| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
- Agrawal, Tarun, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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Automating Loading and Unloading for Autonomous Transport: Identifying Challenges and Requirements with a Systems Approach
- 2023
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Ingår i: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - 1868-4238 .- 1868-422X. - 9783031436697 ; 691 AICT, s. 332-345
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The logistics industry has undergone significant changes due to high demand, competition, cost pressures, interruptions, and labor market limitations affecting supply chains. As a result, there has been a significant adoption of automation in internal logistics such as warehousing, stock control, and material handling, leading to increased organizational competitiveness by reducing manual labor costs and time spent on these operations. The use of autonomous road transport holds potential to improve transport performance within areas of safety, sustainability, and efficiency. However, for autonomous transport to be fully ealized, loading and unloading processes at shipping and receiving facilities must also be automated. This paper takes a systems approach to identify the challenges and requirements for automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous truck transport potentially within a production setting. By addressing these challenges and meeting the necessary requirements, it may be possible to fully realize the benefits of autonomous transport and improve overall transport performance.
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| 3. |
- Behrends, Sönke, 1976, et al.
(författare)
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Myndigheters roll för urban vattenburen logistik
- 2022
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Trots att det finns ett stort intresse för urban vattenburen logistik (UVL) hos nationella, regionala och kommunala myndigheter, används urbana vattenvägar i Sverige mycket sparsamt. I denna rapport analyserar vi vad myndigheter kan göra för att driva på utvecklingen för ökad användning av UVL. Vår analys visar att en större användning av UVL begränsas av hinder på flera nivåer som förstärker varandra och resulterar i inlåsningsmekanismer i dagens transportsystem. Förutom hinder som är kopplade till ekonomiska parametrar, regelverk, fysiska förutsättningar samt tekniska artefakter, spelar även hinder som är relaterade till beslutfattarnas beteende, kultur och värderingar en viktig roll i detta sammanhang. För att UVL ska kunna implementeras och komma till användning i större skala krävs det därför förändringar på samtliga nivåer. Det finns flera möjligheter för myndigheterna att utveckla marknaden för UVL och att stärka UVL:s konkurrenskraft. Dessa är dock svåra att genomföra på grund av beslutfattarnas rutiner, vanor och tillvägagångssätt som upprätthåller inlåsningsmekanismer. Den viktigaste åtgärden för att driva på utvecklingen av UVL är därför att skapa en stödjande kultur för UVL hos myndigheterna.
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| 4. |
- Brettmo, Alena, et al.
(författare)
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Business Improvement Districts as important influencers for changing to sustainable urban freight
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cities. - : Elsevier. - 0264-2751 .- 1873-6084. ; 97
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the ways in which Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can promote initiatives that lead to more sustainable urban goods movements in urban areas. The qualitative research was conducted by studying eight BIDs in three cities and in three countries - all the BIDs studied had considered or taken actions related to urban freight and sustainability. The results show that BIDs in different countries have similarities and differences in their organisational structure and functions, the main services provided and readiness to promote initiatives related to urban freight improvements. We identified that differences in their accomplishments relate to their motivation, awareness of the scope to influence urban freight and the extent of their collaboration with local and city authorities concerning urban freight initiatives. In general, we suggest that BIDs have the potential to act as important influencers in urban freight as they (i) unite the receivers and encourage them to address joint operations that bring economic and environmental benefits (ii) give the receivers the possibility to implement changes through the power of collective action (iii) facilitate the dialogue and collaboration with local and city authorities. As a result, we suggest that the measures directed to BIDs on improving urban freight can have much more significant return on time and funds invested than if invested in a single businesses and organisations. Our recommendation to BIDs that would like to reach higher level of accomplishments is to ensure stakeholder engagement including engaging and collaboration with local authorities and to demonstrate their willingness to take a lead.
