Enabling Logistics Data Sharing in the Physical Internet

Transcription

1 Enabling Logistics Data Sharing in the Physical Internet Dario Biggi a, Giancarlo Tretola b, Viviana Verdino c a Poste Italiane, biggidar@posteitaliane.it b Meware S.r.l., giancarlo.tretola@meware.it c Meware S.r.l., viviana.verdino@meware.it Abstract This paper is based on the activities executed, by the authors, during the Modulushca research project, for defining a common set of data and information, to be used in handling modular units in a structured logistic network. The main point of the paper is the use of Cloud Computing and Common Data Model as sounding approaches for enabling modular logistics, allowing information exchange and providing the support for achieving interoperability between participants' Information Technology (IT) Systems. The inspiring principles for defining the data model has been the Canonical Data Model (CDM), an Enterprise Applications Integrations (EAI) pattern and the e-freight management of data exchange. The idea is to have a common and shared format which to translate to and from the messages to be exchanged between the participants. Moreover, the authors defined roles and access rights for the participants to the modular logistics scenario. Authors, during the Modulushca project presented also the ICT high level architecture for managing the processes related to modular logistics, using the defined Common Data Model. The work central idea is that modular logistics is a viable approach for enabling shared delivery in the last mile logistics, in order to handle urban logistics problem. Keywords: Modular logistics, interconnected shared network, intermodal, data sharing, modular logistics. 1. Introduction In this work the authors describe the activities executed during the Modulushca project, for defining a common set of data and information, to be used in handling modular units in a structured logistic network (Tretola, Verdino and Biggi 2015). The inspiring principles for defining the data model has been the Canonical Data Model, an Enterprise Applications Integrations pattern and the e-freight management of data exchange (Tretola and Verdino 2014). The idea is to have a common and shared format which to translate to and from the messages to be exchanged between the participants. Moreover, the authors defined roles and access rights for the participants to the modular logistics scenario. This work covers the issues related to data exchange in order to enable ICT interoperability in the entire supply chain logistics exploiting modular containers. Modular logistics is a viable approach for enabling shared delivery in the last mile logistics, in order to improve filling factor and transport mean utilization, while reducing empty travels, traffic congestion and pollution. The M-Boxes and the data model are a possible contribution to the definition of an approach for achieving the Physical Internet (Montreil 2013, Montreil et al., 2014). Physical Internet considers getting products in and out of cities one of the big issue to be addressed, in fact most cities are not designed and equipped for easing freight transportation, handling and storage, making the feeding of businesses and users in cities a big problem. Therefore one of the main point the initiative try to address is solving and reorganizing the supply chain network using Corresponding author 1

2 modular containers (Montreil, 2013). The urban logistics is the last link in the supply chain and involves the major number of stakeholders: the carriers, the citizens, the public administration, public transport operators, retailers, etc. The proposed data model focuses on supporting the IT protocols for handling modular containers movements from source-to-sink, considering the handling of the M-Boxes in the operations of pick-up and drop-off, promoting sharing of cargo between LSPs, and enabling a better handling of the reverse logistic. Approach is based on using a structured network, with a common carrier approach across multimodal logistics domains. Regarding the handling of modular units, their internal contents and the stacking/order arrangement, we use a black-box approach, considering as driving model the encapsulation principle defined in the physical internet. The encapsulation principle is inspired to the digital internet handling of the information, the internet does not transmit data: simply transmits packets. The information inside the packet is not used during transmission, it is handled by original sender and final receiver of the packets only and are the "payload" of the packet. Packets are routed, through the digital internet, using only the header information. The Physical Internet encapsulates physical objects in physical packets. Similarly to the digital internet, handling of the M-Boxes is realized using the associated data model, which constitutes the "header" of the physical packets. This approach may be used for addressing an organized and collaborative modular logistics approach, supported by IT systems(tretola and Verdino 2015). Moreover, it is a viable approach for aiming to a more efficient urban logistics. 2. Related work Physical Internet Initiative Internet (Montreil 2013, Montreil et al., 2014) is a major supply chain project that has the potential of changing the way we handle, store, package and transport goods across the supply chain. Basically the researchers involved in the PI proposed that supply chain professionals could use the Internet as a metaphor for a new way to move physical objects through the supply chain (Montreil 2011). In the same way of the seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection model of the Digital Internet, Montreuil (et al., 2012) proposes an Open Logistics Interconnection (OLI) model to structure the interconnected logistics services for easing the conceptualization, the implementation and the deployment of the Physical Internet. The first project to be considered is Modulushca, related to the Physical Internet initiative and aimed at enabling interconnected logistics, using modular container (M-Boxes), digital interconnectivity of systems with modular container. The final goal is to provide a basis for an interconnected logistics system for The key enabler is the development and use of modular logistics units of sizes adequate for real modal and co-modal flows of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). This paper is based on the activities the authors performed in the project. Another interesting project is efreight (website: which is involved with the definition of a European Single Transport Document and an appropriate conceptual framework for carriage of goods with all the necessary legislative support. This is realized by mean of a single access point for administrative procedures in all modes in order to have simple, harmonized border crossings for all means of transport for EU member States. For this work the most relevant element, provided by efreight, is the reference model (the common framework) for the transport and logistics domain and the efreigh Access Point (EAP) that may be useful for the development of interoperable IT services (Bento et al. 2012). For what we are interested, icargo (website: aims to identify an ecosystem of services that enable cooperation and interoperability between information systems and logistics services. In icargo the objective of defining a service ecosystem approach is 2

