International Physical Internet Conference

Series

International Physical Internet Conference

Permanent Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1853/72223

Series Type

Event Series

Description

The International Physical Internet Conference aims to provide an open forum for researchers, industry representatives, government officials and citizens to together explore, discuss, introduce leading edge concepts, methodologies, recent projects, technological advancements,start-up initiatives, for current and future Physical Internet implementation.Conference topics include Logistics Nodes, Logistics Networks, System of Logistic Networks, Access and Adoption, Governance.

Associated Organization(s)

Organizational Unit

Physical Internet Center

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 107

Unlocking the Potential of the Physical Internet: a Trust-enabling Decentralized Process Sharing Connector

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Sun, Shiqi ; Michiels, Philippe ; Macharis, Cathy ; Cant, An ; Van Bever, Dries ; Mommens, Koen

The Physical Internet (PI) hinges on extensive collaboration across logistics stakeholders. Although the benefits have been confirmed by numerous studies and despite its potential for business success, there is a noticeable reluctance to adopt and implement concepts such as PI. We put forward that this hesitancy is in no small part attributed to trust. Therefore, we establish a trust framework that provides a better understanding of trust and its concerns in the context of PI. This paper aims to reason about trust in relation to architecture with commercial stakeholders. In our research, we introduce a novel, decentralized, connector-based architecture leveraging dataspaces and event-based data sharing. This architecture prioritizes data ownership and transparency, enabling universal process sharing while eliminating the need for fully centralized platforms. Surveys demonstrated that the proposed architecture, initially unfamiliar to some, ultimately fostered greater trust due to its federated nature. We conclude by advocating for a transparent design approach to expedite PI adoption and collaboration, highlighting the persistent challenges in this domain, and setting the stage for future research.
Demand estimation adapted to hyperconnected transport systems in regional areas

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Araceli Cristaldo, Liz ; Petitdemange, Eva ; Lauras, Matthieu ; Montreuil, Benoit

Regional transportation systems face multiple challenges, including inadequate service quality and scarce and geographically dispersed demand. The Physical Internet (PI) concept offers potential solutions to these issues, yet its focus has primarily been on urban and freight-oriented contexts, overlooking the unique challenges of regional transportation. Moreover, the limited analysis of regional transportation has resulted in a lack of detailed understanding of demand dynamics and difficulties in aligning supply capabilities with demand expectations. To address these issues, this paper proposes a methodology for analyzing regional transport demand, that embraces the PI concept by treating both freight and passenger demand within a unified framework. The methodology defines user profiles, characterizes demand in terms of volume, time, and space, and identifies the factors influencing transportation use. An experimental study using the ECOTRAIN project validates the effectiveness of this approach. This case study not only shows the applicability of the methodology but also highlights its potential to guide the development of tailored transportation solutions suited to regional areas.
The business model for federated data spaces to facilitate synchromodal logistics

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Vadhe, Ashish ; Manuel Pulido, Juan ; Boute, Robert ; Carlan, Valentin

The logistics industry is undergoing significant transformations, where data sharing has become a critical factor for collaboration and sustainable logistics practices. This paper discusses the development of a taxonomy for business models of federated data spaces in the logistics industry, focusing on their application in synchromodal transport. This foundational study clarifies the operational and economic implications and serves as a basis for innovative business models. Our findings highlight the potential of federated data spaces for improving collaboration and value creation across logistics stakeholders. This study adds to the conversation on digital logistics by proposing business models that leverage data spaces for competitive advantage, implying that these are critical in transforming logistical operations into more efficient, adaptive, and financially viable systems.
Dynamic Containerized Modular Capacity Planning and Resource Allocation in Hyperconnected Supply Chain Ecosystems

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Liu, Xiaoyue ; Xu, Yujia ; Montreuil, Benoit

With the growth of data-driven services and expansion of mobile application usage, traditional methods of capacity and resource planning methods may not be efficient and often fall short in meeting rapid changes in the business landscape. Motivated by modularity, containerization, and open sharing concepts from Physical Internet (PI), this paper proposes an effective approach to determine facility capacity and production schedule to meet current and future demands by dynamically allocating Mobile Production Containers (MPCs). In this work, we develop an iterative two-stage decision making model with dynamic rolling horizon approach. The first stage is capacity planning stage, where the model determines key decisions such as project selection, facility opening periods and project-facility assignment. The second stage is resource planning stage, where the MPC allocation and relocation schedule and weekly production schedule are decided. To validate the proposed model, we conduct a case study over a modular construction supply chain focusing on the southeast US region. The results demonstrate our model not only delivers a consistent production schedule with balanced workload but also enhances resource utilization, leading to cost effectiveness.
Sustainability and resilience research challenges and opportunities in freight transport systems through the Physical Internet

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Anthony Lorenzo, Simon ; Thompson, Russell ; Foliente, Greg

The Physical Internet (PI) offers a transformative vision for a sustainable freight transport future. However, the escalating risks of disruptions and extreme events threaten both freight systems and the communities they serve. We critically evaluate the state-of-the-art in Physical Internet and Hyperconnected City Logistics towards the objectives of addressing the dynamic and interdependent nature of logistics networks, as well as enhancing system resilience, especially within metropolitan urban areas. The study then proposes a multidimensional planning and assessment framework for resilience and sustainability research in freight and logistics, drawing on the performance concept (n-bottom lines, nBL) and systems science. Key R&D areas for future work are determined, including the need for an assessment framework that takes a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder perspective to ensure that future logistics networks are geared towards the environment and society as whole, alongside economic objectives. Research directions in complementary research fields are also identified, with implications for policy-making, stakeholder collaboration and industry practices.
A Physical Internet-Enabled Container Loading Solution Leveraging Virtual Reality and Building Information Modeling

