PROPS. Grant Agreement No. TREN/FP7/TR/218621/ PROPS PROPS WP4. Enhanced SPC supports for the promotion of SSS and Intermodality

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1 PROPS Grant Agreement No. TREN/FP7/TR/218621/ PROPS PROPS WP4 Enhanced SPC supports for the promotion of SSS and Intermodality Testing SPC core processes Project Start Date: 1 st July 2008 Project End Date: 30 th June 2011 Co-ordinator: University of Piraeus Research Centre WP No: 4 Leader WP: GPI A Project supported by the European Commission. Directorate-General for Energy and Transport.

2 Document summary information Authors Task Role Persons Organisation Project Role Authors Riitta Pöntynen Senior Project Manager University of Turku Leader of WP5 DISCLAIMER Use of any knowledge, information or data contained in this document shall be at the user s sole risk. The members of the PROPS Consortium accept no liability or responsibility, in negligence or otherwise, for any loss, damage or expense whatsoever incurred by any person as a result of the use, in any manner or form, of any knowledge, information or data contained in this document, or due to any inaccuracy, omission or error therein contained. The European Commission shall not in any way be liable or responsible for the use of any such knowledge, information or data, or the consequences thereof. Table of Content 1. Background of the document 3 2. SPC Finland aims and activities 2 3. Shortsea shipping and intermodal transport in Finland 4 4. PROPS core operational processes and respective indicators with reference to 7 SPC Finland s activities 5. Testing the input/output business flow in SPC Finland s activities Encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping and 7 intermodality 5.2. Promote knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector Influence policy decisions affecting the sector European Cooperation Transferability of core processes Validation of indicators Conclusions 14 Page 2

3 1. Background of the document The document is part of WP 4 task 4.1 and 4.3, Core Processes and Indicators for Individual SPCs. The aim of this sub-task is to pilot the implementation of select processes and to test transferability between the two SPCs which are partners in PROPS. The pilot will consider the core processes and indicators proposed in PROPS from the point of view of the activities of SPC Finland. Core processes were analyzed by reviewing SPC Finland s activities in 2009 and the ongoing action plan for SPC Finland s pilot was presented at the review workshop for PROPS WP4 on 15 June 2010 in Turku, Finland. Transferability was discussed with the participating SPCs. Core processes were reviewed also at the level of the European Shortsea Network from a point of view of collaboration. A separate report has been prepared on the review workshop. 2. SPC Finland aims and activities SPC FInland was established in 2000 with the aim of developing shortsea shipping and intermodal transport. Intermodal transport combines at least two transport modes. SPC Finland supports and encourages co-operation in particular between shortsea shipping and rail, road and inland waterways. SPC Finland was established in The current action plan of SPC Finland covers a three year period from 2008 to the end of Since 2008 the activities have been extended into intermodal promotion. SPC Finland s Executive Committee consists of representatives of different transport modes, which are represented by their associations and unions. In addition, certain regions are involved in the Committee. University of Turku, Centre for Maritime Studies is the host organization of SPC Finland and is chairing the Executive Committee. The member organisations of the Executive Committee in 2009 were the following: Associations and unions in the field of intermodal transport Finnish Freight Forwarders' Association Finnish Port Association Finnish Port Operators' Association Finnish Shipowners' Association Finnish Shipbrokers' Association Finnish Transport and Logistics SKAL (road transport) General Industry Association VR Group Ltd, Finnish Railways Page 3