3 pursued through Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), in which ICT services, in the virtual space, make available the features realized by logistics services, in the real world. ARKTRANS (website: is a Norwegian multimodal ITS framework architecture. It has been used as a base for modelling in the transport domain for several transport and logistics projects both in Norway and the EU. The work in ARKTRANS has defined a large set of roles and objects for the transport sector, as well as high-level generic use cases showing relations between actors of the sector and functions that are performed. Achieving interoperability is a common practice in the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) field, i.e. Gartner group defines EAI as 'unrestricted sharing of data and business processes among any connected application or data sources in the enterprises' (Gable 2002). EAI leverages on the methodologies provided by Service Oriented Computing (SOC), a computing paradigm that utilizes services as building blocks for developing solutions. To build the service model, SOC relies on the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), which is a way of reorganizing software applications and infrastructure into a set of interacting services (Papazoglou 2003). In its classical work Thomas Erl (2005) presented and discussed the analysis, design, realization and understanding of SOA development, for exploiting Web Services in order to achieve intracompany interoperability. In fact, SOA is a modelling paradigm for building applications by assembling different components modelled as black box services. Nowadays, it is viable to realize inter-company interoperability leveraging cloud computing approach, for it is possible to share services and operations, and not only the data, between companies (Qusay 2011). Collaboration between partner companies may be achieved using a choreographic approach, a way of aggregating services to realize business processes (van der Aalst and van Hee 2004). Choreography is quite the opposite of orchestration (the other possible approach). Orchestration composes services to a new service uses a central control over the whole process while choreography is based on each participant performing its own role, without central control, and enables different participants to collaborate to perform a business process. Each participant is only responsible of a part of the process and contributes services for performing it. Cloud computing enables the sharing of resources, hardware and software, their dynamic and optimized allocation, with cost that are billed basing on their real usage by the user and, finally, with a simplified maintenance and operation. Furthermore, cloud computing allows for handling an enormous amount of data, that may be analyzed for extracting valuable knowledge, according to the Big Data Analytics approach (Gartner: Authors have considered two points, in terms of collaboration between participant in a PI scenario. First, the Interoperability needs a supporting ICT approach for information exchange, which defines data organization, access roles and covers security issues. To this aim they have proposed a data model for information sharing (Tretola, Verdino and Biggi 2015). Second, it is important to consider all the objects and various assets in the logistics processes (location, warehouse, trucks, trailers, driver, etc.) it is not only a question of goods to be shipped. Global identifiers are the foundations of automatic data processing in nowadays electronic data interchange in trade and transport and logistics sector. GS1 identifiers are identifying goods, transport and logistics units, locations, transaction parties, shipments and consignments, means of transport and transport equipments but also documents and services (GS1 The availability of an open standard is paramount in order to enable interoperability between systems, being a common language it allows information exchange between different application. 3

