Developing a service oriented IT platform for synchromodal transportation

Abstract

Due to rapid global economic growth and competition, there is an increased pressure on logistic companies. On one hand, they have to be flexible and agile, to meet Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) with clients, while on the other hand they have to comply with government regulations and environment protection laws. Better utilization of different modes of transport and improved decision making can contribute to solving both these challenges. This requires increased co-operation between logistic service providers (LSPs). Our aim is to develop an IT platform which facilitates increased cooperation between logistic partners and allows them to function in a synchromodal way. We use the principles of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to design the IT platform. Using this platform, a single consignment can be fulfilled using different modes of transport and unforeseen problems in transportation can be dealt with. A consortium of leading Dutch logistic companies will be the test bed for this research.