3,244 research outputs found

    Contributions to behavioural freight transport modelling

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    An Agent-based Approach for Improving the Performance of Distributed Business Processes in Maritime Port Community

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    In the recent years, the concept of “port community” has been adopted by the maritime transport industry in order to achieve a higher degree of coordination and cooperation amongst organizations involved in the transfer of goods through the port area. The business processes of the port community supply chain form a complicated process which involves several process steps, multiple actors, and numerous information exchanges. One of the widely used applications of ICT in ports is the Port Community System (PCS) which is implemented in ports in order to reduce paperwork and to facilitate the information flow related to port operations and cargo clearance. However, existing PCSs are limited in functionalities that facilitate the management and coordination of material, financial, and information flows within the port community supply chain. This research programme addresses the use of agent technology to introduce business process management functionalities, which are vital for port communities, aiming to the enhancement of the performance of the port community supply chain. The investigation begins with an examination of the current state in view of the business perspective and the technical perspective. The business perspective focuses on understanding the nature of the port community, its main characteristics, and its problems. Accordingly, a number of requirements are identified as essential amendments to information systems in seaports. On the other hand, the technical perspective focuses on technologies that are convenient for solving problems in business process management within port communities. The research focuses on three technologies; the workflow technology, agent technology, and service orientation. An analysis of information systems across port communities enables an examination of the current PCSs with regard to their coordination and workflow management capabilities. The most important finding of this analysis is that the performance of the business processes, and in particular the performance of the port community supply chain, is not in the scope of the examined PCSs. Accordingly, the Agent-Based Middleware for Port Community Management (ABMPCM) is proposed as an approach for providing essential functionalities that would facilitate collaborative planning and business process management. As a core component of the ABMPCM, the Collaborative Planning Facility (CPF) is described in further details. A CPF prototype has been developed as an agent-based system for the domain of inland transport of containers to demonstrate its practical effectiveness. To evaluate the practical application of the CPF, a simulation environment is introduced in order to facilitate the evaluation process. The research started with the definition of a multi-agent simulation framework for port community supply chain. Then, a prototype has been implemented and employed for the evaluation of the CPF. The results of the simulation experiments demonstrate that our agent-based approach effectively enhances the performance of business process in the port community

    The load planning problem for double-stack intermodal trains

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    Les trains qui transportent des conteneurs empilĂ©s (en deux niveaux) sont un Ă©lĂ©ment important du reseau de transport nord-americain. Le probleme de chargement des wagons correspond un probleme operationnel d'utilisation rencontre dans les terminaux ferroviaires. Elle consiste optimiser l’affectation des conteneurs des emplacements spĂ©cifiques sur les wagons. Ce mĂ©moire est centrĂ© sur un article scientifique traitant le chargement optimal publiĂ© dans le Journal EuropĂ©en de Recherche OpĂ©rationnelle (Volume 267, NumĂ©ro 1, Pages 107-119, 2018). Nous avons formule un modele lineaire en nombres entiers (ILP) et apporte un certain nombre de contributions. Premierement, nous avons proposĂ© une mĂ©thodologie gĂ©nĂ©rale qui peut traiter des wagons double ou simple empilement avec des «patrons» de chargement arbitraires. Les les patrons tiennent un compte des dĂ©pendances de chargement entre les plateformes sur un wagon donne. Deuxiemement, nous avons modĂ©liser les restrictions du centre de gravitĂ© (COG), les regles d’empilement et un nombre de restrictions techniques de chargement associees certains types de conteneurs et / ou de marchandises. Les resultats montrent que nous pouvons resoudre des instances de taille realiste dans un dÂŽelai raisonnable en utilisant un solveur ILP commercial et nous illustrons que le fait de ne pas tenir compte de la correspondance conteneurs-wagons ainsi que des restrictions COG peut conduire une surestimation de la capacitĂ© disponible.Double-stack trains are an important component of the railroad transport network for containerized cargo in specific markets such as North America. The load planning problem embodies an operational problem commonly faced in rail terminals by operators. It consists in optimizing the assignment of containers to specific locations on the train. The work in this thesis is centered around a scientific paper on the optimization on load planning problem for double stack-trains, published in the European Journal of Operation Research (Volume 267, Issue 1, Pages 1-398) on 16 May 2018. In the paper, we formulated an ILP model and made a number of contributions. First, we proposed a general methodology that can deal with double- or single-stack railcars with arbitrary loading patterns. The patterns account for loading dependencies between the platforms on a given railcar. Second, we modeled Center of gravity (COG) restrictions, stacking rules and a number of technical loading restrictions associated with certain types of containers and/or goods. Results show that we can solve realistic size instances in reasonable time using a commercial ILP solver and we illustrate that failing to account for containers-to-cars matching as well as COG restrictions may lead to an overestimation of the available train capacity

