| Summary: | 碩士 === 東吳大學 === 企業管理學系 === 101 === In Taiwan, transportation industry plays an important role in transporting passengers and cargos. Due to offshoring of manufacturing industry, decreasing demand of import and export, and rising of operating costs in the transport operators, most of transport operators just hold balance between making either a profit or a loss, and even need to reduce their fleet size. In passenger transport market, a new choice offered by high-speed rail seriously struck against the road traffic volume. Though increasing tourists from China due to the relaxation of travel regulation have boosted the demand gradually, transport operators end up unprofitably because of intense competition among travel agents. The transportation industry is now at a highly competitive state, thus requirements of improving vehicle uptime and greater emphasis on driving safety have become more important to operators to reduce operational costs and risks and enhance profitability.
The research chose the repair and maintenance (R&M) services of heavy vehicles as the research topic because it greatly affects vehicle uptime and driving safety. We reviewed the performance-based logistics (PBL) literature first, and then compared the differences between PBL which is developed by Swedish heavy vehicle suppliers, and the traditional R&M mode used by Taiwanese transport operators according to critical factors when introducing PBL through a case study research approach. Furthermore, we assessed the feasibility of the PBL application model in Taiwan, and offer the directions key stakeholders in Taiwan should follow if PBL model is to be introduced successfully.
After collection of secondary data and manager interviews of four cases in different trasnport sectors, a qualitative triangulation analysis is carried out to get more complete and in-depth understanding of the business models of these cases with particular focus on R&M activities. Next, we explored the PBL application feasibility in Taiwan and assessed, based on critical factors affecting PBL model implementation proposed by Agndal et al (2013), the obstacles that might hinder the application of PBL model by case companies. Finally, the development of PBL model in Taiwan transportation industry is explored.
In the following, the research findings and results are summarized:
1. There are major differences in R&M operations between Sweden and Taiwan. The former puts great attention on traffic management and driving safety; the latter hands over maintenance jobs to private workshop instead, which makes the vehicle quality unstable. Swedish vehicle suppliers often offer customized contract services based on corporate culture, working conditions and vehicle usage characteristics, and used the vehicle performance as valuation standards; while vehicle suppliers in Taiwan still provide traditional repair and maintenance contracts to transport operators.
2.As to the repair and maintenance models in case companies, most of them use the services of the workshop ran by vehicle suppliers to make sure the quality of vehicles, showing Taiwanese transport operators’ increasing emphasis on the management of the vehicle fleet. In the freight market in Taiwan, the PBL model has been started by D vehicle suppliers. Compared to S vehicle suppliers, D vehicle suppliers is very positive both in developing a comprehensive repair and maintenance facility network and communicating this advanced service concept to the customers. In the future, the number of companies which is willing to adopt heavy vehicle R&M PBL model is expected to increase.
3.More and more transport operators start to emphasize operating vehicle quality in Taiwan. They have carried out preventive driver training and manage R&M operations with intensive attention. If R&M PBL model is introduced by operators, the key portion of fleet management is meant to outsource to the vehicle supplier. It could be a barrier if operators and suppliers do not take long term perspective and develop strategic partnerships. On the other hand, Taiwan’s Europe-based vehicle suppliers must understand the current situation in operators and carry out in-depth analysis with their repair and maintenance data. This might be another barrier due to the need and lack of capable specialist to develop proper analytical model to analyze trade-offs for introducing PBL model. Besides, it is a complicate task to develop a right pricing mechanism for PBL R&M service acceptable to both operators and suppliers. These potential barriers increase the complexity when in the PBL development process, as well as reduce the willingness of both parties to adopt PBL model in Taiwan.
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