A new digital delivery service is being trialled in London by Ford and Gnewt from Menzies Distribution aimed at improving efficiency and reducing traffic congestion.
The last mile delivery service is driven by Ford’s multi-modal routing and logistics software MoDe:Link which enables the delivery firm, Gnewt in this instance, to coordinate assorted methods of local transport including pedestrian couriers.
The software identifies where delivery vans are best parked up briefly to act as dynamic distribution hubs from which the day’s deliveries in the vicinity are collected by the couriers – foot and bicycle – for delivery to recipients. This is all coordinated by MoDe:Link with the goal of enabling delivery firms to reduce costs by increasing their utilisation of vans.
“Our goal is to keep larger vehicles like delivery vans operating in the high=-load, less congested environments in which they perform best,” said Tom Thompson, project lead for Ford Mobility. “However, for the last mile of a journey into an urban area, where congestion and lack of parking can be a challenge, it makes sense to offload deliveries into more nimble, efficient and cost-effective modes of transport.”
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