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| 5. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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MIND THE GAP: THE INTERFACE BETWEEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND THE LOGISTICS SYSTEM
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Purpose Using autonomous vehicles in goods transport has potential benefits. However, the transition to a future autonomous (and electric) freight system needs to take account of the interface between the vehicle and other parts of the logistics system in order to exploit potential benefits and overcome challenges related to the absence of a driver. The purpose of the research is to identify the prerequisites for achieving automated loading, unloading, related information handling and in-plant transport at these interfaces. Research Approach Cases studies consider senders and receivers of various products as well as organisations that have a role including real estate companies that develop warehouses and terminals. The case studies consider vehicle and handling equipment technology alongside the processes that may need to change if the efficiency gains of an autonomous vehicle are to be realised. Research questions are addressed at the logistics system level. The cases studies combine questions about logistics process and technology alongside those concerned with underlying business models. Findings and Originality Results presented are at the half way stage of a two-year project and will be based on the initial series of interviews for four case studies. Findings so far include: (1) lack of development in this topic compared with interest in autonomous and automated transport (2) importance of organisational ssues in the logistics chain e.g. contractual relationships (3) importance of taking a broad view of the companies that need to be involved (4) product type and characteristics are important but other factors may have more influence on the scope to develop initiatives in this area. Research Impact The research provides insights into the complexity of the interfaces in autonomous and automated transport and logistics systems. The empirical findings enrich the discussion of this field. Combining insights from logistics, technology, materials handling and business has demonstrated the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach. Practical Impact Autonomous transport systems may bring many commercial benefits. However, the scale of these benefits will be significantly diminished if questions about the interface points in the logistics system are not addressed. The outputs of the research will provide important insights for managers addressing these challenges.
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| 6. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Overview on stakeholder engagement
- 2023
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Ingår i: Handbook on City Logistics and Urban Freight. - 9781800370173 ; , s. 311-326
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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The sustainability of last-mile freight in cities
- 2020
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Ingår i: Handbook of Sustainable Transport, Edited by Carey Curtis. - : Edward Elgar. - 9781789900460 ; , s. 170-179
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The sustainability of last mile freight has emerged as a key global issue in reducing energy consumption, cutting atmospheric pollution, reducing the resource demands of common consumer products, and in facilitating the transition towards more sustainable accessibility within cities. These issues are in addition to mitigating the direct problems of managing the social, economic, and local environmental impacts of the last mile. However, achieving broad improvements in the sustainably of last mile freight can be quite difficult, and typically requires an ongoing policy commitment to understanding and influencing the complexity of goods movements within cities.
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| 8. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Transportation as a loosely coupled system: a fundamental challenge for sustainable freight transportation
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Sustainable Transportation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1556-8318 .- 1556-8334. ; 17:7, s. 804-814
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In view of the pressing need to reduce the negative environmental impact of freight transportation we argue that it is essential to take account of the organization of the freight transportation system when considering how to address various individual activities and parts of the system. To support a transition to a more sustainable freight transportation system this paper examines the way in which different parts of the system interact and the way this can impact the scope for profound change. Taking loosely coupled systems (Weick, 1976) as a starting point, we scrutinize the couplings within and between three system layers of the freight transportation system: the supply chain layer, the transportation layer, and the infrastructure layer. In addition, we address two interfaces connecting these layers: the market for transportation services, and the traffic using the infrastructure. We find that tight couplings dominate in the supply chain and infrastructure layers and that these couplings depend on loose couplings in the transportation layer and the two interfaces. The pattern of couplings identified in the freight transportation system can explain several positive outcomes, such as flexibility and efficiency. But there are also major negative aspects of the loosely coupled nature of the system that create resistance to change and present a barrier in the drive for increased sustainability. The paper concludes that the identified couplings and system features have important implications for policies aiming to change the freight transportation system in ways that lead to significant reduction in the reliance on oil.
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| 9. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Urban Logistics and Freight Transport
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Encyclopedia of Transportation. - : Elsevier. - 9780081026724 ; , s. 178-183
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban logistics and freight transport are essential activities for cities and involve complicated interactions between the public and private sectors. Cities are growing and urban logistics is becoming more important. However, freight transport, storage, deliveries, loading, and unloading also create negative impacts related to energy use, emissions, noise, and safety. As a result, public authorities need to consider a wide range of initiatives to mitigate these impacts and to ensure that urban logistics can function efficiently. This chapter outlines the main features of urban logistics and considers seven categories of initiatives where the public and private sector interact. The categories are illustrated with examples from cities and projects on an international level, drawing on the increasing level of research interest in this field.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Fried, Travis, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating spatial inequity in last-mile delivery: a national analysis
- 2024
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Ingår i: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION & LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT. - 0960-0035 .- 1758-664X. ; 54:5, s. 501-522
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeDespite large bodies of research related to the impacts of e-commerce on last-mile logistics and sustainability, there has been limited effort to evaluate urban freight using an equity lens. Therefore, this study proposes a modeling framework that enables researchers and planners to estimate the baseline equity performance of a major e-commerce platform and evaluate equity impacts of possible urban freight management strategies. The study also analyzes the sensitivity of various operational decisions to mitigate bias in the analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe model adapts empirical methodologies from activity-based modeling, transport equity evaluation, and residential freight trip generation (RFTG) to estimate person- and household-level delivery demand and cargo van traffic exposure in 41 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).FindingsEvaluating 12 measurements across varying population segments and spatial units, the study finds robust evidence for racial and socio-economic inequities in last-mile delivery for low-income and, especially, populations of color (POC). By the most conservative measurement, POC are exposed to roughly 35% more cargo van traffic than white populations on average, despite ordering less than half as many packages. The study explores the model's utility by evaluating a simple scenario that finds marginal equity gains for urban freight management strategies that prioritize line-haul efficiency improvements over those improving intra-neighborhood circulations.Originality/valuePresents a first effort in building a modeling framework for more equitable decision-making in last-mile delivery operations and broader city planning.