4 A technology that have to be considered, in the road to achieve the Physical Internet, is the EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) and the EPCglobal initiative ( EPCIS may be considered as a complete approach for tracking and tracing goods, and all the other elements of the logistic networks, using Electonic Product Code (EPC) and unique universal identification numbers provided by GS1. The important advantage, from an IT point of view, is the open nature of the ECPCIS framework, which may use different tracking and tracing technologies, and may be adapted to diverse physical sensors. On the other hand the EPC global services allows a way of sharing info between different logistics support systems by means of 'exchanging traceable modular containers', which provides the key for accessing to the information. It is important also to consider the achievement in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT), which promises to enable physical object, to create a network and to communicate between them or to other devices (IoT: IoT 'active objects' approach could be an interesting addition, in the future, for the realization of the Physical Internet. It is opinion of the authors that IT systems for supporting PI needs both EPCIS and IoT. 3. Proposed approach The authors base idea is to have IT systems for handling movements, of modular units, from source-to-sink within a business process, using a structured network, with a collaborative approach across intermodal logistics domains (Tretola and Verdino 2014). The conceptual approach for the Modulushca System is based on the distributed systems approach, considering interoperability supported by the Modulushca Common Data Model (Tretola, Verdino and Biggi 2015), based on the Canonical Data Model (CDM) approach as presented by Hohpe (Hohpe and Woolf 2003), and enabled by the e-freight reference architecture ( The Interoperability needs a supporting ICT approach for information exchange, which defines data organization, access roles and covers security issues. At same time it is important to stay focused on one of the principles of the PI: routing of goods, not routing of vehicles. The objective of the PI is to move modular boxes in the same way packets are sent in the digital internet, i.e. each data packet travel independently, following an individual path, and travelling from one node to another, from the source to destination. In our view, a structured network (figure 1) is a network composed of logistics nodes, hierarchically interconnected by backbone connection or inter-regional (the coach layer), regional (the bus layer) and last mile (the "taxi" layer). Regarding the collaborative approach, it means that the shipment is performed with a collaborative effort of all actors collaborating in conveying the boxes, with regard to transfers, optimizing the flow-time and at minimal cost. About intermodal logistics, the point is that the boxes are able to be carried by different means of transportation (intermodal) without being unpacked. Concerning naming convention the delivery of modular boxes from original sender to final receiver is identified as shipment, while the delivery from one hub to another is identified as consignment. 4

5 Source Company X Logistics Network DC Router (line-haul sectors) Top level (Inter-regional service) Router Downhaul Uphaul Router DC Company Y Logistics Network Router Router DC Middle level (regional) Bus-stop-freight service... in the direction of the goods-flow Local Taxi Services Sink Bottom level Figure 1: Interconnected network concept. Authors aimed at addressing the main differences between PI metaphor and the real digital Internet, in order to design a suitable ICT architecture. First of all, Digital Internet is based on two synergic ways of operation. One is related to point to point connections, between the nodes in the backbones, which use of the Store and Forward methodology, a technique in which information is sent from one node to another, in a chain of point to point transmissions. In each node a message received is stored and sent to the final destination or to another intermediate message processor. The intermediate node, verifies the integrity of the message before forwarding it, and maintains a copy of the message until it is completely received by the other end of the point to point channel. The other way of operation, supplementing the previous, is the communication protocols based on Automatic Repeat request (ARQ): an error-control method for data transmission that uses acknowledgements and timeouts to achieve reliable data transmission over an unreliable communication channel. If the sender does not receive an acknowledgment, before a prefixed timeout, it re-transmits the frame/packet until it receives an acknowledgment or exceeds a predefined number of re-transmissions attempts. In the Internet it is transmitted information, so an immaterial and virtual payload, while logistics is aimed at moving loads of real materials and the principal problems are that freight may be not stored and forwarded at the same time and may not be re-sent, in case one packet is lost. In fact, the common element in the digital Internet is the bit, an immaterial element, while in the PI is the atom, a concrete element. Freight handling is a costing operation, so repeating operations, or taking longer paths, increase the cost of the delivery. The equivalent concept of bandwidth (space available on the trucks, trains, etc.) and linking (existence of a viable path between two points) are related to physical presence of the carriers and the possibility to move them to the intended destination. The items to be shipped have physical parameters (weight, dimension, etc.) and may be valuable or fragile, they are not immaterial and may not be handled all in the same way as a digital packet. In order to overcome this differences and narrowing the gap between the metaphor and the real world, some decision should be taken. It is important to have a very accurate tracking and tracing (T&T) approach for addressing lack of Store and Forward methodology and ARQ protocol. T&T allows for detecting errors during the shipment of the modular containers, and 5