    Dynamics in Logistics

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    This open access book highlights the interdisciplinary aspects of logistics research. Featuring empirical, methodological, and practice-oriented articles, it addresses the modelling, planning, optimization and control of processes. Chiefly focusing on supply chains, logistics networks, production systems, and systems and facilities for material flows, the respective contributions combine research on classical supply chain management, digitalized business processes, production engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mathematical optimization. To celebrate 25 years of interdisciplinary and collaborative research conducted at the Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics (LogDynamics), in this book hand-picked experts currently or formerly affiliated with the Cluster provide retrospectives, present cutting-edge research, and outline future research directions

    Uncertainty and the Value of Information in Hinterland Transport Planning

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    A conceptual framework for synchromodol port: an extension of synchromodality from hinterland transport to marine operations

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    Conceptual Design of the Gondola of a Hybrid Airship Including Loading and Unloading Mechanisms

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    Transport has been a necessity to us since the early times, driving the chase for a better way of moving people, animals and goods from one location to another. The first airship flight happened in 1852, introducing airships to the world and making possible the controlled powered flight. After a series of high-profile accidents involving airships, airplanes were recognized as a safer transportation vehicle and gradually airships were directed for other applications such as advertising, sightseeing, surveillance and research. Nowadays, airships are becoming popular again, promoting their projection to fill a gap in the transport industry, in which they have advantages over other forms of transportation. As the cargo transport demand rises, new transportation options are being considered. Airships are receiving much more attention, as nations are now reconsidering their transportation systems. It can be forecasted, that with time, higher confidence in airship operations and wider scope of their applications, airships could take over of some of the airborne cargo market, due to their obvious competitive advantages. This work’s main goal is to develop an airship’s gondola adjustable to the user’s needs. Either transporting passengers or carrying cargo, airships make possible missions that in some other way would take a longer time to complete and would require much more resources to plan. The project also includes the conceptual design of a cargo container and corresponding loading and unloading mechanisms.O transporte tem sido, desde o inĂ­cio dos tempos, uma necessidade para o Homem, alimentando a procura por melhores formas de mover pessoas, animais e bens de um local para outro. Em 1852, ocorreu o primeiro voo de um dirigĂ­vel, apresentando-os ao mundo e possibilitando o voo motorizado e controlado. ApĂłs uma sĂ©rie de acidentes de destaque, envolvendo dirigĂ­veis, os aviĂ”es foram reconhecidos como um veĂ­culo de transporte mais seguro e gradualmente os dirigĂ­veis foram direcionados para outras aplicaçÔes, tais como publicidade, turismo, vigilĂąncia e investigação. Hoje em dia os dirigĂ­veis estĂŁo a tornar-se novamente populares, promovendo a sua projeção para preencher uma lacuna no sector de transportes, no qual tĂȘm vantagens em relação a outros meios de transporte. Com o aumento da procura pelo transporte de carga, novas opçÔes de transporte estĂŁo sendo consideradas e os dirigĂ­veis tĂȘm vindo a receber mais atenção, agora que vĂĄrios paĂ­ses estĂŁo reavaliando os seus sistemas de transporte. PrevĂȘ-se que, com o tempo, maior confiança na operação de dirigĂ­veis e um Ăąmbito mais amplo para a sua aplicação, os dirigĂ­veis poderĂŁo assumir o controlo de uma parte do mercado de transporte de carga aĂ©rea, devido Ă s suas Ăłbvias vantagens competitivas. O objetivo principal deste trabalho Ă© desenvolver a gĂŽndola de um dirigĂ­vel, ajustĂĄvel Ă s necessidades do operador. Do transporte de passageiros ao transporte de carga, os dirigĂ­veis tornarĂŁo possĂ­veis missĂ”es que de outra forma levariam muito mais tempo a ser cumpridas e exigiriam muitos mais recursos a serem planeadas. Este projeto inclui tambĂ©m o design conceptual de um contentor de carga e respetivos mecanismos carga e descarga

    Study on the marketing strategy of Tianjin port logistics center

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