The RWTH Aachen University scientist wins the international logistics award and a EUR 10,000 cash prize
What will logistics look like in the future, and what opportunities will digitalisation make possible? Small and medium-sized forwarding agents in particular have to figure out how to keep up with the big players in the future. The answer may lie in cooperation and logistics networks, says Dr Christian Tummel, whose dissertation, entitled “IT cooperation platform for direct, cross-forwarder less-than-truckload transport”, has earned him the 2015 DB Schenker Award.
Dr Tummel earned his doctorate at RWTH Aachen. The award will be presented to him today in Berlin by Member of the Management Board of DB Dr Richard Lutz. Dr Tummel will receive a cash prize of EUR 10,000. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Henning from RWTH Aachen will also be recognized for supporting and supervising Dr Tummel’s work and will receive EUR 5,000. The award will be presented at the DB mindbox in Berlin this evening.
According to Dr Richard Lutz, Member of the Management Board for Finance and Controlling at Deutsche Bahn, “Christian Tummel’s work on logistics concepts for direct less-than-truckload transport involving cooperation among forwarding agents is forward-looking because it describes how to implement and organise an IT cooperation platform. The solutions and concepts he presents can be applied to a number of other fields.”
Dr Tummel’s dissertation examines the basic requirements that small and medium-sized forwarding agents need in a logistics concept and IT solution for direct cross-forwarder transport. Small and medium-sized forwarding agents in road haulage increasingly depend on the synergistic effects of cooperating with other forwarding agents and on collaborating with competitors. They are relying more heavily on freight exchanges and logistics networks. Less than truckload (LTL) transport continues to pose considerable challenges for small and medium-size forwarding agents, however. Implementing new cooperation solutions and the IT based tools needed to do so will be crucial if these smaller forwarders are to compete with the big players in the LTL segment.
At the event, Matt Chasen, CEO of the successful American start-up uShip, provides interesting insights into the innovation culture of the international start-up scene. DB Schenker is cooperating with the online freight exchange on the development of DB Schenker’s Drive4Schenker platform to take advantage of digital innovations, move freight more quickly and efficiently, and improve service for customers and partners.
The DB Schenker Award aims to encourage the work of young talent and is organised by the Deutsche Bahn Foundation. The international award is handed out annually and comes with a EUR 10,000 cash prize. The DB Schenker Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious honours in the logistics sector. It encourages young academics to undertake research into transport, logistics and traffic that not only attains a level of technical excellence but also displays a high degree of innovation along with benefiting the environment and society.
(Source: DB Schenker)
