“smartBOX” - A BUSINESS CONCEPT TOWARDS THE PHYSICAL INTERNET

Abstract

The overall transport volume of parcels and small logistics units strongly increases due to the rising popularity of online trading and supply concepts such as just-in-time delivery. Today's distribution services are inflexible in terms of customer needs and carried out by competing service providers in an uncoordinated manner, leading to inefficient and multiple deliveries and result in a lack of cube optimization. Therefore researchers propose a fully integrated system for autonomous and self-optimized cargo transport which effects reduction of traffic density. At the core of this prototype system which is currently being developed in Austria, is a concept labelled “public freight traffic”. This concept will enable private persons to ship their private parcels or luggage. In order to tackle the challenges of small freight mobility especially in urban areas, the project team develops new mechanisms of autonomous traffic optimi­zation together with intelligent business models for cross-sector transport and logistics services. The developments include the design of intelligent containers (so-called “smart boxes”) as well as technologies for the branch-wide transport-related information flow. The goal of the project “smartBOX” is to increase overall quality of life and to save resources by creating an intelligent and integrated approach. In order to reach these goals, various system components need to be developed:

• The technical design of the smartBOX as reusable container
• Design of a standardized pooling system including tracking and tracing technology and a business model for intelligent order control and cost splitting.
  (Providing distance-related transportation rates, covering service provider expenses and ensuring compatibility with current systems.)
• Design of vandalism-proof pick up and drop off terminals to be implemented at public hot spots as well as housing complexes.
• Development of a comprehensive, intermodal transport concept to enable autonomous and bundled transports.

The smartBOX project team therefore investigates the challenges, technical and economic opportunities and the feasibility of an intelligent and integrated system for freight mobility. The findings will serve as a basis for future implementations.

Key words: physical internet, freight mobility, reusable container, intelligent container, small freight mobility, collaborative business models