Title: Covid-19 pandemic: small actor point of view on manufacturing and logistics

Authors: Olli-Pekka Hilmola; Oskari Lähdeaho

Addresses: LUT University, Kouvola Unit, Tykkitie 1, FIN-45100 Kouvola, Finland; Tallinn University of Technology (Taltech), Estonian Maritime Academy, Kopli 101, 11712 Tallinn, Estonia ' LUT University, Kouvola Unit, Tykkitie 1, FIN-45100 Kouvola, Finland

Abstract: Coronavirus has changed businesses profoundly, and argumentation goes that small companies have been hurt seriously. This research analyses survey responses of mostly Finnish companies out of the effects of pandemic. Findings show that small manufacturing and logistics companies have been hurt somewhat in their ability to serve customers as medium and large companies have performed well. Small companies also have lower expectations to continue their operations in China and Russia. In the future small companies do not expect inventory investment to grow that much either, and their transportation modes reaching China and Russia will not change in such great extent as what is the case with medium and large companies. However, it seems that railways will be preferred over other transportation modes in the following decade. Among small companies, transportation mode shares are taken from all other modes, while in medium and large they are mostly arising from air freight.

Keywords: Covid-19; manufacturing; logistics; performance; Finland; Northern Europe.

DOI: 10.1504/WRITR.2021.115411

World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 2021 Vol.10 No.2, pp.87 - 105

Received: 07 Jan 2021
Accepted: 09 Mar 2021
Published online: 01 Jun 2021 *

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