The rise of e-commerce worldwide has led to more delivery vehicles plying the roads, creating more traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution. How can the delivery of goods be better organised in Singapore to ensure that our city remains liveable and sustainable?
Digitalisation
Some local companies are leading the way by tapping on emerging digital technologies to reduce the length of trips and the number of delivery trucks on the road. For example, the software company Versafleet has developed a transport management system that optimises delivery routes to reduce the amount of time delivery trucks spend on the road.
Resource Pooling
A recent study by the Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology found that trucks going into Orchard Road were less than 40% full, and were bound for only one shop per mall. AAK Logistics Services is one of several local firms piloting consolidation centres to address such inefficiencies. By consolidating the goods from separate companies in one place before delivery to the retailers in the same location, it maximises the efficiency of deliveries, thereby reducing the number of trucks on the road.
Scheduling
Trucks arriving at unloading bays at the same time can often cause road congestion as well. To minimise this, new technology platforms are being deployed to stagger deliveries at Fusionopolis One @ one-north and Changi Airport Terminal 4.
These, and other innovative ideas transforming the urban logistics industry, are currently showcased at the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s “Delivering Together: Transforming Urban Logistics” exhibition. The exhibition was opened by Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong, who said: “We must optimise the delivery of goods within our island to bring greater convenience to consumers, to help businesses lower costs and ultimately to enhance our competitiveness as a regional hub.”
Minister Wong noted that while the exhibition focuses on business-to-consumer and business-to-business logistics, urban logistics is ultimately part of a larger multi-modal logistics management system bringing goods into and out of Singapore.
To learn more about the innovations transforming urban logistics in Singapore, visit the “Delivering Together: Transforming Urban Logistics” exhibition at the URA Centre, which will run until 15 February 2019.