How can the Physical Internet help with sustainable city logistics?

This week the International Physical Internet Conference 2019 (IPIC 2019) takes place in London. IPIC 2019 aims to provide an open forum for researchers, industry representatives, government officials and citizens to together explore, discuss, introduce leading-edge concepts, methodologies, recent projects, technological advancements, start-up initiatives, for current and future Physical Internet implementation.

Alphabet: new smart container for last-mile logistics

Alphabet’s plan for a new waterfront city in Toronto includes a standard smart container for last-mile logistics. Sidewalk Labs unveiled its Master Innovation and Development Plan to transform the site into the most innovative district in the world, with a network of sensors generating data on how people, goods, and vehicles move throughout the new community.

Research: combining traditional and green business models

Parcel delivery has been subject to significant paradigm shifts over recent decades, caused by urbanization. The economic development in the mid-1990s led to the rise of faster-growing medium-large-sized companies that specialized in the delivery of small parcels, giving birth to the Global Courier, Express, and Parcel (CEP) market.

The rise of light electric freight vehicles in the postal sector

In previous decades the postal sector experienced drastic changes. Liberalization and digitization resulted in a continuous mail market decline. Simultaneously the booming e-commerce parcel delivery market requires Postal Operators (POs) to rigorously restructure their delivery networks to reduce distribution costs. POs are evaluating synergy opportunities between the mail and parcel delivery network.

HoReCa: the next frontier in city logistics?

In major cities, almost one in four retail spaces is HoReCa and his number is increasing. Thousands of HoReCa entrepreneurs receive their products from many small distributors every day. As a result, the HoReCa distribution of food services is growing fast. Researchers from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences did research into HoReCa distribution in Amsterdam and offer …

Research: lessons learned of 10 years Binnenstadservice (NL)

During the International City Logistics Conference, 2019 Hans Quak (TNO NL) presented his research on lessons learned of 10 years of Binnenstadservice. In the Netherlands, Binnenstadservice (BSS) runs UCCs and UCC services for over a decade now. The research discusses the development and the experiences of running a UCC in practice in the form of lessons learned.