The Principles and Methods of Locating Logistics Centers in Transport Networks

A logistic center is a specialized economic structure grouping in a compact area a large group of entities specializing in the organization and physical transport of goods. It is a point of contact between the demand and supply of logistics and transport services and is of a public nature. The decision on the location of each logistic center should be preceded by detailed computational and logistic studies. The location of logistics centers, which occupy large ground areas and require well-equipped back-up facilities along with road infrastructure, should be very precisely defined. The methodology of planning logistics centers most often includes various types of planning techniques, planning procedures as well as analysis and evaluation criteria. The paper presents the issues of logistics centers in terms of legal requirements for the functioning of logistics centers, rules and methods of locating such facilities in the transport network of the area, which were supplemented by an analysis of the functioning of logistics centers in Poland in 2008-2018.