After two years of research into the initiative of a European ICT network created to optimize and improve regional and international traffic intensity, potential users can now familiarize themselves with the first results. Over the last year, the initial implementation of the KASSETTS concept has been strengthening within business structures in Poland. Several companies from the pharmaceutical sector have started cooperation regarding the joint organization of transport and logistics. The Institute of Logistics and Warehousing (ILiM), together with small and medium-sized enterprises from the Greater Poland and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeships, began pilot tests in May 2010. The first results are very optimistic from an economic, environmental, and social point of view. The preliminary tests were conducted on a small sample representing a group of four distributors. Before the introduction of the KASSETTS model, these companies did not cooperate with each other, but delivered products to the same customers or to customers located very close to each other. In the analyzed case, describing an average day of operation, each pharmacy point selected products, which were then delivered in special boxes standardized for the pharmaceutical sector. The test consisted of analyzing two options. The first was based on traditional deliveries, where companies do not cooperate with each other. Then, the obtained results were compared with the second option, where distributors cooperate using the KASSETTS platform. In the first case, each distributor used a truck to deliver products. Transport costs per box were calculated between 5.26 and 8.29 PLN. In the second option, where distributors cooperated with each other and used only one truck, the transport cost decreased and amounted to between 3.70 PLN and 6.73 PLN.
– Distributors successfully achieved savings from 18.7% (the most difficult case) to 29.5% (the best case). It is also significant that only one truck was used instead of four, which allows for reducing traffic intensity. Therefore, the KASSETTS project solution eliminates the disadvantages of the traditional method of the transport process – says Marcin Hajdul from the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, project coordinator in Poland.
These interesting results were presented during the conference “Trends in the development of IT tools for logistics” in Poznań, accompanying the Polish Logistics Congress LOGISTICS & EUROLOG 2010 on May 12, 2010. Representatives of the public and private sectors were presented with the test results and the most important outcomes obtained under the KASSETTS project. The goal of the conference was to convince the invited representatives of the SME sector to participate in the project and to show the benefits of using tools supporting the joint organization of transport by groups of companies. Moreover, at the exhibition accompanying the conference, participants had the opportunity to test the ICT solution.
– The audience’s first reaction to the test results was very enthusiastic – said the conference moderator, Marcin Hajdul (ILiM). – Entrepreneurs confirmed that they are looking for a solution that will allow them to improve the organization of transport and logistics.
Furthermore, participants expressed a desire to attend subsequent meetings to more thoroughly learn about and analyze the benefits of participating in the KASSETTS project, as well as to get acquainted in detail with the tool and the concept of its operation. Polish experiences are also an encouragement for companies from other European regions to use the KASSETTS platform. The ICT platform is constantly updated. Remarks and comments from consortium participants and companies are implemented on an ongoing basis, and the current version of the software is adapted to the specific needs of regions in different countries.
To present the benefits, disseminate the results, and also gain new parties interested in the KASSETTS project, the consortium will participate in the 27th German Logistics Congress at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) stand. The congress is one of the most important annual logistics events in Europe. It will take place in Berlin, from October 20 to 22, and the organizers expect over 3,000 participants. More information about the congress can be found on the website – http://www.bvl.de.
More about the logistics broker concept and the project results can be found on the official project website http://www.kassetts.eu.