6 enable knowing, in real time, the status of the overall shipments, from the position of each of its packets. Logistic nodes planning must be based on carriers availability on the links (cargo routing) aiming at maximize cross-docking and minimize storage, in order to fill up the carriers and minimize the waiting time. M-Boxes modular dimensions allows for optimal filling and ease loading and unloading, being of standard sizes, so handling procedures and machine may be designed with more accuracy. Black box approach enables collaboration between LSPs in the last mile: delivery may be executed using one single carrier, which handles M-Boxes from different shipment, increasing the utilization of the transport means and reducing the number of vehicles. This approach, however, have to be supported by the IT systems, which are responsible for planning and managing the shipments, the carriers, and all the other assets needed for a logistic process to be executed. 4. Moduluscha common data model Supporting the architecture there is the definition of the collaboration information (in the Modulushca Common Data Model) to be exchanged by the partners along a modular supply chain, in order to allow tracking, tracing and planning (Tretola, Verdino and Biggi 2015). The objective is the digital integration, to be achieved through: unique identification of the M-Boxes, where the unique id is the key for retrieving the related information (sender, destination, etc.), which may be accessed from anywhere through the cloud; allowing access to information with different access rights for different roles, owners retain the rights to modify data, other roles may get part of the info, basing on the grants they have; forwarding information along the supply chain, particularly data related to planning, routing, handling and storing; locating the boxes (in space and time) in order to trace them, T&T info have to be exchanged between the systems; observe events in the real world in order to bring them in the IT world, for allowing dynamic adaptation and efficiency assessment. We refer to the data model as the Modulushca Common Data Model or Coloured Data Model. The access to the information handled by the model is connected to the context awareness, which may be considered as a window allowing to see only part of the information, depending on the role of the actor who is accessing to the information and the situation in which this access is performed. This contexts have been modelled considering the data tagged by a colour. Diverse colour, means different level of accessibility for the data. 6

7 RFID or other Active TAG QR Code or Bar Code GPS Positioning: Track the Truck (Russian Dolls approach) MBox Cloud Services UUID Distributed DB MBox Data Network flow Shipment flow Business flow GRAI (UUID) Size Weight Fragility Perishibility Special environment(s) Public routing info: - GINC - destination address Protected business related info: - GSIN - sender identity - receiver identity - source address - description of goods - value - time-window Reserved information to be exchanged only between sender and receiver: ID_order - invoice - acknowledge - missing items - ETA Figure 2: Modulushca Common Data Model. The model is schematized in figure 2. It is important to clear that the represented model is a conceptual model, so it may be further detailed and extended. For achieve the needed flexibility, the model is realized with XML Schema Definition Language and the defined XSD types are extensible and may be updated. The modular unit is tagged with devices (i.e. RFID, or other active Tag from the IoT technologies) or description (i.e. QR Code or Bar Code), or both of them, which enables to read the "green data" directly from the M-Box, itself, or by accessing to IT Systems, by means of the UUID like the GS1 Global Returnable Address Identifier (GRAI) and retrieving them. The green data, defined M-Box data, are needed for correct and safe handling of the modular unit and of its content. They may be read by humans operators directly with portable device or by automated systems. They enable and ease, the loading, unloading, stacking, cold storage and so on. Moreover, the RFID are used for enabling the EPCIS, for the handling of track and trace, and for the generation of events to be processed in the IT systems. The UUID on the M-Box there is the GRAI that allows for accessing to the IT Systems, in order to retrieve more information about the box. Regarding the tracking and trace we consider a Russian Dolls approach, exploiting encapsulation of goods, inside Modular Boxes, inside pallets (or inside modular boxes of greater dimension), and inside carriers (trucks, trains, etc.). The tracking of each single box is obtained tracking dynamic aggregation of boxes, that travels by one node to another, in each consignment that realize the overall shipment. The proposed Modulushca Common Data Model, identified also as the Coloured Model, has been obtained considering the encapsulation approach, proposed by the Physical Internet and is the base for the definition of interfaces and protocols. The interfaces may be defined through a set of operations, usable by the IT systems in order to interoperate one with the other for exchange data as defined in the proposed Modulushca Common Data Model. The protocols are the description of interaction between actors using the defined interfaces and the types 7

