Meta-Logistic operators as focal organizations in Italian Logistic Platforms

Logistic systems are more and becoming key elements in building sustainable competitive advantage for business systems. In particular, logistic platforms (in Italian, interporti) carry out a highly central role in the Italian economic system, facilitating interconnections between various transport modalities, and increasing the importance of ports’ ability to join overland routes with sea routes. Traditionally literature has adopted a systemic perspective, in which continuous interactions take place between actors and activities characterizing the system and determining success. In this sense, as Christopher claims (1992), “real competition is not [any more] company against company but rather supply chain against supply chain” (p.14). The aim of the paper is analysing the activities carried out within logistic platforms infrastructures, amongst which a leading role is played by a certain special typology of actor, here defined as Meta-Logistic Operators (MLOs).