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| 13. |
- Fried, T., et al.
(författare)
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Seeking equity and justice in urban freight: where to look?
- 2024
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Ingår i: Transport Reviews. - 0144-1647 .- 1464-5327. ; 44:1, s. 191-212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban freight systems embed and reflect spatial inequities in cities and imbalanced power structures within transport decision-making. These concerns are principal domains of "transportation justice" (TJ) and "mobility justice" (MJ) scholarship that have emerged in the past decade. However, little research exists situating urban freight within these prevailing frameworks, which leaves urban freight research on socio-environmental equity and justice ill-defined, especially compared to passenger or personal mobility discussions. Through the lens that derives from TJ and MJ's critical dialogue, this study synthesises urban freight literature's engagement with equity and justice. Namely, the review evaluates: How do researchers identify equitable distributions of urban freight's costs and benefits? At what scale do researchers evaluate urban freight inequities? And who does research consider entitled to urban freight equity and how are they involved in urban freight governance? The findings help inform researchers who seek to reimagine urban freight management strategies within broader equity and justice discourse.
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| 14. |
- Grossmann, Igor, et al.
(författare)
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Insights into the accuracy of social scientists' forecasts of societal change
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Human Behaviour. - : Springer Nature. - 2397-3374. ; 7, s. 484-501
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- How well can social scientists predict societal change, and what processes underlie their predictions? To answer these questions, we ran two forecasting tournaments testing the accuracy of predictions of societal change in domains commonly studied in the social sciences: ideological preferences, political polarization, life satisfaction, sentiment on social media, and gender-career and racial bias. After we provided them with historical trend data on the relevant domain, social scientists submitted pre-registered monthly forecasts for a year (Tournament 1; N = 86 teams and 359 forecasts), with an opportunity to update forecasts on the basis of new data six months later (Tournament 2; N = 120 teams and 546 forecasts). Benchmarking forecasting accuracy revealed that social scientists' forecasts were on average no more accurate than those of simple statistical models (historical means, random walks or linear regressions) or the aggregate forecasts of a sample from the general public (N = 802). However, scientists were more accurate if they had scientific expertise in a prediction domain, were interdisciplinary, used simpler models and based predictions on prior data. How accurate are social scientists in predicting societal change, and what processes underlie their predictions? Grossmann et al. report the findings of two forecasting tournaments. Social scientists' forecasts were on average no more accurate than those of simple statistical models.
