminal operations but also perform other logistic activities as storage of specific kinds of cargo, support contract packaging and confectioning, would support and develop the logistic situation for both large, but especially small companies in Skaraborg. The possibilities and general potential has been indicated by

• previous and ongoing research in co-operation with local companies, Gothenburg School of Business and the municipality of Falköping,
• commercial analyses in co-operation with logistic providers like Schenker,
• ongoing pre-planning activities with Swedish National Organisation for Railroads, Banverket Western Region.

This terminal has the possibilities to support the logistic situation in hinterland Skaraborg and will as such heavily rely on gateway Gothenburg. It will function as a dryport and support the activities for co-ordination of goods to and from the hinterland. The railroad activities will aim to a better transport economy and environmental situation and will consist of creating whole or part of trains directly addressed to transit the terminals in Gothenburg.

The development so far and present situation has also showed:

• that there is a need for much better knowledge about how a dry port affects the supply chains not only the external transports, for the industrial partners and other actors in hinterland Skaraborg,
• that a dry port working in hinterland as a logistic centre can establish new business activities in hinterland, based on logistic co-operation between the regional industrial companies,
• that the possibilities with a regional logistic centre and dryport must be clearer for the regional companies, possibly by organising larger clusters of sme – companies.

The basic concept with this project is to develop a logistic interaction between gateway and hinterland Skaraborg

• that supports both the development of the gateway and the logistic situation in the hinterland
• that improves both the economic and environmental situation connected to gods-flows between gateway and hinterland.

The operational objectives are:

1. to develop and organise a logistic partnering relationship between all actors for gateway and dry port for hinterland Skaraborg and to gain insight and experience from the other international partners in the project for this process,
2. to establish a regional logistic centre, a dry port, for Skaraborg in Falköping, consisting of terminal facilities for hinterland industries combining and co-ordinating goods flows in interaction with gateways, primarily Gothenburg,
3. to develop a knowledge-base that shows the economic and environmental consequences in the supply chains for the industries in Skaraborg and for the gateway, when creating a dry port with a gateway interaction,
4. to develop education forms for primarily personal from sme – companies in Falköping for hinterland companies, an education that focuses on logistic development connected to dry port – gateway activities,
5. to organise the regional logistic centre for continuos information activities to the hinterland actors and public, and allowing new defined connecting projects to be started.

Under construction

Under construction