4 Regions Regional Council of Ostrobothia Regional Council of Satakunta Åland Government The Finnish Ministry for Transport and Communications is also a member of the Executive Committee. Committee member organisations commit into financing of the SPC. SPC Finland s main promotion activities are dissemination of transport related information via the website newsletters, themed bulletins, leaflets and brochures, reports and articles as well as seminars and workshops. As a neutral body, SPC acts as a round table for transport modes and their representatives at a private and public level. It provides a channel of influence to decision makers. Solutions for bottlenecks have been identified in particular in the field of customs. European co-operation via the European Shortsea Network supports the promotion work at the national level. 3. Shortsea shipping and intermodal transport in Finland From Finland s point of view, maritime transport and its integration into the intermodal transport chain are key issues. The share of maritime transport in international trade is already high, in total around 80%, is transported by sea. Promotion work can have an impact on the share of intermodal transport services, both to the use and demand of intermodal services as well as to supply of intermodal services. Efficiency of transport services is fundamental because Finland s location means that transport costs of are higher and transit times longer. Extension of activities into intermodal promotion in 2008 reflects better the level playing field in Finland. Intermodal transport has an important role in Finland s westbound international imports and exports transported by sea. The share of Ro-Ro transport is high. There are several ferry services connecting Finland with Sweden and Estonia. In addition to regular Ro-Ro vessels, new ropax-vessels operate between Finland and Germany as well as between Finland and Poland. However, in particular the number of containers transported in intermodal sea-rail transport services is an area which needs to be promoted in Finland. Thus, one of SPC Finland s priorities is to work on round table activities, in which the aim is to work with stakeholders to increase the number of hinterland intermodal transport services. Members of SPC Finland consider important actions to increase the efficiency of shortsea shipping and intermodal transport as well as influencing the decision makers. Page 4

5 4. PROPS core operational processes and respective indicators with reference to SPC Finland s activities Core operational processes were analysed at the general level with reference to SPC Finland s activities in This chapter looks at the processes in detail. The core processes identified by PROPS are to: 1. Encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping and intermodality 2. Promote knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector 3. Influence policy decisions affecting the sector 4. Identification of bottlenecks and their solutions 5. European Cooperation The core processes and respective actions of SPC Finland are presented in Table 1 below. In general, SPC Finland s activities can be described via the proposed core processes. The activities and priorities within the processes are however different due to national circumstances and the chosen activity plan. Table 1. PROPS Core Operational Processes in SPC Finland s activities in 2009 PROPS Core Operational Processes 1. Encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping and intermodality Key Stakeholders (Target Groups) Shippers Forwarders Activities Providing information; distribution of promotional materials; communication with current users and potential ones; bringing stakeholders together incl. organisation of meetings and events (seminars, conferences). SPC Finland s activity in Providing information via: a) website b) monthly newsletters *a Finnish-Swedish version *an English version c) brochures and bulletins * Maritime Transport and the Environment d) reports and studies - shipping company barometer; report was published twice in Structure of Finnish trade and industry from the point of view of transport; Page 5

6 published in March Promote knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector 3. Influence policy decisions affecting the sector 4. Identification of bottlenecks and their solutions Transport providers (shipping, rail, road, inland waterways) EU, governments (national and local authorities); parliamentary groups, NGOs and think thanks. EU, national governments, shippers and transport operators. providing information; communication with operators; encouraging operators to develop new and existing shortsea and intermodal services; reports and studies; meetings and events providing information; lobbying, (at local, national, regional and EU level); meetings Communication with transport operators, users and authorities; identifying bottlenecks (research) and addressing them; setting out proper solutions and involvement in consultative processes (national and EU). a) Round tableevents - Intermodal afternoon seminar on 5 November Baltic Sea afternoon on 23 September 2009 b) Information and advice on Marco Polo II programme a) lobby and influence Seminar for the Finnish parliament on 27 March b) Responses to consultations e.g. Common European Maritime Space without Barriers c) Intermodal working group between transport modes was set up in 2009 Actions on bottlenecks are included in core processes 1-3. Page 6

7 5. European Cooperation ESN members European Commission, other institutions ESN meetings and events; meetings and discussions with the focal points and DG TREN; communication with other European stakeholders to resolve national issues. a) attending ESN meetings in Oslo, Brussels and Stockholm b) attending meeting between ESN, SSS Focal Points and Commission in Brussels c) meetings at the regional level: Nordic SPCs meeting in Stockholm 5. Testing the input / output flow business model in SPC Finland s activities This section will examine SPC Finland s core processes referring to the input/ output flow business model described in Deliverable 4.1. The analysis applied to the daily activities of SPC Finland. In processes, promotion of knowledge and innovation as well as influencing decision makers is prioritized. The fourth operational process, identification of bottlenecks does not exist as a separate process in SPC Finland s activity plan However, during last couple of years, the emphasis has moved towards identification of solutions and good practices. The concept of a core process is a strategic tool which can be applied in planning of the activities. This model was taken into account in specifying SPC Finland s activities for activity plan for the year The aim was to develop more transparent service concepts for the members Encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping SPC Finland s activities to encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping include providing information on transport sector for transport users. This activity can be expressed as information dissemination. However, SPC Finland does not only act as a channel to distribute the information but also processes the information for different target groups (see below). A part of information provided is produced by SPC Finland itself. Inputs to the process in case of SPC Finland are: Information disseminated includes of selected news from the transport sector, EU and national plans and activities which encourage the use of SSS and intermodal transport. Information on incentives for transport sector, like Marco Polo, has an important role in information. Information on research and development is provided, too. In addition, SPC Finland provides tools for transport decision making. Page 7

