Realizing Logistics Opportunities in a Public–Private Collaborative Setting: The Story of Skaraborg

Abstract

This paper gives insight into a process of regional logistics collaboration as it progressed in the peripheral region of Skaraborg, western Sweden, between 2000 and 2007. The region underwent a transformation in the way public and private actors collaborate in logistics. The focus of the collaboration was to develop the logistics competitiveness in the region, mainly through the establishment of an intermodal terminal for rail and road transport. By means of action‐based research, the paper accounts for some interesting course of events and tries to identify some important aspects of regional logistics collaboration. Empirical observations in relation to existing theory are the platform for theoretical reflection and some proposed theoretical modifications and extensions concerning regional logistics collaboration.