Overview
LaMiLo (last mile logistics) an INTERREG IVB North West Europe (NWE) project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to create a step change in freight deliveries by fully considering the last mile of a supply chain when planning a freight logistics journey, ensuring a more efficient and integrated logistics approach throughout North West Europe (NWE). The project brings together experts from all sectors of the freight transport industry to change the behaviour of private companies, the public sector, and consumers to make better use of existing transport infrastructures and networks.
Freight transport of consumer goods has a global dimension with the first mile element of the supply chain often being in a different country to the last mile that reaches out to the end customer. This element is inefficient and costly to businesses and consumers. The urban density of the NWE programme area, while especially vulnerable to congestion and pollution, offers excellent conditions to demonstrate that new approaches can be effective for consumers and economically viable for companies. The project will promote new business practices, which have so far only been tested at research pilot scale, for delivering individual consumer goods to homes, shops and distribution centres. It will simplify last mile logistics and embed new ways of delivering goods by changing the behaviour of private companies, the public sector and consumers.
Globalisation and e-commerce change how we shop. Home deliveries of very small loads with a first call failure rate of around 60% lead to increased emissions and congestion in urban areas. LaMiLo will create a set of coherent and interconnected tools, strategies and demonstrators to prove operational viability to the private sector.
By utilising more environmentally friendly transport methods such as electric and other low emission fuel powered vehicles and, wherever possible, encouraging the use of freight movement by rail and water, LaMiLo will also aim to reduce CO2 levels in city centres and freight hubs. This will help deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to both communities and businesses across the region.
An agent for change
Project partners from seven member states will explore current freight logistics practices in North West Europe, identifying challenges and opportunities to improve last mile supply chains and encourage more sustainable transport methods. This will enable the project to quantify the carbon, congestion, noise and cost impacts on businesses as a result of late deliveries and the redeliveries of single van loads.
Simulating last mile solutions
Through a series of practical pilot projects in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK, LaMiLo will look to stimulate more efficient and effective large scale last mile logistic solutions. The project will also explore ways to help change the behaviour of target groups and improve public sector policy.
Sharing knowledge
LaMiLo will share learning and best practice with other relevant projects and industry organisations as well as public planning and transport authorities to influence their future thinking. Knowledge will also be shared with private sector businesses to encourage innovation and sustainable economic growth. The project findings will influence the development of EU funding programmes for 2014-2020.
There are 4 work packages:
- WP 1 (Baseline and Validation) ensuring a fully transnational approach to the investments, implementing an evaluation plan and creating baseline sustainability indicators
- WP 2 (Championing best practice) establishing the knowledge hub and implementing benchmarking best practice
- WP 3 (Tools and mechanisms for improved public and private sector decision making) will address changing the behaviour of target groups and develop improved public sector policy solutions
- WP 4 (Demonstrating practical solutions) will develop solutions for private sector operations and use each of the four investments to test real life last mile logistics solutions at scale
Practical solutions will be demonstrated in Camden, Euston, the Netherlands, Paris, Brussels and Perth.