Mainport Logistics

Sustainable, efficient logistics depends on excellent, reliable, transport infrastructure that connects Schiphol Airport, the Amsterdam seaport and Royal Flora Aalsmeer. Access to the hinterland and other regions, such as the Ruhr Industrial Area in Germany and the port of Antwerp, is also crucial. Digitalisation is a key word here. Digital twins, for instance, help predict how much and what kind of transportation will be needed over time. This approach enables government and industry decision-making, for example around the design of (shortened or circular) distribution chains and the purchase of electric vehicles.

Logistics in practice

The Mainport Logistics research group focusses on the practical issues that government and businesses face. How do you prevent traffic jams and their consequence of increased pollution? What responses are possible to the predicted shortage of electricity at business/industrial parks? How does a supply chain change when companies start working in a circular way? And, of course, what are the pros and cons, the costs and benefits of each proposal? At the request of the Amsterdam Logistics Board, the research group is setting up an umbrella research programme for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region. It also conducts research for various clients and funding organisations.

The professor

Dick van Damme, who holds a PhD in Distribution Logistics & Financial Information from Eindhoven University of Technology, has been Professor of Mainport Logistics since 2003. He is also Programme Leader of the Raak-Pro project Ontketen de korte keten voor catering. “Our discipline is increasingly about the big picture and its relationship to major societal transitions, such as towards sustainable energy and a circular economy” says Van Damme. “This focus enables us to increase our impact.”

Education

The Mainport Logistics research group involves students in research via graduation internships and final assignments. The group contributes to education in the form of lectures and tutorials in the curriculums of the Logistics Management and Logistics Engineering programmes.

Partners

The Mainport Logistics research group works together with the Top Sector Logistics, the Amsterdam Logistics Board (ALB), the Amsterdam Logistics Programme Team (ALP) and several specialist logistics companies.