Unabhängige Zeitung zu Wirtschaft und Verkehrspolitik
03:41 GMT+2
CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE STUDI CONTAINERS
ANNO XXXVIII - Numero OTTOBRE 2020
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT
SMART MULTIMODAL = SMART TECHNOLOGIES + SMART PEOPLE
"Multimodal transport is becoming more and more widely
used due to its flexibility. In the meantime, the optimisation of
multimodal solutions is constantly underway. The Netherlands, an
important logistics country, makes much efforts on the research
and practice of smart intermodal logistics. With rapidly
developing smart technologies and platforms, cooperated with
knowledgeable logistic practitioners, intermodal transport is
developing in a smarter direction."
On October 23, the second session of the Dutch Smart Logistics
Webinar: Smart Multimodal Transport was held. This is organised by
ISEA, the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in
Chongqing with the support of HIDC and Railfreight.cn. Mar-tijn
Hordijk, Sales Manager at Portbase, Marco Huijsman, CEO and Founder
at Cofano, and Arnoud Paans, Logistics Development Manager at
Schavemaker shared their smart intermodal solutions.
Portbase: reduce chain cost, increase quality
Portbase is a non-profit neutral logistic data platform which
provides digital services for Dutch ports. In Portbase, all the data
nee-ded in the transport process are entered and used in one single
flow. Every party involved can get easy access to the data and
benefit from its efficiency. "The system is built on and for
the clients. Our objective is to reduce chain cost while increasing
chain quality, by making the connections with Dutch ports smarter",
Hordijk says. Based on its ecosystem with smart applications and
platforms, Portbase built a big community of 4700 organisations and
developed 44 different services.
However, the optimisation of the system is continuing. Hordijk
explains: "We are rebuilding our systems to adapt to the new
chan-ges in the industry. For example, we invested in cargo tracker,
which enables our clients to track cargo from the port to inner
termi-nals or their other locations. If the cargo is discharged or
ready to be picked up, it is visible in the system, you don't need
to look up to other websites." Also, Portbase is ready for
Brexit, to provide solutions with UK cargo.
Cofano: optimise intermodal logistics smartly
There are many more examples of smart technologies and
collaborative platforms like Portbase being applied as intermodal
logistics optimisation solutions. Huijsman, CEO of Cofano, presented
some of the smart logistics optimisation solutions provided by his
company. These solutions cover all aspects of intermodal transport.
The Intermodal Voyage Planning System resembles map navigation
and enables the planning of routes for barge or inland shipping.
Data including all bridges, locks and water depths are stored in the
platform. By simply entering the origin and destination on
da-shboard, the system automatically calculates all the alternative
routes based on the service data provided by different suppliers,
and displays detailed data for each sector, including sailing time,
distance, cost, carbon footprint, etc.
Online booking
Bookingsportal is an application that supports online booking
and cancellation of containers, as well as tracking the status of
contai-ners. Customers can easily follow up the latest container
status with simple clicks. Likely, the Train & Barge Transport
System helps to manage and plan intermodal container orders. Its
flexible data import functions make data integration easier. Order
infor-mation can be directly matched to sales contracts and
e-invoices can be generated automatically. All order information is
visible to clients.
Automatic time arrangement based on algorithms aims to save time
and efforts for decision makers. When a train/barge/truck arri-ves
at a terminal, the assistance of the Inland Terminal Operating
System can come in handy. This system can help manage the loa-ding
and unloading of containers at the terminal, truck gate access and
yard work. The system is equipped with a 3D visualisation interface
for efficient tracking of containers stacked in the yard. Also,
unexpected cases should be taken into consideration. The control
tower system is used to dynamically monitor the process of
transportation, automatically identifying delays based on the
sailing positions and sending alerts at an early stage. In short,
every aspect of intermodal transport can be optimized through smart
technologies, in order to achieve more efficient and smarter
logistics.
Build up multimodal transport solutions
However, smart logistics is not only related to technologies,
but also to logistics decision makers. Paans, who has an extensive
logi-stics background, brings his experience to the table. The
decision-making process varies depending on many factors. For
example, if a container arrives at the port of Rotterdam and is
delivered in France, should it be transported from the port to the
warehouse by truck or barge? This depends on the distance from the
port to the warehouse, the availability of barge terminals nearby
and the ur-gency of the goods. Another example, for a shipment of
goods from the EU, via consolidation in warehouse until delivery in
China port, how to combine all different modalities of transport?
The urgency, nature of goods and the costs in every sector should be
taken into account.
According to Paans, an intelligent intermodal solution means:
extensive knowledge of the logistics market; a thorough
understan-ding of freight demands; flexibility in changing
circumstances; optimisation of service, cost and lead times;
transparency of design and choices; visibility on the supply chain;
and simplified invoicing process.
Follow the topic
Do you want to follow more on the topic of Smart Logistics, sign
up for the Smart Flower Cold Chain Webinar on 30th Oct which will be
held from 8:00am to 9:30am. The participation is free.
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genua - ITALIEN
