Universality and resilience in logistics networks: a mean-field approach

Duration: 2/2017 – 1/2021 Funding: NWO

Partners: TU Delft, CWI, Logit-One

Complexity in logistics

For centuries, the Netherlands has been a major gateway to the rest of Europe thanks to its geographic location. Some 70 percent of 565 million tonnes of goods arriving annually in the Netherlands are sea transports, as are 35 percent of the goods leaving the Netherlands. Nearly 90 (95) million tonnes of the incoming goods enter (leave) the Netherlands by roads. The road is the dominant mode for domestic transport, equalling 80 percent of the total domestic transport. Complexity in Logistics is an NWO-project that deals with the rising complexity in logistics networks such as described above. In the near future the logistics network will experience a number of challenges imposed by the technological developments, such as autonomous travelling of containers and vehicles. Therefore the logistics network has to exhibit resilience, which the project consortium will investigate combining a universal one-dimensional mean-field description and choice behaviour modelling.

Contribution

Almende contributes its expertise in the field of multi-agent technology and network engineering, as well as collecting and providing experimental data to be used by the model. This provides the real-word validation of the mathematical models to be developed in the project.

Results

The insights about the behaviour and planning of logistics networks in complex situations are highly relevant to one of Almende’s spin-off ventures, DEAL, which is concerned with providing an agent-based platform for logistics. Furthermore, the project aligns strategically with Almende’s vision on logistics, specifically with regards to optimizing information flows to all participants in a logistics network.

More info?

Need specific information regarding the project? Please contact our senior consultant for more information.

Jan Kraaijeveld

Senior consultant

+31 (0)10 404 9444

jan@almende.com