8 proposed in the Modulushca Common Data Model. In the Modulushca project the proposed CDM provide an efficient way of enabling meaningful comparisons across disparate data sources and differences in data capture processes and/or underlying supply chain characteristics that are important for interpreting results produced from each database. Data privacy and security is very important in logistics. Logistics data contains commercial relations between organization including agreements and costs and should therefore only be disclosed to authorized organizations and persons. As Logistic Service Providers (LSPs) and carriers are responsible for handling (high value) products of others, they are also liable up to a certain amount. What data is required by an LSP or carrier for actual value exchange? In case a service provider does not have and does not require data, i.e. the actual content of a container, but only a broad description (STC: Said To Contain), that provider can only be held liable for loss or damage for a particular amount, e.g. cargo weight. Who has access to particular (real-time) data, i.e. for collaboration or inspection (to govern security and food safety)? Data visibility is not only required for collaboration amongst organization operating in logistic and in the entire supply chains, but also from an authority perspective. Different mechanisms can be implemented, i.e. Role Based Access Control is probably the most well-known and applied in practice. However, in a dynamic environment roles of an organization differ per supply chain configuration. Access control thus needs to be related to the participant role in a particular supply chain. Organizations like shippers/consignees, LSPs and carriers basically can have access to data of others if they have agreed for such collaboration. However, they should only have access to data of business transactions in which they are service provider and customer, unless granted otherwise (e.g. full supply chain visibility). Authorities should only have access to data of incoming and outgoing cargo flows types of goods (e.g. agricultural goods) in the territory they govern. The coloured model addresses this needs, providing already public data, directly accessible on the modular unit. More restricted data may be required and accessed, basing on the roles of the requestor. All the actors involved in the logistic processes may be tagged with a role, which allows for accessing to the data, which may be colour tagged. In our conception the role may be the follows: green role: access granted only to the green data (i.e. systems and operators not involved in the logistic process but only in the handling, storing, stocking); yellow role: access granted only to green and yellow data (i.e. logistic service provider involved in the transport); orange role: access granted to all but red data (i.e. the shipper managing the shipment, the authorities); red role: access granted to all data (i.e. original sender and original receiver, involved in the business processes). 8

9 Manufacturer, Retailer Public Data Network Data Shipment Data Shipper (4PL), Custom authorities Business Data MBox handlers, Warehouse LSPs, Carriers (3PL) Figure 3: Roles and data access. The proposed model, then, is an important contribution in the direction of defining a model for interoperability of IT Systems. The model has been defined using XML and XSD, in order to be platform independent, extensible, machine processable and human readable. It is based on supporting standards and proposals: the GS1 and EPCIS. Moreover, it is inspired on the results of the efreight project, for defining and using XML based documents, EAP and interoperable systems. The proposed model may be further extended and improved but is a valuable and feasible result. In fact it has been used for defining an High Level IT architecture, in the Modulushca project, for realizing the modular logistics. This result may be advantageously applied to urban logistics congestion problems, leveraging on modularity, encapsulation and collaboration. 5. Conclusion The Physical Internet approach is based on three layers of interconnectivity: physical, digital and operational. The interconnectivity is based on the following concepts: encapsulation, interfaces, and protocols. The present work presented an approach for handling the modular boxes, in a interconnected logistics scenario. The architecture is conceived for using the Common Data Model defined in Modulushca, which has been obtained considering the encapsulation approach, proposed by the PI, and is the base for the definition of interfaces and protocols. The interfaces, in fact, may be defined through a set of operations, usable by the IT systems in order to interoperate one with the other for exchange data as defined in the proposed Modulushca Common Data Model. The protocols, are the description of interaction between actors using the defined interfaces and the types proposed in the cited Data Model. The proposed model, then, is an important contribution in the direction of defining a model for interoperability of IT Systems. The Modulushca Common Data Model has been defined using XML (Extensible Markup Language) and XSD (XML Schema Definition), in order to be platform independent, extensible and human readable (Tretola et al. 2015). Considering vantages and disadvantages of the proposed architecture we may propose our evaluation. The advantages of the proposed approach are the following. LSPs may participate in a bigger market, being involved in more deliveries even if they are only in charge of part of them. The architecture allow for reallocating resources where there are needed, basing on 9

