Digitalization and AI in focus for freight transport – What does the industry need?

Under the leadership of Jonas Höglund, responsible for digitalization at CLOSER, a wide range of actors gathered to discuss the future of digitalization in freight transport. The purpose of the roundtable was to identify the industry's needs and create inspiration for changes that can lead to more efficient and sustainable transport solutions. The conversation began with a lecture by Sara Ali from Logtrade under the heading "What if products move themselves?". Sara highlighted the possibilities of a self-organizing transport system where products can initiate and control their own movement through smart technology and data sharing. This thought-provoking concept set the tone for the discussions, which were about how data sharing, automated solutions and digitization can transform the entire transport chain.

Challenges and opportunities in digitization

Then the discussion continued at the round table, with participants from different sectors, both end users and those who can contribute with solutions participated. There were representatives from authorities, municipalities, industry and academia. The focus was on the potential of digitalization but also the challenges that need to be overcome to realize these visions.

One issue that was raised was the need for improved data sharing between actors in the transport chain. In order to optimize flows, for example when handling goods at terminals and transitions between different modes of transport in multimodal freight transport solutions, flexible and standardized information sharing is required.

Another central challenge concerned the understanding of what the architecture for data sharing looks like. Once this structure has been mapped, it becomes possible to dive into the various subsets and find solutions to specific problem areas. It is important to look at the challenge from different perspectives such as from product owners, process owners, technology owners, carriers and infrastructure holders.

Furthermore, there are difficulties in providing systems with the right and qualitative data for the task. digitalization can contribute to better decision-making, but in many cases it is costly and complex to collect the necessary data. This is a reality for many smaller players where digitalization is generally a challenging issue. Although there are a number of systems available to manage transport flows, these solutions are often too complex or costly for smaller players to adopt. The smaller players often lack the financial and knowledge resources to implement advanced digital tools, creating a gap in the industry where smaller companies lag behind.

Finally, the need to raise knowledge about the possibilities of digitalization on a wider front was emphasized. The understanding of how digitalization can change and make one's own operations more efficient and which data can be shared needs to increase.

The way forward: Small steps towards big changes

In order for digitalization to succeed, commitment from several actors along the entire transport chain is required. It is important not to try to grab too large pieces at once. One solution may be to start with a specific part of the transport chain and dare to go deep to identify and solve problems in real applications. By focusing on concrete "cases" and applications, steps can be taken towards a more efficient and sustainable freight transport system.

CLOSER exists to take your needs further and develop solutions together with you! We continue to collect ideas and wishes about what CLOSER should focus on in digitalization and AI during the current program period. We encourage you as organizations to participate and express your needs and together with us drive the development of a more efficient and sustainable freight transport system.

Express your needs through an email to Jonas or if you want to collaborate in digitalization and logistics.