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| 15. |
- Hanson, Robin, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges and requirements in the introduction of automated loading and unloading
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Research question The use of autonomous vehicles for road transport holds a potential to improve transport performance within areas such as safety, sustainability, driver shortage, and cost efficiency, and there is an increasing interest in the area (Sindi and Woodman, 2021). However, to fully realise the potential of autonomous transport, it seems that the interfaces with shipping and receiving facilities, in terms of loading and unloading, should be automated too, as argued below.In traditional setups, the truck driver is often responsible for loading and unloading the truck, as well as for securing the load. Hence, if there is no truck driver, a different solution is required. A straightforward solution would be for the personnel in the facilities to perform the loading and unloading. Increasingly, however, automation is applied also in production (Bortolini et al. 2021) and warehousing (Custodio and Machado 2020), and it is therefore not obvious that there will be personnel available at the pickup or delivery locations either. Moreover, it is not uncommon that facilities are manned only during daytime. Automated loading and unloading operations could make it possible to decouple the truck transports from the operations in the facilities, thereby enabling round the clock deliveries, regardless of the manning of the facilities. This could reduce congestion on the road. The application of automation often holds a potential to reduce operational cost, as the cost of man-hours may be reduced, which has been indicated in research on internal transport (Bechtsis et al. 2017), as well as the broader area of materials handling. There are several potential challenges that need to be overcome, and several requirements that need to be fulfilled, to enable automated loading and unloading between the autonomous transport and the shipping and receiving facilities. The loading and unloading processes can be considered to take place in the interface between different systems, linking the shipping facilities with the external transport, and linking the external transport with the receiving facilities. In addition to moving the goods onto and off the truck, there are further activities that need to be undertaken, which are performed manually in most systems today. This includes for example opening and closing the hatch of the truck and, importantly, securing the load on the truck after loading it. Applying a systems approach, this paper addresses the question: which are the challenges and requirements of automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous freight road transport? Brief overview of the state of the art, including relevant references Significant research in past focused on simulating and automating loading and unloading operations on transportation system with truck driver (Shen et al. 2019; Cao and Dou 2021). They are primarily focused on planning of loading and unloading system and defining the working principles of systemsmodules compatible with multiple material, For instance, Xu et al. (2021). Stacking of standard pallets on truck with fully automated forklifts (Cao and Dou 2021), design and development of automatic cargo batch system for loading and unloading operations (Lee et al. 2014), design and development of automated guided vehicle for material handing in production (Thylén 2022) and application of digital twin technology in design and develop of an intelligent control system for automatic loading and unloading (Zhu, Xu, and Zhu 2021). Nevertheless, when it comes to unmanned fully autonomous transportation, studies on designing and realizing interfaces with shipping and receiving facilities, are limited and at nascent stage. Working towards addressing this research gap, this study identified challenges and requirements of automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous truck freight road transport. Method The paper is based on a case study at a production site where autonomous truck transport is currently applied in a pilot setup. In the pilot setup, goods are delivered by an autonomous truck from a production plant to a nearby warehouse, located a few hundred metres from the plant, although travelling partly on a public road. Connected to the pilot setup, preparations are also made for applying automated loading and unloading of the autonomous truck. The study is led by researchers from two universities and is conducted in cooperation with representatives from several companies. All the companies are participating in the preparations for automated loading and unloading at the production site: themanufacturing company operating the production plant and the warehouse, the company providing the autonomous truck, a company providing equipment for automated materials handling, and a company specializing in solutions for load securing. Data is collected through site visits and mapping of processes and material flows, as well as through interviews with the companies involved in the pilot setup and in the preparations for automated loading and unloading. Analysis and results The results from the first stage of the project have been used to prepare a base case with a conventional truck and driver used to move pallets between the production plant and the warehouse. A second case uses an autonomous truck to transport the pallets from the production plant to the warehouse. For the base case the truck is loaded by the driver using a forklift truck (FLT) and the driver secures the load. Unloading at the warehouse is done by FLT operated by someone working in receiving area. For the second case (autonomous truck) the vehicle is loaded by FLT operated by someone from the production plant. Unloading is the responsibility of the warehouse receiving the pallets and is therefore the same as the base case operation.Mapping the material flows and the steps involved has shown that the driver plays various roles beyond driving the truck between the plant and the warehouse. These roles include: opening the door/gate at the loading bay, loading the truck with pallets, securing the load, deciding when the truck is full and needs to leave the plant to go to the warehouse and informing the staff at the warehouse that the truck has arrived. After unloading the driver will determine whether the truck should go back to the production plant for another load or should be used for another activity at the production location. When the autonomous truck is used then the ancillary actions carried out by the driver (listed above) have to be done by someone else or a change has to be made to the processes – for example a sensor could indicate the arrival at the warehouse of the loaded truck. Mapping the processes has demonstrated the scale of the challenge in automating these activities and the requirements applying to an automated loading and unloading system. These include the dynamic environment of the loading/unloading area, non-uniformity of goods, scanning of goods (identification tag, ensuring even weight distribution and alignment of pallets, securing of the load). The accountability and responsibilities of different stakeholders in fully automated unmanned system and handling of claims must also be addressed in the change to more automated systems.
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| 16. |
- Holguín-Veras, José, et al.
