Towards quality-aware control of perishable goods in synchromodal transport networks

Abstract

Innovative technological developments are leading to smart ways for producing food more efficiently and of higher quality. Nevertheless, lots of perishable goods are wasted because of inefficiencies during the subsequent transport process. The amount of wastage could be reduced via better planning and control of transport activities. Perishable goods logistics can be better supported by real-time information of goods and the emerging concept of synchromodality, as sensing and communication technology develops. In this paper a decision making system is proposed for perishable goods logistics service providers to reduce loss of freshness using synchromodal transport. The approach starts from the perspective of individual containers and the different types of equipment/vehicles used to transport these containers. With both the perishing feature and the transport situations of perishable goods considered, the controller decides when and where containers with such goods should be moved to. Simulation experiments illustrate how the approach could improve the quality and reduce the operation time during transport processes.