A more comprehensive description can be found here.

The scope of Be-Logic is co-modality. This implies to search logistics alternatives with the potential involvement of other transport modes.

Be-logic aims at providing two efficient online tools:

•    Be-Logic includes an Intermodal Route Finder.

Thanks to a European database, it displays different possible routes as well as the participating terminals for potential customers.

•    Be-Logic also proposes a Logistics Benchmarking Tool:
A benchmark of logistics chains can give SMEs insight into the potential gains of reconsidering their logistics choices in terms of costs, performance, environment and quality. In the long term, benchmarking can contribute to the introduction of a common quality label.

For further information, please go to www.be-logic.info

Based on existing research and practice the project CLOSER will develop innovative tools for the analysis of interfaces and check these tools in a number of case studies. As a result specific recommendations to stakeholders will be provided in order to obtain:

1. A more systematic approach to the whole project cycle of interfaces from planning to design and operation.

2. Specific guidelines for decision makers in order to cope with the challenges of a particular project, and to get the most out of the opportunities that each project offer in the areas of transport, spatial, and economic development.

3. A friendlier regulatory environment; fostering cooperation and supporting better integrated interfaces.

4. Improved mechanisms for funding those concepts with a higher degree of integration (including EU funding schemes).

5. Greater involvement of stakeholders, particularlytransport operators.

For more information, please visit the dedicated website at: http://www.closer-project.eu/

E-freight is to be an open ICT system enabling complete trip support incl. booking, invoicing, tracking and transshipment. Allows users to be fully informed and enable transport choice for the fastest, easiest, cheapest or most ecological (minimum carbon footprint) way.

The purpose of the e-Freight Framework is to provide a reference model for Freight Transport & Logistics supporting paperless information exchange among stakeholders in all transport
modes.

The ambition is to develop and e-Freight Framework that will be adopted by all standardisation organisations around the world as a common Framework for interoperability.

Sub-goals e-freight:

• Define standard framework for freight information exchange covering all transport modes and all stakeholders in door-to-door logistic chains.
• A single EU transport document for all carriage of goods, irrespective of mode along with all the necessary legislative support.
• Establish a single window (single access point) and one stop shopping for administrative procedures in all modes.
• Establish simple, harmonised border crossings procedures for all modes of transport for all EU member states.
• Establish simple procedures and the necessary infrastructure for establishing secure and efficient transport corridors between Europe, USA, and Asia

For more information, please visit the dedicated website at http://www.efreightproject.eu/

SuperGreen aims to assist the Commission with defining the ‘Green Corridor’ concept and promotes the development of European freight logistics in an environmentally friendly manner.

The objectives of the SuperGreen project concern supporting the development of sustainable transport networks by fulfilling requirements covering environmental, technical, economic, social and spatial planning aspects.

The project involves 22 partners from 13 European countries. Already a selection of 9 corridors has been made in Helsinki in June 2010 and will be used for benchmarking and further analysis in the project

SuperGreen  is a Coordinated Action supported by the European Commission (DG-TREN) in the context of the 7th Framework Programme.

For  more information, please visit the dedicated website at : http://www.supergreenproject.eu/index.html

SMART CM (SMART Container Chain Management), a project co-funded by the European Commission, is geared towards advanced technology research and applications in order to overhaul the whole door-to-door container transport chain. The project is in an urgent response to demand from key players along the logistics supply chain to make trade and transport more efficient, secure, visible and competitive not only in the EU but across the world in a global intermodal context.

The SMART-CM platform will allow:

• Interoperable and seamless data exchanges among all the parties of the chain, irrespective of current or future data capture technologies while complying with commercial data exchange rules;
• Interfaces with existing service platforms for container management;
• B2B and B2A applications compliant with international customs-secure and interoperable data communications;
• New B2B and B2A services for adding efficiency to chain visibility and player cooperation;
• Innovative solutions and advanced application prototypes in global container management, such as dynamic rescheduling of container transportation, thanks to innovative concepts like “The Internet of Things”;
• Analysis of standards, legal, market and business operations and future logistics approaches to door-to-door container chains with dissemination of the findings among the partners.

www.smart-cm.eu

For the latest information about the project, please take a look at our newsletter.

Cen Workshop agreement

Compliments received for SMART Container Chain Management by external reviewers

Given the large number of industrial partners and contributions from logistics and administration side, SmartCM received compliments from external reviewers. In particular the development of the neutral Platform, its Value Added Services and the Demonstrations are major achievements.

Goals of the first 18 months of this initiative have been fully achieved, which are proving the core platform functionalities and three main project concepts.

A. „Interoperable Single Window Platform‟ solution: enabling all logistics actors and customs authorities to monitor the container security status independently of the Container Security Device (CSD) technologies applied in any trade lane, no bias towards specific technology providers or towards customs or businesses.

B. „Neutral information administering organization‟: managing the neutral platform, guaranteeing data integrity along the whole process of security related container data gathering, while providing information from platform to stakeholders.

C. „Industry Added Value creation‟: the “burden” of the security regulations has been transformed to an added value for the transport industry, based on intelligent recombining data between a trusted environment – technology and neutral platform.