10 the real needs. Collaboration between LSPs enable the offering of more efficient services to the customers. The proposed architecture may go towards the realization of the PI, bringing social and environmental advantages. The disadvantage that we have identified are described in the following. LSPs should share customers with other participants and for someone the trade off may be negative. The revenues from the shipments are divided between the LSPs and, also, have to cover the cost of the ICT partners, covering the new roles added to the scenario. Evolution of IT systems needs investment in hardware, software and network connection, and most of this cost have to be sustained initially to begin the collaboration. The security of data and authorized access to them is always a sensible issue; if it was not handled correctly, the overall systems could fail. The Modulushca Common Data Model proposed by the authors, with its roles and grants, proposes a viable approach for handling this issues. Urban logistics may benefit of this approach because in the last mile modular logistics approach enables a collaborative effort in performing the consignment. Collaborative planning enable sharing transport means and coupling delivery with picking up. LSPs may increase the load factor of each transport mean and, at same time, decrease the number of them in the urban areas. Benefits are less traffic congestion and less pollution. Regarding the last mile that is the most critical phase, because have contacts with final customers, we postulate the situation that when cargos (encapsulated in modularized boxes) arrive at the last Physical Internet hub, there is one important decision, that is, to distribute the cargos to their ordered customers. Such a problem is a typical Vehicle Routing Problem with capacity constraint. However, in the world of the Physical Internet, since all the cargos are stored inside of modularized boxes, in the process to check the feasibility of a route in the Vehicle Routing Problem, not only do the weight and volume capacity of a vehicle matter, but also the dimensions of the boxes are required to take into account as well. Therefore, to certain extent, the first problem that we have tackled is a dreadful combination of the Vehicle Routing Problem and the Bin Packing Problem. For solutions, we devised a two-level algorithm whose upper level is a heuristic to generate route for each vehicle and lower level aims to check the feasibility of the route constructed in the previous decision process. All the mentioned problems above will be easy manage by a logistic data sharing platform. References Article in a journal: Gable J. (2002), "Enterprise application integration". Information Management Journal, March- April Montreuil B. (2011), "Towards a Physical Internet: Meeting the Global Logistics Sustainability Grand Challenge", Logistics Research, Vol. 3, No. 2-3, p , Qusay H. (2011), "Demystifying Cloud Computing". The Journal of Defense Software Engineering (CrossTalk) Conference Paper: Bento N., Cane T., Kjellberg C., Pedersen J.T., Rosen M. (2012), "efreight - the edelivery Infrastructure", Proceedings of the e-freight 2012 Conference, Delft, The Netherlands, 9-10 May Cane T., Mattheis S., Tsoukos G., Focas C., Koliousis I. (2012), "The e-freight Multimodal e - Waybill". Proceedings of the e-freight 2012 Conference, Delft, The Netherlands, 9-10 May

11 Hofman, W., Bastiaansen, H., Van den Berg, J., Pruksasri, P. (2012), "A platform for secure, safe, and sustainable logistics". Proceedings of the e-freight 2012 Conference, Delft, The Netherlands, 9-10 May Montreuil B., Ballot E., Fontane F. (2012), "An Open Logistics Interconnection Model for the Physical Internet". Proceedings of INCOM 2012 Symposium, Bucharest, Romania, 2012/05/ Papazoglou, M.P. (2003): Service-oriented computing: concepts, characteristics and directions. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineering WISE 2003, December Tretola G. and Verdino V. (2014), "A Collaborative Approach for Managing Data and Processes in the Physical Internet Using Modular Logistics". Poster presentation in 1st International Physical Internet Conference, Québec City, Canada, May Tretola G., Verdino V., Biggi D. (2015), "A Common Data Model for the Physical Internet". 2nd International Physical Internet Conference, Paris, France, 6-8 July Tretola G., Verdino V. (2015), "High Level ICT Architecture for Modular Logistics". 2nd International Physical Internet Conference, Paris, France, 6-8 July Website: ARKTRANS: EDI: efreight: EPCIS: FreightWise: GS1 GS1 Identification Keys in Transport & Logistics, GS1 Guidelines. icargo: KonSULT: Modulushca project official page: Montreuil B. (2013), "Physical Internet Manifesto", v1.10, (Original v1.0, 2009), SmartFreight: UBL: XML: Book: Erl T., (2005), "Service-Oriented Architecture: Concepts, Technology, and Design". Prentice Hall PTR, August 04, Montreuil B., E. Ballot & R. D. Meller (2014), "Physical Internet", Documentation Française (La), September 5, Hohpe G., Woolf B. (2003), "Enterprise Integration Patterns: Designing, Building, and Deploying Messaging Solutions". Addison-Wesley, van der Aalst, W. and van Hee K. M.(2004), "Workflow Management: Models, Methods, and Systems (Information Systems)". The MIT press, Acknowledgements The research activities, leading to the results presented in this paper, has been executed in the frame of the Modulushca projects, which has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme. 11