(författare)
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State of the art and practice of urban freight management: Part I: Infrastructure, vehicle-related, and traffic operations
- 2020
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Ingår i: Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-8564. ; 137, s. 360-382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 Elsevier Ltd The first in a series of two, this paper conducts a review of the public-sector initiatives that could be used to improve freight activity in metropolitan areas; collects data about initiatives that have been implemented and their performance; and produces a ranking of suggested initiatives. The review of public-sector initiatives is based on a comprehensive analysis of their performance, which cataloged the initiatives into seven major groups, 15 subgroups, and 48 unique initiatives. The initiatives covered in this paper include: Infrastructure Management; Parking/Loading Areas Management; Vehicle-Related Strategies; and Traffic Management. The characterization of the state of the practice and the performance of the initiatives was based on a survey that collected data from 32 countries and 56 cities throughout the world. The third component of the work is a ranking of suggested initiatives based on the performance data collected by the survey. The paper ends with a discussion of chief findings.
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| 17. |
- Holguín-Veras, José, et al.
(författare)
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State of the art and practice of urban freight management Part II: Financial approaches, logistics, and demand management
- 2020
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Ingår i: Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-8564. ; 137, s. 383-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 Elsevier Ltd The second in a series of two, this paper conducts a review of the public-sector initiatives that could be used to improve freight activity in metropolitan areas, collects data about the initiatives that have been implemented and their performance, and produces a ranking of suggested initiatives. The review of public-sector initiatives is based on a comprehensive analysis of their performance, which cataloged the initiatives into seven major groups, 15 subgroups, and 48 unique initiatives. The initiatives covered in this paper include: Financial Approaches; Logistical Management; and Demand/Land Use Management. The characterization of the state of the practice, and the performance of the initiatives, was based on a survey that collected data from 32 countries and 56 cities throughout the world. The third component of the work consisted of the generation of a ranking of suggested initiatives based on the performance data collected by the survey. The fourth component of the research reported here is the development of a process intended to lead to the sustained improvement of urban freight management. The paper ends with a discussion of chief findings.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Katsela, Konstantina, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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Defining Urban Freight Microhubs: A Case Study Analysis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban freight distribution has confronted several challenges, including negative environmental, social, and economic impacts. Many city logistics initiatives that use the concept of Urban Consolidation Centers (UCCs) have failed. The failure of many UCCs does not mean that the idea of additional terminals or microhubs should be rejected. There is limited knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of using microhubs, requiring further exploration of this concept. To expand this knowledge, this research combines 17 empirical cases from Europe and North America to develop a framework for classifying different microhubs typologies. This research presents an integrated view of the cases and develops a common language for understanding microhub typologies and definitions. The research proposes microhubs as an important opportunity to improve urban freight sustainability and efficiency and one possible step to manage the challenge of multisector collaboration.
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| 20. |
- Katsela, Konstantina, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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The key features of implementing a micro-hubs and the opportunity for scalability
- 2021
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Ingår i: Swedish Transportation Research Conference 2021.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The efficient and timely distribution of freight is critical for supporting the demands of modern cities. Without freight distribution, cities could not survive, grow and flourish over the decades. However, freight distribution has confronted several challenges in recent years including negative environmental, social and economic impacts. These challenges affect not only the efficiency of freight distribution in the cities and the quality of life of citizens but also the eco-efficiency (reducing ecological damage while at the same time maximising cost efficiency) and viability of cities and countries (CIVITAS Policy Note, 2015). The challenges are rather complex and multidimensional. To tackle them, various city logistics initiatives that use the concept of Urban Consolidation Centres (UCCs) have been introduced and implemented, the results of which show a high risk of failure to operate in the long run (van Rooijen and Quak, 2008) because the low profitability of the projects and their large dependency on governmental subsidies (Cagliano et al., 2016), strict policy measures about UCCs (Vahrekamp, 2013) and dissatisfaction with service levels (Lagorio et al., 2016). Although it appears that many UCCs were not successful, that does not mean that the idea of an additional terminal and distribution point should be discarded (Verlinde et. al., 