Logistics Innovation Award
Containerisation International IT Innovation Award
MJC²'s container logistics planning software has won the Containerisation International IT Innovation Award.
The winning entry is a real-time freight scheduling system which saves money and cuts CO2 emissions for logistics and transport operations, while reducing congestion on roads and making freight more efficient.
The award was presented to MJC² by the BBC's Gavin Esler at the Containerisation International Awards ceremony in London, an event attended by 300 of the container industry's leading figures.
MJC²'s software automatically optimizes the multimodal container logistics operation, encouraging the use of green modes such as ship, rail or barge while synchronising the planning of truck and port movements.
This results in cost savings of 10% or more, plus a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and congestion on roads.
Why did it win?
The award winning solution brings together several extremely challenging container logistics planning problems: resource scheduling (i.e. vehicle/driver/equipment planning), container re-use (minimising wasted empty movements), movement scheduling (minimising congestion) and inventory optimization (stocks of empty containers).
This has required the development of ground-breaking optimization techniques that can cope with the enormous complexity presented by a container logistics operation.
Who uses it?
China Shipping is using the system to optimize its logistics operation in Spain and has seen major operational benefits in terms of cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions.
The MJC² system determines the best mode and resources to use for each container movement, while providing graphical real-time tools to provide the planners with visibility of their operation and reporting tools for strategic analysis.
Multimodal Logistics Optimization
MJC²'s multimodal logistics planning software is designed to schedule large, complex hinterland logistics operations. It combines the planning of rail and truck movements, making sure that rail capacity is used effectively while synchronising last-mile truck operations.
The software integrates with consignment booking and port community systems, and exploits the increased availability of real-time information about freight operations resulting from initiatives such as the e-Freight standard or single windows for shipping.