BESTFACT

Press Release No2 June 2012 BESTFACT 1st International Cluster Workshop Eco-efficient Solutions in Freight Transport Chains, Amsterdam, June, 21-22 How to discover a best practice related to Urban freight, Green logistics, Co-modality and eFreight? How to learn from industrial, city or administration cases? These issues were at the centre of interactive discussions of more than 60 delegates at the BESTFACT 1st international cluster workshop “Eco-efficient Solutions in Freight Transport Chains”. Host was ABN-AMRO HQ in Amsterdam, while the port authority of Amsterdam offered ample network possibilities (boat tour). BESTFACT (Best Practice Factory for Freight Transport), a new initiative assembling 18 EU partners (industries, research institutes, universities, international associations), intends to develop, benchmark, pool, disseminate and enhance the utilisation of best practices and innovations in freight logistics. It contributes to EU transport policies, by promoting and boosting the competitiveness and decreasing the environmental impact. In the words of the project coordinator, Marcel Huschebeck (PTV Group), the aim of the workshop was to provide access, room for discussion and information exchange to different groups of interest, having in mind a professional transferability of the offered cases and allowing a better coordination between industrial and administrative stakeholders. The EU Commission, represented by Fleur Breullin (DG MOVE), stressed the importance to develop methods enabling a transferability of best practices (guidelines, tools, etc.). This significant signal was taken aboard by the consortium. Whereas the key-note speeches (EIA, Connekt, PANTEIA ,Wavin, Wim Bosman Group) were useful to set the scene and give the audience a well-framed image of the present policy scene, CO2 saving potentials and future challenges, the Clusters’ coordinators (Universities of Westminster, Newcastle, MARLO) introduced electric vehicles, energy efficiency, consolidation concepts, collaboration and green freight management as the top issues of the day. Strategic targets and key challenges in freight and logistics were presented as outcome of a large BESTFACT survey in which transport, shippers, administrations and consultancies took part. Dedicated workshops were facilitated on the second day, where companies and institutions presented innovative business cases, in most cases leading to any kind of saving, increase of efficiency, new forms of collaboration or exploiting new market opportunities. Interventions from DHL, Transport for London, SOGARIS and the Berlin Senate showed that regarding urban freight transport, a number of relevant stakeholders is needed working closely together while formulating a common understanding of both the positive function of urban freight transport and the negative side effects it may cause. The Green logistics and Co-modality session was dedicated to presentations about highly innovative possibilities to increase efficiency in freight transport and has clearly shown that rail transport offers benefits in terms of reliability and cost, even to shippers with high level

quality needs. Also the fairy tale “Combined Transport Road/Rail only makes sense on distances over 500km” was clearly abandoned as shown by a Swiss example where transports are carried out by a hybrid cargo shuttle and making use of new loading and unloading means. Also collaboration of shippers under clear trust rules offers excellent opportunities to improve the presently highly inefficient freight transport balance with 24% of good vehicles in the EU running empty (World Economic Forum Supply Chain Study 2009). The e-Freight session offered workshop participants six presentations of quite different approaches and points of views in e-Freight and eco-efficiency. These were produced by MARLO, DHL, Portbase - just to mention a selection. E-Freight assists operators to improve their environmental standards, e.g. by enabling reduction of waste in terms of fuel and capacity usage, facilitating modal split thanks to reliable cargo information, or gathering data for an efficient common carbon footprint calculation system. Now it is time for the private sector to bring forward innovative E-Freight solutions without the intervention of public authorities, as win-win situations are easily reachable. Public authority efforts remain required, particularly if it relates to extra-EU trade. Custom training has to be supported for foreign countries to implement E-Freight solutions. A technical visit (boat tour) to the Port of Amsterdam showed some of the most recent developments in the port aiming to increase the efficiency and to link the transport modes in a physical and e-way. It was also possible to fully understand the innovative concept of Circle Lines, by which container transport on waterways and the road collection and delivery of containers to and from the transshipment points are integrated into a single pre-defined transport service. A reason to participate to future BESTFACT events: taking advantage to network, exchange experiences, taking part in lively discussions with panel experts while making your voice heard. BESTFACT disseminate freight Best Practices at the highest level: Share – Inspire – Optimise!

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New containers for waste logistics

Commercial transport in Amsterdam

Cluster workshop

BESTFACT in situ Contact: www.bestfact.net Project coordinator: Marcel Huschebeck, PTV Group Phone: +49-721-9651-178 Email: info@bestfact.net