2012). Several recent studies have mentioned the micro-hubs concept as a transition from the classic UCCs or as an additional distribution and handling point. Learning from previous experiences, Janjevic et. al. (2014) defined micro-hubs as facilities that are located closer to the delivery area and have a more limited spatial range for delivery than classic UCCs. Similarly, Katsela (2020) highlighted that micro-hubs are located within close proximity to UCCs and city centres and vehicles are dispatched on regular routes throughout the day to the micro-hubs in order to make time definite delivery windows. To this extent, Katsela et al. (2021) showed that consolidating freight both in the UCC and the micro-hub can reduce the calculated distance travelled as well as the negative environmental impact. Further, the key to cost efficient city logistics is efficient terminal handling both in the UCC and the micro-hub and to benefit by its combination (Katsela and Pålsson, 2020b). Within this scope, a review has been carried out relating to implementation and scalability factors relating to city logistics projects using micro-hubs. To make this purpose more tangible, a research question is addressed: What are the key features of implementing a micro-hubs and how does this influence the opportunity for scalability? To increase this understanding, the study reviews how five Scandinavian projects have considered and implemented their micro-hubs. These projects in practice have had different scope, role and different approaches in how to use and apply different micro-hubs and how they approach this system. The study presents the scope, the role and system of the selected projects that was extracted in the process of reviewing them. The content was derived by synthesising the extracted information. The study summarises how each of the projects have addressed and implemented the micro-hubs and what are the reasons of their rather niche implementation scale. 2 The analysis, reveals that a micro-hub is referred to as a logistics facility where goods are bundled inside the urban area boundaries, that serves a limited spatial range, and that allows a mode shift to low-emission vehicles or soft transportation modes, such as the use of cargo bikes. Further, the analysis reveals that the micro-hubs should be implemented in high-demand, high-density areas where high volumes of delivery throughput accumulate in one area. These are necessary to first justify the need for a change in the urban freight system and to later keep micro-hubs sustainable and efficient during operation. Also, in cases involving multi-stakeholders, it is crucial to have strong communication network and engagement of the stakeholder (Katsela and Browne, 2019), as it aims to bring better interaction, collaboration and trust among stakeholders (ibid; Katsela and Pålsson, 2020a). Hence, to produce even more efficient results, stakeholders need to share a mindset of balancing the city’s economic vitality and environment, build trust among stakeholders, and compromise by having a neutral carrier operate joint delivery systems. Finally, the analysis highlights that the micro-hubs have been tested and implemented in various cities and in different forms, but not with a sharing economy and business model in mind. Hence, the micro-hubs are a system and studying that system from different perspectives can be beneficial.
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| 21. |
- Knapskog, M., et al.
(författare)
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Sensors securing sustainable digital urban logistics-A practitioner's perspective
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Future Transportation. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2673-5210. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transport of goods, equipment and waste to, from, in and through urban areas (urban logistics) are essential for the economic vitality of the city but at the same time make urban environmental and social targets more difficult to achieve The European Green Deal and the UN Sustainability Goals also challenge the ways of addressing planning and management. At the same time Covid 19 has led to new challenges for urban logistics together with changes in consumer purchasing and travel patterns. Digitalisation offers new ways of collecting data and providing input to planning and modelling of urban logistics that might alleviate these challenges. This article addresses how digitalisation and especially sensors can contribute to new forms of data for analysis and play a role in developing sustainable digital urban logistics measures and plans through data collection and sharing. The research contains empirical insights from a survey and workshop in Norway. The results from the survey show that sensors are the digital solution that practitioners see as most useful for urban transport. This is supported by results from the workshop supporting a sensor scenario. When it comes to the digitalisation process, the practitioners expect that the different levels of government will facilitate digitalisation of urban logistics and most practitioners have the opinion that all levels of government should do more to facilitate new solutions Testing should take place as collaboration between private and public actors. Due to Covid 19 the government level is seen to have an important role for exchange of information and advice, and for giving economic incentives and support, rather than providing law and regulatory changes or the reorganisation of public services. The local level is considered to have an especially important role for digitalisation including data for modelling, planning or public procurement procedures. The article addresses these questions by reference to the partnerships for freight transport in London and Gothenburg. This article adds insights for planning practitioners into how sensors will challenge as well as provide new possibilities, to suggest new paths for planning and modelling urban logistics and an amplified role for freight partnerships.
