Achieving high terminal performance: a case study of Korean steel terminals using fsQCA

Steel-dedicated terminals play a critical role in the facilitation of the Korean steel industry. Due to the nature of steel production and handling, Korean steel-dedicated terminals are heavily utilized in the transportation of steel products both domestically and internationally. Despite the importance of steel terminals, there is limited research exploring factors that drive high terminal performance for bulk terminals, let alone steel terminals. Thus, this study examines factors that lead to high terminal performance for Korean steel terminals. A configurational approach was taken using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to yield different combinations of factors that drive high terminal performance. Based on the collected data from 24 Korean steel terminals, two key paths were revealed using factors including deadweight tonnage, stockyard area/yard area, loading and unloading capacity, berth length, and mean depth that determine the level of annual cargo throughput. The findings of this study provide insights and implications to both researchers and relevant stakeholders on the complex interactions of factors that lead to high performance in the context of Korean steel terminals. This study also enhances understanding of the operational process and background of Korean steel terminals.