What do we need to bridge international transport corridors and make them resilient when disruptions inevitably happen?

We need data – high-quality, accessible, and shared data.

At our recent SIG B3 seminar, we explored how multimodal transport chains can become smarter and more resilient through better data availability. A recurring theme emerged: the varying levels of readiness among players to share their data. As Dr. Ralf Bammerlin from the German Federal Department of Transport aptly put it: We need data protection, but if we never share data, we cannot make data accessible and foster progress.

From the U.S., Dr. Thomas Koch from MIT presented the FLOW Project: an initiative to optimize supply chains through improved data use in logistics. Initially focused on containerized import freight, it demonstrates the potential when diverse actors collaborate and share data on a common platform.

Looking ahead, Prof. Lori Tavasszy offered a glimpse into the future: a landscape filled with digital platforms and new services designed to meet the ever-growing demand in freight transport. To make this vision work, we’ll need to adapt how we operate — and how we trust. We’ll need an anchor (perhaps the Physical Internet?), we’ll need to turn visions into operational plans, and we’ll need clear governance to build an efficient and resilient logistics architecture.

A big thank you to our speakers as well as to our other Co-Chairs Elenna Dugundji, Gunnar Stefansson and Mahnam Saeednia.

Read more: How can we make intermodal transport chains more resilient when disruptions occur?