Development of a Physical Internet container for an optimized wood supply chain

Abstract

Wood logistics are defined by the inaccessibility of forest roads and short routes to processing, where trucks have a huge advantage over railways. With upcoming regulations by the European Union to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 new approaches for the wood supply chain are needed. This paper introduces a practical solution for a Physical Internet container for wood logistics. The container is designed to comply with the requirements of road and rail transport, especially for narrow-gauge railways. Common inefficiencies with material handling such as manipulation time and cost can be reduced, when changing modes efficiently using the new container. In addition, smart sensors support the concept of the Physical Internet and provide the necessary data for the evaluation of transport costs, time, distance, greenhouse gas emissions, and provide data for a governing order platform.