The demonstration ‘Green Lane’ corridors operated by the project partners DHL, K&N, COSCON involved major ports around the globe: Antwerp, Rotterdam, Singapore, Ningbo, Dubai, Nhava Sheva (India). In the very competing and fragmented environment of global container transport, big actors achieved minimum consensus on information sharing and cooperation. Strategic scenario planning and dynamic intermodal (re)routing of containers could act in the future as new technology solution.

September 21, all relevant stakeholders are welcome to join the official CEN Workshop Agreement on ‘Container Management Systems’ in Brussels.

Join SmartCM: a win-win situation for the global logistics industry and customs to forge a strong commitment for intermodal door-to-door container transport! www.smart-cm.eu

TELLIBOX – Intelligent MegaSwap Boxes for Advanced Intermodal Freight Transport – is an EU project funded under the FP7, the purpose of which is to launch an all-purpose loading unit on the international market. The scientific aim is to develop a “MegaSwapBox” that can be used for transport via road, rail, and waterway. The overall aim is to achieve the intermodal integration and operational optimisation of freight transport as advocated by the EU Commission in its White Paper in 2001.

TelliBox project ended. On March 19th the TelliBox was introduced to the public during a final event on the premises of DKT Terminal, Duisburg (Press Release).

The “MegaSwapBox” will offer the following main advantages:

1. Trimodal (road, rail and waterway)
2. Stackability
3. Inside height of 3 metres
4. Loading capacity of 100 m³
5. Top-handable
6. Length of 45′
7. Openable on 3 sides
8. Pilfer and theft-proof
9. Comply with all existing standards
10. Suitable for use on existing low-loader railway wagons
11. Usable in road transport thanks to a suitably adapted chassis

For a sustainable growth of efficient freight transport more flexibility and intermodality is needed.

With the MegaSwapBox our aim to achieve the intermodal integration and operational optimisation of freight transport as advocated by the EU Commission in its White Papers of 2001.

Who will benefit from it?

The MegaSwapBox is aimed at all European transport operators wishing to form an integral part of the European intermodal transport chain and to be cost and time-efficient.

Click here for the leaflet.

Clik here to read the last TelliBox newsletter.

www.tellibox.eu

SPECTRUM – Solutions and Processes to Enhance the Competitiveness of freight Transport by Rail in Unexploited Markets

Modern manufacturing techniques and logistics require reliable, time sensitive delivery of lower density and higher value goods. This presents a market opportunity for rail freight to grow, partly due to increasing congestion on roads, and mainly due to the need for reliable and environment friendly transport of goods. At the same time, to meet customer requirements, rail freight has to rise to the challenge of needing to be reliable and available, as well as complying with other market demands.

Depending on the market segment these may be faster transport time, specialised goods systems, tracking and tracing, greater flexibility, lower prices or premium services. Furthermore in congested situations rail freight may have a competitive advantage compared to other modes of traffic.

SPECTRUM takes a radical and first principles approach to deliver a new rail freight offering that can compete with road and air in the growing sectors of logistics where rail freight has traditionally little to offer.

On the long run, SPECTRUM will develop a rail freight train that provides a higher speed service for high value, low density and time sensitive goods with the performance characteristics of a passenger train.

SPECTRUM’s objectives are to work towards defining railfreight services that consists of:

• A freight train that performs like a passenger train in terms of speed, acceleration, braking,

momentum: allowing full scheduling on inter-urban and suburban train networks with no excessive
consumption of train paths or the inflicting of delay on other rail traffic;

• Increased operational productivity through intensive asset management systems, integration of train,

capacity management, infrastructure utilisation and integration through handling systems into the co-modal
networks of modern logistics;

• A freight train that is smarter by design in terms of the on-board array of systems for condition

monitoring of the train technology, cargo status and tracking and tracing;

• Has a standardised and universal power supply system for the delivery of power to temperature

controlled containers (reefers) in a controllable fashion.

www.spectrumrail.info

The objective of BESTFACT is to develop, disseminate and enhance the utilisation of best practices and innovations in freight logistics that contribute to European transport policy objectives with regard to competitiveness and environmental impact.

BESTFACT integrates four interrelated areas: urban freight, green corridors and intermodality (co-modality), transport related environmental issues and eFreight. This gives a thorough coverage of the key freight logistics challenges the European Union is confronted with and that are completely in line with the Freight Logistics Action plan of the EU authorities. It will  also establish a robust and replicable methodology for collecting and processing best practices.

BESTFACT will carry out an extensive collection and surveying on freight logistics best practices covering the entire EU, plus Switzerland and Norway. Single targeted actions related to the implementation of service level agreements, enhanced co-operation of industrial stakeholders etc. will be initiated, accompanied and evaluated based on BESTFACT “trust management” procedures.

Furthermore, a comprehensive knowledge management will be established to facilitate the sharing of experiences and best practices among the end users.

The project deliverables will include a comprehensive knowledge base designed to be taken up by existing promotion entities, annual best practice handbooks, a large number of national and international workshops, qualified recommendations for policy tools.