| Logistics
in Louisville
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Since the early 1800's, the growth of the
City of Louisville, Kentucky has been closely tied to logistics
and distribution. The city became a warehousing center due
to the transshipment required by impediment to the flow of
Ohio River commerce caused by the falls. River boats brought
goods down-river from northern and up-river from southern
states, and essentially exchanged them at the falls through
use of the wharfs and warehouses located on the banks of
the Ohio in Louisville. |
River boats were gradually replaced by trains with the growth and development
of the extensive railroad infrastructure in the U. S. in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. Due to its central location, Louisville became
a nexus for many railroad lines. And, because of the abundance of river
and rail transportation, Louisville became an industrial and manufacturing
center.
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In the 1950's, the development of interstate highways greatly facilitated
the movement of goods by truck, so much so that rail and river transportation
systems lost market share. However, Louisville was again fortunate to
lie at the intersection of three major interstate highways.
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And, in the 1980's, United Parcel Service located its airline operations
headquarters in Louisville. This has resulted in the expansion of
the airport to an internationally competitive operation, particularly
with the recent completion of the billion dollar first phase of UPS
Hub 2000.
The synergy of all of these modes of
transportation continue to attract manufacturing and service
companies to Louisville that depend upon logistics and
distribution services as the lifeblood of their businesses.
A high percentage of existing enterprises, as well as those
investigating relocation in the region, must rely upon
a strong, dependable logistics and distribution system
infrastructure. |
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Greater
Louisville, Inc. (the Chamber of Commerce) has identified
Logistics and Distribution as an economic growth niche for
the metropolitan area. And, in response to this economic
thrust, the University of Louisville has formed the Logistics
and Distribution Institute (LoDI) to support the vision by
engaging in research, teaching and problem solving relating
to logistics and distribution. |
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