ICONET project will develop the concept of Physical Internet (PI) even further to optimise freight flows against throughput, cost, and environmental performances. The new project with the participation of ESC as a partner will focus on collaborative planning of flexible logistics chains and will advance the development and interconnection of key Physical Internet components: PI Hub, PI Corridor, Warehousing, and e-Commerce fulfilment.
Starting in September this year, the 30-month project – ICONET (the ICT infrastructure and reference architecture to support Operations in future PI Logistics NETworks) – will transfer important digital internet topics, such as network protocols, services, and Blockchain, to the PI domain adopting both, a business and an evidence driven approach. The industry-driven PI Living Labs will deploy, test, refine, and extend each of the four components: PI Hub, PI Corridor, Warehousing, and e-Commerce fulfilment.
In the PI, goods are packaged within modular boxes or units called PI-Containers, handled and then transported via the PI-Means or P-I movers (i.e. vehicles, trains, barges and ships), which travel upon PI-Links (roads, ship lines, train lanes, etc.), thereby, routed and forwarded from the one PI-note to another until their final destination is reached.
To achieve a supply chain sustainability, the PI concept entails more open, sustainable, and efficient transport and logistics (T&L) business models with the potential to mitigate T&L inefficiencies, such as empty journeys, idle times, loading and unloading delays. In pursuit of optimising logistics operations, improving costs and services quality, as well as mitigating environmental concerns, the PI aims to dynamically and flexibly match demand to available logistics resources, serving as an open global logistics web founded on physical, digital, and operational interconnectivity through encapsulation, interfaces, and protocols.
The project will liaise closely with the ALICE developments and projects to link up and join forces with all projects in this area contributing to the formation of the European PI.
ICONET received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under the Grant Agreement No 769119.
ICONET website: www.iconetproject.eu