Category «Research»

Research on optimising multicarrier, multi-drop collection and delivery schedules

There is increasing interest into how horizontal collaboration between parcel carriers might help alleviate problems associated with last-mile logistics in congested urban centres. Through a detailed examination of parcel logistics literature pertaining to collaboration, along with practical insights from carriers UK research examines the challenges that will be faced in optimising multicarrier, multi-drop collection and …

SCTL at University of Washington initiates Urban Freight Lab

The Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics (SCTL) Center at the University of Washington has formed a new Urban Freight Lab to solve delivery system problems that cities and the business sector cannot handle on their own. Funders of this strategic research partnership include the City of Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and five founding corporate …

BuyZET – Procurement of innovative solutions for zero emission urban delivery

The BuyZET project will develop innovative procurement plans to help the participating cities achieve their goals of zero emission urban delivery of goods and services. The core cities in the project – Rotterdam, Oslo and Copenhagen – will first identify which goods and service procurement areas have the highest ‘transportation footprint’ (i.e. the number of …

Fraunhofer: When Robots Deliver Christmas Presents

Delivery drones will probably remain a niche solution, but in just a few years, driving delivery robots will be everyday features, both in major cities and rural regions. These are the findings of the 3rd ZF future study, which focuses on “Logistics on the Last Mile“. The Fraunhofer Institute of Material Flow and Logistics (IML) …

Cityobservatory: more e-commerce does not lead to more urban freight

Cyber-Monday is the day in which the Unites States consumers massively buy on line. The steady growth of e-commerce has many people worrying that streets will be overwhelmed by delivery trucks ferrying cardboard boxes from warehouses to our homes. Cityobservatory did a ‘fact check’.

DHL: 3D printing will not become a substitute for mass-production

DHL released its latest DHL Trend Report: ‘3D Printing and the Future of Supply Chains‘. DHL has been testing a variety of both 3D printing hardware and techniques for several years and has identified applications that have potential to redefine manufacturing and supply chain strategies. While the 3D printing market is estimated to grow between …

Research on challenges of e-mobility in freight

Current transportation systems include heterogeneous fleets consisting of common internal combustion engine vehicles as well as other types of vehicles using “green” technologies, e.g., plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs). However, the incorporation of EVs in transportation also raises challenges from the strategic, planning, and operational perspectives.

Developing a monitor for urban freight: what are the information needs?

The fast growth of cities and the rising number of their users leads to an increase in demand for freight transport contributing to an increase in logistic flow streams within a limited urban area. Currently, freight transport is usually done in an uncoordinated and chaotic manner. Specifying the information needs in the field of urban …

The lessons learned from smart city projects in Amsterdam

The last two years, Amsterdam Smart City and the University of Applied Sciences systematically analysed 12 smart city projects in Amsterdam including city logistics. In close cooperation with Amsterdam Smart City five researchers started a thorough evaluation of projects to draw lessons and make future smart city projects more effective.

Cleaner city logistics starts with procurement

Local government is one of the largest employers in the Netherlands, with departments and services across hundreds of sites in a municipality. Every day, these sites are supplied with printer paper, catering, maintenance products, cleaning items, paving and much, much more. These sites also produce substantial waste streams on a daily basis. The supply and …