A new organization has been formed in Virginia to support collaborative research projects in logistics, an industry seen as an economic growth engine for much of the state.
Many details about the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems, or CCALS, have yet to be worked out, including when and where it will open a research center.
However, two companies and four universities have already joined the organization, with the goal of bringing together experts from private-sector companies and universities to solve problems in logistics, the field dealing with the management of supply chains and the efficient procurement and transportation of resources.
"The biggest step for us next is going to be the recruiting of more corporate members," said Mark Manasco, CCALS president and executive director, who previously held management roles with the University of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Chamber.
Virginia and the Richmond region are well positioned to benefit from growth in logistics-related businesses, he said.
Virginia has some very strong attributes that are not going to go away," he said, such as its central location on the East Coast and its ports. The expansion of Fort Lee also has placed an emphasis on logistics services in the region.
CCALS grew out of an initiative of the Crater Planning District Commission. It was originally called the Virginia Logistics Research Center.
It is modeled after a similar nonprofit organization, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, or CCAM, which is now conducting research on advanced manufacturing technologies at a research center that opened last year in Prince George County on the campus of Rolls-Royce's aircraft engine components plant.
CCALS is expected to operate in a similar way, with financial support and research input from a group of manufacturing companies and state universities.
Click here to read the full article in The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Visit the CCALS website here.
