Focus on the efficiency of delivery processes
"Collaborative delivery system with mobile rendezvous traffic for time-critical shipments" or in short (KoLibRi) is the name of a project under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML). A 24/7 Smart Terminal from Kern is an essential component of this project, which involves the needs-based and contact-free delivery/transfer of spare parts.
The lack of an urgently needed spare part for a production machine can cause high downtime costs in a very short time. The decisive characteristics of good spare parts logistics are therefore reliability, adherence to deadlines and speed. Often, however, the spare parts of several customers are located in the delivery vehicle, including components that are only needed at a later date. All the more important is an optimized interaction between technician, supplier and recipient, which brings these positive effects with it: efficient delivery, greater flexibility, transport bundling and reduction of production machine downtime. In summary, the aim is to reduce the number of interfaces and to achieve consistent information and communication processes.
This is exactly where the research project KoLibRi comes in, which aims to develop application software for mobile devices that dynamically plans and communicates the delivery locations and times of spare parts between fitters, suppliers and recipients. A new type of optimisation procedure for communication paths and processes is to be set up, which analyses the logistical processes, develops new route planning logics and improves the interfaces between the actors. The findings will be transferred into a mobile application software (app) and tested under real-life conditions. The KoLibRi-App enables cross-company dynamic route comparison and optimisation with real-time data. In addition, the communication processes between the companies will be standardised and paperless delivery at transfer points simplified. The goods are handed over contact-free via a 24/7 Smart Terminal, which is digitally integrated into the processes via special software.
KoLibRi enables a temporal and local flexibility in the delivery of time-critical shipments. This increases logistical efficiency in delivery, reduces expensive downtimes and relieves urban areas of traffic congestion.
The following partners are involved in the KoLibRi project:
Fraunhofer IML as consortium leader of KoLibRi takes over the overall project management. The main task is the development of the optimization procedure and the route planning algorithms for the mobile rendezvous system.
The practice partner Night Star Express Logistik provides tour dates, processes and information flows from the field of night logistics. In addition, the requirements from the operative business with time-critical consignments flow into the conception of the mobile rendezvous system.
The TOP added value logistics & Co. KG contributes knowledge and resources from its field service technicians and its logistics network with a focus on spare parts supply to the project. The data of the technicians and couriers are used to identify transfer points and to include time requirements in the optimisation.
VCE Verkehrslogistik GmbH takes over the conception of the information flow and determines the data requirements of the involved actors. The main focus of the research project is the programming of the prototype of an application software for mobile devices and the implementation at the practice partners.
Funding/Project Management Agency:
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and supervised by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as project management agency.
