SAVED - Samenwerkend Autonoom Vervoer op bEDrijventerreinen
Logistics companies face increasing difficulty in maintaining supply chains that are cost-efficient, reliable, and sustainable. This pressure is driven by fluctuating demand patterns, intensified competition, and rising customer service expectations. To stay competitive, operations must deliver high efficiency at minimal cost. Within the supply chain, first- and last-mile logistics remain particularly challenging due to fragmented volumes, extended waiting and transit times, and complex scheduling requirements. These inefficiencies can account for up to 40% of total transport costs.
Connected Automated Transport (CAT) represents a key technological advancement with the potential to improve safety, efficiency, and environmental performance, particularly in first- and last-mile operations. According to the Connected Automated Driving Roadmap (ERTRAC), CAT can fundamentally transform fleet operations. Earlier initiatives, such as the CATALYST Project (NWO), have already demonstrated its strategic potential. The SAVED project builds on these insights by translating high-level concepts into actionable solutions at the tactical and operational (company) level.
Despite the technological maturity of CAT, large-scale commercial adoption remains limited. Key barriers include uncertainty around profitable integration into existing logistics processes and infrastructure. There is a clear need for in-depth research on automated hub-to-hub freight transport, focusing on vehicle design, operational control (including planning, routing, positioning, and battery management), governance structures (centralized, decentralized, or hybrid control), communication protocols (vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure), and the automation of loading and unloading processes. These insights must ultimately be translated into viable business models.
Against this backdrop, SAVED addresses the following core question: “How can automated and collaborative hub-to-hub transport be effectively designed, and what are the impacts on People, Planet, and Profit (PPP) across logistics value chains within industrial estates of varying sizes, spatial configurations, and traffic conditions (mixed versus dedicated infrastructure)?”
The project delivers actionable insights into the applicability of CAT and its impact on logistics value chains, supported by two in-depth case studies across different industrial estate contexts.