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| 22. |
- Kumar Kalahasthi, Lokesh, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Joint modeling of arrivals and parking durations for freight loading zones: Potential applications to improving urban logistics
- 2022
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Ingår i: Transportation Research Part a-Policy and Practice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-8564. ; 166, s. 307-329
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper analyzes truck parking patterns in urban freight loading zones by jointly modeling the vehicle arrival rates and the parking durations. Three models were explored: 1) Count data (Negative Binomial) for vehicle arrivals, 2) Survival (Weibull) model for parking duration and 3) A joint model for arrivals and duration. The count data model estimates the parking demand i.e., the rate of truck arrival, while the survival model estimates the probability that a truck is parked for one more minute. The joint model is compared with separate models for predictability and performance. The dataset used in this research is obtained using a mobile phone parking appli-cation, at eight loading zones in the city Vic, Spain over an 18-month period from July 2018 to December 2019, comprised of vehicle parking durations, date, time of arrival and departure, professional activity, and vehicle type (weight). The parking activity data are complemented with built in environment variables of the loading zones, such as the number of establishments in a certain radius, the average walking distance to establishments, the presence of pedestrian pavement, the number of traffic lanes, among others. The joint model outperforms the models estimating the arrival rates and durations separately in goodness of fit and predictability. The model results showed that truck arrival rates vary significantly across days of the week, months, and arrival times. The parking durations are highly dependent on professional activity, vehicle type, and size. Tuesdays and Wednesdays have higher arrival rates compared to other days of a week (except Sundays). Among activities, the transport and parcels require longer parking du-rations. Among the vehicle types, trucks with gross weight larger than 3.5 tons park longer. This paper concludes by explaining the potential of these modeling approaches in improving urban freight operations, evaluation of various policy implications, limitations, and future research.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- McLeod, Sam, et al.
(författare)
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Planning for the sustainability of freight and logistics: Strategic guiding principles for regional policy
- 2023
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Ingår i: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH. - 1567-7133 .- 1567-7141. ; 23:3, s. 30-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Policy-makers face challenges managing the movement of goods while responding to increasingly urgent sustainability problems. Freight policy is fragmented over many regulatory fields, often with ambiguous or contested objectives. Empirical freight transport research can be difficult to translate directly into policy settings, and policy measures often have substantial unintended consequences, especially over long time periods. These foundational challenges can make effective policy implementation difficult. Through a review of the literature, and drawing on diverse applied research and practice experiences, we categorise intertemporal problems in designing regional freight policy, and identify principles for informing practical policy synthesis. These principles provide a framework for decision-makers who formulate policy, and for researchers who critically evaluate it. Adoption and refinement of these principles will improve the translation of research into policy through time, recognising the inherently complex and uncertain nature of planning for the movement of goods.
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| 25. |
- Ringsberg, Henrik, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring Swedish urban freight stakeholders’ interests in public spaces
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-2751 .- 1873-6084. ; 133
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban stakeholders have divergent interests in the use of public space in cities and should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. This paper explores Swedish urban stakeholder’s interests in the use of public space. A literature review on Urban Freight Stakeholders (UFSs) with direct impact on city-planning, and their interest’ in the use of public space was conducted and used as a theoretical foundation in a cross-case analysis of two Swedish cities. Forty-five semi-structured interviews, and forty-one answers from a multiple-choice question were used as empirical data in the evaluation of UFSs’ interests. The paper shows that interests’ of UFSs which contribute to attractive urban environment should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. In addition, policies on road safety, decoration of the city environment and pricing the use of public space in cities need to be developed at local authorities. The paper confirms property owners as UFSs with similar accessibility and service interests as local authorities in the city-planning of urban freight. The literature review of published research and a cross-case analysis of Swedish UFSs’ interests in public space in two cities provides insights for further development of research to enrich theory and city-planning of urban freight.
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| 26. |
- Sultan, Farook Abdullah, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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Automated Loading and Unloading Operations: A Systematic Review
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Purpose Material handling has witnessed changes with automations occurring in the transport sector. The increasing implementation of autonomous trucks lays questions on the loading and unloading operations that the conventional truck driver used to perform. Loading and unloading operations interface warehouses and transportation. Conventionally characterised by the manual operating nature causing inefficiencies and discontinuities, automated loading and unloading (ALUL) benefit by enhancing workflows, improves performance, and reduces losses. Despite these benefits, research on ALUL is minimal. This article i) details focus of ALUL systems in research, ii) indicates adopted evaluation indicators and iii) highlights key enablers and impediments witnessed during implementation. Methodology Developments are assessed by carrying out a systematic literature review including published literature, technical articles etc. Review is initiated by identifying appropriate keywords, coupled with Boolean operators, to retrieve literature from scientific databases. Findings Research on LUL reveal a classified research focus on perception systems, manipulators, and general solution type. Operating time was identified to be a commonly evaluated performance parameter despite research revealing diverse parameters. The review highlights i) variable loading and unloading methods with changing good types. ii) Complexities in identifying and manipulating goods. iii) Frequent human involvement, and iv) high implementation costs and associated infrastructural modifications to influence implementation despite many enablers supporting the implementation of this technology. Despite the above issues, commercial solutions with varied degrees of automation are available and are listed in this article. Practical implications ALUL systems are described comprehensively providing a detailed representation of existing knowledge regarding ALUL, making selection easier for interested industries and guiding them through the transformation process. Originality Research aids in determining function-specific systems enabling a detailed understanding of ALUL systems.
