Vision of a globally interconnected logistics system by 2050
Today, only very few freight carriers cooperate with competitors. Most of them operate enormous distribution centres and they have their own fleet of transport vehicles as well as their own goods delivery processes. It is this individuality of the logistics industry that the Physical Internet (PI) is meant to address. The EU-funded MODULUSHCA (Modular logistics units in shared co-modal networks) project researched the methodological and functional components towards a PI, and developed and tested first applications. Through several workshops with experts from industry partners, project members finalised and devised a framework on how PI can enable an interconnected fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) logistics system. They illustrated potential obstacles to and success factors in such a system. The MODULUSHCA team developed modular boxes in the FMCG sector. One version focuses on an interlocking mechanism and the other is made from panels. It also selected and described algorithms for digital interconnectivity between different IT systems, as well as a sensoring and communication approach for modular logistics units. Researchers laid down a roadmap for interconnected FMCG with an emphasis on the next steps towards full implementation of the vision across Europe in 2030 and its complete deployment in 2050 throughout the entire industry. The roadmap was structured around the PI system's four key interconnectivity dimensions: physical, digital, operational and business. An Advisory Board comprised of experts from 13 industry and science institutions established during the project will be maintained. MODULUSHCA proposed its long-term vision of fully interconnected logistics networks around the world by exploiting advances in physical, digital, operational and business interconnectivity.
Keywords
Logistics network, Physical Internet, MODULUSHCA, modular logistics units, fast-moving consumer goods
