Collaboration in Logistics Operations and Urban Distribution

Current practice within logistics is in most cases to define transport chains and book transport services in advance. This leads to frequent re-planning, suboptimal resource utilisation and unforeseen exceptions that must be handled before and during the transport. The CLOUD project aims to maximise the load factor in load units and transport means and to move the cargo as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. The solution address transport networks where the nodes are terminal (ports, logistics hubs, distribution centres, etc.). Decisions on consolidations and routing are dynamically taken as the goods moved through the networks. This complies with the Physical Internet for freight concept and is based on the following principles: 1) The logistic networks know about available transport services between terminals and their capacities. 2) Transport is booked from the logistics network and not from the individual transport service providers. Just the start and end locations and the required service levels are defined by the client. The network takes decisions on consolidations, routing and use of transport services. 3) Consolidations and further routing are decided in each terminal based on real-time information on available goods in the terminal (type, amount, service level required, etc.) and on available transport services and capacities. 4) The new role "logistics network manager" is introduced. This role is responsible for the management of information on the logistics network (transport services, terminals, cargo, etc.) and for dynamic and optimal consolidations and routings. New actors, freight forwarders and terminals may for example may take this role. SINTEF has in several European projects (eFreight, DISCwise and iCargo) defined the "Common Framework for ICT in Transport and Logistics", which is now standardised in ISO 19845. The standard defined the information exchange needed between actors in transport chains. The concept described above can to a large extent be supported by the standard. The work on the solution has however discoverd that some updates are required, and input on these updates will be provided to ISO before the next revision of the standards. Parts of the new concept are realised in logistics networks and terminals in Europe. The current, proprietary information exchange in logistics networks in Belgium and Poland is transformed to ISO 19845 compliant messages. The realisation work has discovered new requirements currently not supported by the ISO standard. The required updates detected trough the realisation work are documented and will also be provided as input to ISO. The MixMoveMatch solution from MARLO is developed further to support the Matric terminals in Karlskrona in Sweden and Gdynia in Poland in becoming a full logistics centre. The whole process from the arrival of a transport to one terminal, to the shipment from the other terminal is covered (the ferry operation between the terminals included). The work on the solution has generated new knowledge on how maritime hubs operations can be adapted to the Physical Internet concept. It comprises proper labelling of goods, planning and execution of cross-docking, and electronic documents exchange, replacing order and other information previously exchanged using e-mail and paper. MixMoveMatch has also been extended to handle containers that arrives on so-called RoRo cassettes. This involves communication between shippers, forwarders, drivers (mobile), Matric operations in the port of loading and Matric operations in the port of discharge (Matric operates terminals on both Poland and Sweden). The solution ensures that all stakeholders have the right information at the right time, especially in the part of the operation that involves handling of cassettes and containers, where it is important that equipment is properly utilised. The development of the MixMoveMatch extension is complete, as part of the project. It will now be used for commercial operations.

SINTEF har fått ny kunnskap om realisering av konseptet Fysisk Internett. SINTEF har verifisert en metode for spesifikasjon av innovasjoner innen transport basert på bruk av "Common Framework for ICT in Transport and Logistics". Dette blir nyttig i nye prosjekter. MARLO har fått utvidet sitt produktspekter - noe som gir grunnlag for vekst. MARLO er i kommersielle forhandlinger om bruk av løsningen på sambandet Gdynia-Karlskrona og planlegger å ta løsningen til andre kunder - bl.a. alle Stena Lines forbindelser i Europa og andre Europeiske fergeoperatører. Dette utgjør kommersielle muligheter og vil være gode referanser. Martic-terminalene har fått kunnskap og løsninger som setter dem i stand til å tilby fremtidsrettet logistikk (tilpasset Fysisk Internett). LOGIT One og logistikknettverket med utspring i Central Booking Platform (CBP) i Antwerpen havn kan operere med standardisert informasjonsutveksling og tilby mer effektiv og miljøvennlig transport.

A large portion of hinterland transport to and from the European ports is facilitated by road transport. In addition 30-40 % of transported containers are empty and trucks are on average half empty. The ambition of the project is (i) to facilitate the transfer of cargo from road to other modes to reduce congestions and emissions, (ii) to reduce the transport of empty containers and (partially) empty trucks. At the moment individual freight forwarders organize their transport with their own limited cargo volume. There is a need to merge these cargo volumes for the benefit of better planning by systematically selecting the best from multiple transport options. The proposed solution will enable groups of shippers and freight forwarders to form a collaborative community, merge their transport volumes, and decide on the best transportation options based on this aggregated volume. This is realized by enabling interoperability between several value added services and between multiple regional community initiatives. The enabling SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform will enable a one-stop-shopping for planning & executing of all services needed to move cargo either as Full Container Load or via distribution centres as Less Container Load. The platform will benefit from the possibilities of large-scale sharing of information through standards, e.g. available transport services using the standard ?Transport Service Description? and available status using the standard ?Transportation Status? The benefits of the projects are: - Joint procurement of transport services - Enable intermodal links along transport corridors - Deploying intermodal expertise systematically - Reduce movement of (too) empty containers and trucks - Better modal split: More barge & rail