8 The data is processed by the SPC and it is available on the website and newsletters of SPC Finland, brochures, leaflets and articles. Priority areas in 2010 information dissemination are transit transport, intelligent freight transport and environmental issues. Within these substance areas, SPC is also compiling in-depth reports and studies, which support decision making by private companies and public authorities. The number of reports published is 2-3 per year. One of the reports is shipping company barometer, which is published once a year (previously twice a year). It is a survey designed to provide trend information on the development of Finnish shipping companies. The information disseminated by SPC Finland is targeted at encouraging transport users to choose shortsea shipping and intermodal transport, the main target groups being shippers and forwarders. Part of information can be described as raising awareness on shortsea shipping and intermodality, in particular when it comes to information on transport and environment. However, the information is also available to other target groups like transport operators and authorities. Information provided to their groups is seen as important for promoting knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector. The main mechanisms used by SPC Finland to encourage users are events, like seminars and workshops and meetings. Also internet, website and s can be classified as mechanism, as well as visits to shippers and other target groups. Output, the plan to shift the transport to shortsea shipping or to intermodal transport is a clear objective. However, it is difficult to measure the impact of SPC activities on modal shift or choose of intermodal transport options. SPC Finland s action plan emphasizes round table activity and influence on decision makers, which both have on the positive impacts to efficiency of intermodal transport chain Promote knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector Input For SPC Finland, promoting knowledge and innovation is realized primarily through round table activities for target groups and stakeholders. Round table events are closely linked with inputs from the process of encouraging users. Information materials produced by SPC Finland are used in round table events. For example, reports on certain theme are prepared before a workshop, and discussions in the workshop are included in the final report. The report is then used in influencing decision makers. Activities within the process of promotion of knowledge and innovation / improvement within the sector are in the case of SPC Finland the following: organising round table events: workshops, meetings and seminars to support and create new dialogue between operators from different transport modes; between operators and shippers; between operators, authorities and politicians visits to target groups, including shippers, operators and authorities processing the existing information about the transport sector for target groups and stakeholders; work to encourage operators to develop new and existing shortsea and intermodal services; Page 8

9 information on Marco Polo and other funding options for development of transport services. Input to process 2 is information from transport sector developments, on EU legislation and communications as well as issues under discussion. One of the most important themes currently is the environmental issues, in particular providing information on new incentives and legislation as well as on calculation of emissions. SPC Finland both disseminates and prepares information for target groups as well as producing information for the target groups. There are many possible outputs of the process in addition to the development of new services. These include the use of new technical or it-solutions in existing services, new methods for co-operation in the transport chain or increased dialogue between business and authorities. The output or result of a workshop can also be a response to a consultation or provision of information to decision making process and thus linked strongly to influencing political decisions (linked to process 3). Case Marco Polo One of the priorities of SPC Finland is to promote the Marco Polo programme and other incentives available for the transport sector. SPC Finland is a contact point for Marco Polo in Finland. This task has been assigned to SPC Finland by the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications. During the first part of 2010 SPC FInland circulated information on its Marco Polo activities and the open call for proposals. An article by SPC Finland on Marco Polo funding possibilities was published in the main Finnish magazine on maritime branch, Navigator. SPC Finland arranged an information event in March in co-operation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. At the event, SPC Finland presented main components of the programme. After the joint session, meetings to discuss project ideas were arranged with interested organizations. Page 9