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Garcia, Jorge ; Campos, Miguel ; Maurice, Julien ; Barenji, Ali ; Montreuil, Benoit

The process of bundling items that need to be together in a container is known as kitting. In the context of Modular Construction (MC), kitting has the potential to streamline productivity since all the necessary parts to complete an assembly will be closed to each other. However, the kit generation process has associated challenges such as dealing with irregularly shaped objects and complex constraints. This paper explores the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to overcome these challenges and develop optimal kitting strategies. Our value proposition involves a Human-VR-driven approach for efficient kit generation. Results indicate that our method not only has the potential to improve volume utilization rates compared to traditional optimization methods but also is capable to produce feasible solutions with less computational expense under specific scenarios. Lastly, this case opens new research opportunities to extend our findings to larger-scale applications.
Towards Cyber-Physical Internet

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Wu, Hang ; Li, Ming ; Q. Huang, George

The concept and practice of PI are global and require worldwide cooperation to achieve more efficient, sustainable and intelligent logistics and supply chain networks, relying heavily on advanced information and communication technologies (ICT). Cyber-physical systems (CPS), with powerful computing, communication and control capabilities, is one of the key technologies to support dynamic decision-making based on real-time information. CPS shows great potential for implementing PI. Despite current studies have made preliminary exploration of empowering PI with digitalization capacity from CPS, it is still challenging to conduct a seamless combination of CPS with PI due to their unclear integration boundary.
Gaia-X as an Enabler to Shape Interconnected Logistics in Europe

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Windolph, Jonah ; Pahl, Michael ; Kaup, Steffen

While the interest in the research field of the Physical Internet (PI) has been growing over the last decades and simulations have been able to show significant efficiency potentials resulting in environmental and cost advantages, real-world applications are still in their early stages. This might be driven by the fact that establishing a PI system unlocks its full potential particularly when run at scale across company borders with many participants. Establishing such a system comes with its own set of challenges, not only on a technical level but also in regards of business and policy-related challenges. However, Gaia-X is a European initiative to create an open data infrastructure with strong emphasis on interoperability, trust and sovereignty. It promises to enable trusted decentralized digital ecosystems that allow participants to collaborate under a mutual set of policies and rules. With the Gaia-X specification released, we aim to investigate if and how Gaia-X fits as an enabler to interconnected logistics in Europe. The contribution of this paper is threefold. Firstly, we describe requirements for an open, cross-company PI based on use case diagrams. Secondly, we examine how the Gaia-X principles and components could be used to meet these requirements. Finally, we explore implications to potential business models.
Unleashing the Potential of Digital Twin-Enhanced Hyper Hubs

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Barenji, Ali V. ; Montreuil, Benoit ; McGinnis, Leon F.

Parcel logistics hubs play a crucial role in aggregating and distributing packages, requiring significant capital and labor investments, primarily determined by conveyor infrastructure. Recently, the HyperHub concept has emerged, employing PI-Boxes and racks for parcel consolidation and transport. HyperHub functions as a cross-dock, transferring PI-Boxes between inbound and outbound trucks. However, challenges persist in developing a practical, cost-effective, and risk-free implementation methodology for HyperHub, despite advancements in its conceptualization, design, and execution system. To address this challenge, the authors present a comprehensive methodology for designing and developing a HyperHub based on the concept of digital twin (DT) in the early stages of the design process. A digital replica of the system is used in the early stages of design to create a physical layout and test the control system in a risk- and cost-effective environment. This is accomplished by integrating a modelbased system into the digital copy of the real system. Firstly, we propose a concept of a generic digital twin cellular logistic hub (DT-CLH) methodology for the HyperHub, inspired by the cellular manufacturing (CM) and cellular warehousing (CW) concepts. Secondly, we formulate and define a cellular logistic hub (CLH), considering the objective of minimizing total movement.
Network Deployment of Battery Swapping and Charging Stations within Hyperconnected Logistic Hub Networks

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024-05) Xu, Yujia ; Liu, Xiaoyue ; Chen, Guanlin ; Klibi, Walid ; Thomas, Valerie M. ; Montreuil, Benoit

The rapid proliferation of electric vehicles emphasizes the importance for logistics companies to strategically integrate electric vehicles into their freight transportation systems to optimize the environmental impact and efficiency of freight operations. Battery swapping stations (BSS) have been gaining attention and interest for the swift replacement of depleted battery with a charged battery, handling the obstacles regarding to the traditional charging methods. The discharged batteries will be charged at Battery charging stations (BCS), either at the service location or through central collections. Lateral transshipments between stations involve the redistribution of batteries and offering a solution to optimize resource utilization and enhance the overall efficiency of the charging network. To consider the integration of battery swapping and charging stations with hyperconnected hub networks, this paper jointly determines station localization and sizing, freight consolidation and routing, and battery inventory and transshipment. We formulate the problem with a mixed integer programming model to optimize the total system cost, including site fixed cost, freight transportation cost, battery leasing, charging and transshipment cost over multiple time intervals. Two charging strategies are discussed with the deployment of battery swapping and charging stations, including ‘Swap-Locally, Charge-Locally’ and ‘Swap-Locally, Charge-Centrally’ strategies. Through comprehensive mathematical modeling and analysis, we investigate the effects of ‘Swap-Locally, Charge-Centrally’ strategy with centrally managed battery inventory on less facility depreciation cost, higher battery utilization rate and stable safety stock of charged batteries, thereby enhancing efficiency and resilience against potential risks.