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| 27. |
- Sultan, Farook Abdullah, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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Efficiency Assessment in Automated Loading and Unloading of Autonomous Trucks and its Implications for the Wider Transportation System
- 2024
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduktion The transport sector has witnessed significant changes with the adoption of electrification and automation. One such change has been the implementation of autonomous trucks. Despite being a solution to tackle existing sector challenges, the attention paid to the potential for automating loading and unloading (LUL) of autonomous trucks at various nodes in the system such as warehouses, terminals and loading docks has been limited. The LUL process serves as a crucial interface between the autonomous trucks and nodes and the impact of this interface on a wider system level remains insufficiently explored. Existing literature predominantly concentrates on evaluating the performance of individual components of automated systems, such as autonomous transport or automated LUL. Drawing from observations gathered during a test run within an ongoing research and development project, this study assesses the performance potential for automating LUL operations using an AGV handling standard pallets with self-driving trucks. The system context considered encompasses operations from factory loading docks to warehouse receiving points, all located within a confined area. Metod The study is based on research using a mixed method case study. The case is a part of a project involving a major manufacturing company and its automated LUL operations and autonomous transport. The case team consists of experts in transport, cargo securing, and materials handling. The study uses both quantitative data for capturing performance values and qualitative data for understanding the influence of interfaces on the overall system. Resultat Results from the test run comprise the assessment of performance potential in terms of time efficiency, cost, and safety, of automated LUL operation together with autonomous trucks. The result also comprises identifying the necessities of the LUL system considering its connections to the wider system involving autonomous truck and the upstream/downstream material flow system. Outcomes indicate that efficiency alone may not justify the implementation of LUL automation, but it may be motivated if resulting values in the wider transport system can be exploited. This leads to a discussion on potential benefits in the wider system and the prerequisites that need to be at place to realize such benefits. Slutsats Automating LUL has the potential for benefits when implemented together with the introduction of autonomous trucks. However, there are major challenges, and the implementation path is far from smooth. The outcomes of this study details the complexities involved in the evaluation of automated LUL systems. Lessons from the study provide a foundation for the next steps in this field such as expanding the testing outside the factory gates.
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| 28. |
- Sultan, Farook Abdullah, et al.
(författare)
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Efficiency assessment in automated loading and unloading of autonomous trucks and its implications for the wider transportation system
- 2024
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Ingår i: Sammanställning av referat från Transportforum 2024. - Linköping : Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut. ; , s. 384-384
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The transport sector has witnessed significant changes with the adoption of electrification and automation. One such change has been the implementation of autonomous trucks. Despite being a solution to tackle existing sector challenges, the attention paid to the potential for automating loading and unloading (LUL) of autonomous trucks at various nodes in the system such as warehouses, terminals and loading docks has been limited. The LUL process serves as a crucial interface between the autonomous trucks and nodes and the impact of this interface on a wider system level remains insufficiently explored. Existing literature predominantly concentrates on evaluating the performance of individual components of automated systems, such as autonomous transport or automated LUL. Drawing from observations gathered during a test run within an ongoing research and development project, this study assesses the performance potential for automating LUL operations using an AGV handling standard pallets with self-driving trucks. The system context considered encompasses operations from factory loading docks to warehouse receiving points, all located within a confined area. The study is based on research using a mixed method case study. The case is a part of a project involving a major manufacturing company and its automated LUL operations and autonomous transport. The case team consists of experts in transport, cargo securing, and materials handling. The study uses both quantitative data for capturing performance values and qualitative data for understanding the influence of interfaces on the overall system. Results from the test run comprise the assessment of performance potential in terms of time efficiency, cost, and safety, of automated LUL operation together with autonomous trucks. The result also comprises identifying the necessities of the LUL system considering its connections to the wider system involving autonomous truck and the upstream/downstream material flow system. Outcomes indicate that efficiency alone may not justify the implementation of LUL automation, but it may be motivated if resulting values in the wider transport system can be exploited. This leads to a discussion on potential benefits in the wider system and the prerequisites that need to be at place to realize such benefits.
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