10 SPC Finland has also visited companies to advice the applicants on how a certain project ideas would fit with the Marco Polo programme and with other possible EU programmes, in particular TEN-T Motorways of the Sea. The work will continue during all the year as preparation for the next call for proposals in SPC Finland also follows the planning process of next phase of Marco Polo, and replies to consultations on behalf of its stakeholders. Case - workshops / round table activities Workshops are the main working method in promoting knowledge and innovation within the sector. A number of workshops have been arranged and their results have been reported to target groups. As a mechanism, round table activities, like meetings, workshops and seminars are important for promoting innovations. It is important to bring together different stakeholders, transport modes, shippers and authorities. SPC is a neutral body for the stakeholders. The aim of SPC Finland is to develop further the round table working methods by combining reports more intensively with workshops. An example of round table activities is SPC Finland s input into the development of transit transport via Finland to or from Russia. This is an ongoing process, which started at the end of 2009 and will continue in The outcome of the process will link to the core process of influencing policy decisions. Example of a process with sub-tasks The contents and aims of transit transport reports and workshops were discussed with stakeholders in the planning phase. One of the priorities is to notice main players which Page 10

11 need to be taken into the process; included in the interviews and surveys and invited to the workshop. As an outcome it is expected that target groups will have new knowledge leading to development of transit transport. However, the outcome links also directly to the influencing decision makers by introducing the latest information on the status of transit transport and its further development. Case shipping company barometer Shipping company barometer gains a lot of media coverage in Finland and the results are reported well beyond SPCs usual stakeholders and target groups. It creates a wide awareness of shipping industry issues. In addition, the barometer reflects development of the economic situation. The barometer offers information to decision makers both in the public and private sector. Transport providers can use the results of the barometer in influencing decision makers and in their businesses. Example on activity of producing a shipping company barometer The shipping company is a well-known product of SPC Finland. It helps also to create links with media representatives as it is a periodic publication Influence policy decisions affecting the sector Input to influencing policy decisions comes from processes of encourage users and promotion of knowledge and innovations. In the process of influencing, necessary information needed may exist in the form of report, leaflet or similar. Page 11

12 The process to influence presupposes that a joint need for influence to an issue has been encountered in discussion with stakeholders. In the context of intermodal promotion, transport modes need to agree on a common aim and message. The process of influence includes preparation of an action plan for the lobbying. The mechanisms in influencing are meetings or round table events, supported by discussions between SPC and stakeholders and information available in reports. One of the new working methods of SPC Finland is an intermodal working group, which was established in It consists of representatives of transport modes: maritime, road and rail, as well as forwarders. The working group is used as a task force and advisory group in planning SPC Finland s activities. The aim of the group is support intermodal transport and to create favorable conditions for Finnish trade and transport industry. Transport flows in Finland are thin, and the work is being done to enlarge intermodal transport flows and thus provide more cost-efficient transport solutions. There are several outputs in the process of influence policy decisions affecting the sector. The desired output from influencing may be a change in the legislation in favor of intermodal transport or shortsea shipping, increased knowledge of the needs of transport operators or shippers, etc. Finally, the shippers are those that enjoy the positive development in transport sector. Activities of SPC Finland in the influencing process are: providing information for stakeholders on legislation and transport related plans under preparation round table events and meetings with stakeholders to identify needs for influencing preparing an action plan for influencing influence decision makers: politicians in Finland (Finnish parliament and Government), national authorities, EU institutions arranging events for target groups of influence providing regular information to target groups in the mode of reports and newsletters European co-operation The main channel for European co-operation in the case of SPC Finland is the European Shortsea Network. The international aspect is important in promotion work, and it also provides a channel to co-operate with the European Commission. Usually 2-3 meetings are of the European Shortsea Network are arranged in a year, one of them with the Short Sea Shipping Focal Points and for the European Commission. The activities of SPC Finland consist of meetings between ESN member SPCs meetings with Focal Points and the European Commission Some of the activities in process 3, influencing the decision makers, include European co-operation while the target of influence is also the European Commission. European Page 12

13 Shortsea Network also influences jointly to some issues like bottlenecks in the field of shortsea shipping. In promotion, SPC Finland main target group is national transport sector including shippers, which is also according to the division of work between the SPCs. Also because of the budget, international promotion is limited. However, information for international transport players is provided via internet. Here the main aim is to provide information on Finland s transport infrastructure: ports, land transport options and on specific issues like winter navigation. 6. Transferability of core processes Transferability of core processes between the SPCs was discussed at the Review workshop for WP4 in Turku on 15 th June The core processes identified in PROPS WP4 were presented at the workshop both concerning the level of individual SPCs and at the level of the European Shortsea Network. SPC Finland presented an example of how the processes describe its own promotion activities. As already GPI s analysis pointed out, activities between the processes interlink, and processes provide inputs and outputs between each other. In workshop discussions it was noted that the processes are not the same for all the SPCs. Above all, each SPC has different emphasis and priorities in their work due to national circumstances. Different core processes are emphasized by different SPCs. For example, SPC Norway s activities are concentrated in core process 1 (Encourage users and potential users to choose shortsea shipping and intermodality) whereas the process of influencing policy decision is not included in their activities. SPC Croatia concentrated its activities on supporting the development of transport corridors in Croatia. SPC Croatia also promotes and initiates participation in EU projects. These activities can be classified under the process of promoting knowledge, innovation and improvement within the sector. This process is also a SPC Finland s priority besides influencing policy decisions. Even though the processes priorities and the respective target groups differ, the same kind of marketing methods are needed by the SPCs. For example, the SPCs need to interact with the media, either to disseminate information on new shortsea shipping services or to get coverage of reports aimed at influencing decision makers. Regardless of whether a SPC is more marketing oriented or concentrates on supporting innovations within the sector, they interact with shippers. Common problem for all the SPCs is how to reach the shippers and get them attending the events arranged by the SPC. 7. Validating indicators The indicators proposed by PROPS WP 4 task 4.3. are quite extensive, which gives a possibility to adapt the indicators to various needs of the SPCs. On the one hand, quantitative indicators are easy to use and provide exact data. However, if the results would be used to compare promotion activities between the SPC, the size of the country and market in which an SPC operates should be taken into Page 13

14 account. The number of shippers, operators and amount of maritime transport or the share of intermodal transport affects to the results. Within a smaller operating environment the number of, for example, website hits or readers of newsletter is definitely lower. Also the number of applications in the Marco Polo-programme or number of decisions to change the transport mode is connected to the size of the transport market and economic situation of a country. In addition, in the case of Marco Polo also to the possibilities to fill the thresholds of Marco Polo modal shift-actions affect into the potential number of proposals. Proportion of staff time devoted to different operations and core processes is an indicator which can be applied quite easily. It gives a picture on priorities of activities in a given SPC. The rating of SPC s overall effectiveness in a given operation is a qualitative indicator, which may be used in in-house estimation of the activities. The list might be developed further by selecting a set of core indicators, which would be completed by a set of optional indicators. The indicators will be included in the selfassessment tool, which will be designed in task Conclusions When analyzing the core processes in the activity level of SPC Finland, the main result is that activities and target groups interlink both within and between core processes. For example, events usually bring together all stakeholder groups: shippers and transport providers as well as respective authorities. Internet and newsletters also reach target groups extensively. This is also due to the size of Finland s transport markets. Information provided in reports and studies is used by different target groups. For example, the shipping company barometer receives wide publicity in media and the results are reported well beyond SPCs usual stakeholders. The shipping company barometer creates awareness on shipping industry and reflects development of economical situation in Finland. Transport providers can use the results of the barometer in influencing decision makers. On the other hand, target group specified information is a matter which could be paid more attention to. However, there are not enough resources to target the information according to the diversified needs. Promotion of intermodal transport is also a matter which extends target groups and subsequently extends the scale of information provided. Activities which can be classified in the processes of promoting knowledge and innovation within the sector and influencing policy decisions affecting the sector are prioritized in SPC Finland s activities. There is a clear need for a neutral body, which arranges round tables and other events; providing a possibility to dialogue. Page 14

15 The model for describing SPCs promotion activities should also differentiate between content and form of the input. Input should be divided between the substance, and the mechanism to disseminate the data. From the point of view of business networking, the sources from which the information is available should be clearly stated. From the point of view of business networks, the analysis should consider also the players in the process. It should be pointed out to which actors the information on, for example, new intermodal transport options should be provided. Monitoring of promotion activities is also a complex issue. In case of SPC Finland, the responsibility for monitoring and reporting is two-level. University of Turku Centre for Maritime Studies is the managing organisation of SPC Finland. The promotion centre has an Executive Committee, which consist of financing members of the SPC and approves activity plans. Page 15