Pilot 1: Distribution of packaged goods from food manufacturers to retail outlets located in urban areas (Greece, Netherlands)

The focus of this pilot will be to identify opportunities for synergies and assess the impact of matching the product flows of different food manufacturers distributing their goods in urban areas, with the objective to eliminate unnecessary vehicle movement.

Modelling and simulation will be used to identify the potential economic and societal value of alternative solutions and address questions like:

• To what extent can the flows of different food manufacturers be consolidated to serve certain districts in an urban environment given the unique characteristics and requirements of different food products?
  
• What can be the anticipated benefits from consolidating the flows for different pairs and combinations of flows?
  
• What will be the impact of a regional consolidation centre servicing the flows to all the stores in a region, whether they are independent or belonging to a retail chain, and how does this compare to centralized delivery from a retailer's central warehouse?
  
• How do different consolidation schemes, depending on the size and location of regional consolidation centres or hubs, compare to each other?
  

Pilot 2: Distribution of fresh food from local producers in urban areas (Italy)

The focus of this pilot will be the definition of the scope and scale of short supply chains in regional markets incorporating both green logistics and ethical issues. Food and grocery products from local producers in the northern Italy area of Piemonte and Lombardy regions will be delivered to consumers located in the urban area of Milan.

The overall objective will be the provision of tailored logistics schemes to independent supply chains run by local retailers and producers and/or co-owned with consumers. As a result, unnecessary freight vehicles traffic will be eliminated and local transport flows of goods will be optimised.  
  
In-depth analyses will be carried out to establish the overall market size for collaborative short supply chains in Northern Italy using data from retailers, local food communities, ethical purchasing groups and associations of local producers. A functional link with Rete GAS, co-operatives, the Slow Food initiatives and Coldiretti will be established. The Municipality of Milan through its Mobility Agency AMAT will provide the needed support to the U-TURN pilot action: this will be facilitated by the current involvement of TRT in the development of the new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Milan and by the project Cyclelogistics Ahead, funded by the Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme, where also some pilot activities are envisaged in the city of Milan (use of micro-hubs in different areas, development of solutions for fresh food delivery by cargo bike using temperature control, creation of a green cyclelogistics label).

Modelled and simulated local supply chain schemes will be tested to identify the potential economic and societal value of alternative city logistics solutions. These may include:

• Home delivery services supporting local public markets or farmer’s markets
  
• Co-owned consolidation centres from local producers 
  
• Routing option and innovative intermodal solution (e.g. electric freight vehicles for first mile consolidation plus cargo bikes for last mile delivery in city centres) 
  
• Local authority sponsored micro-hubs for consolidation

Pilot 3: Food delivery from online retailers to consumers in urban areas (UK)

The focus of this pilot will be to define the scope and scale of the home delivery market for food and grocery products in London. Using that intelligence we will develop food logistics solutions that provide both economic and societal benefits and test those on a small scale on selected zones in the city.

In-depth analyses will be carried out to establish the overall market size and service profiles for the London area using both retailer specific data and simulation from general data. We expect that anonymous data will be made available from a number of the major actors in exchange for the research insights. 

Modelling and simulation will then be used to identify the potential economic and societal value of alternative solutions. These may include:

• Unbranded micro local service providers to reduce travel distance and deploy electric vehicles
  
• Local authority sponsored collection points 
  
• Direct peer to peer retailer collaboration
  
• …others in discussion with stakeholders
  

These options will be brought forward through a stakeholder group with the most interesting being developed into pilot form. The results of the pilot will be measured and reported in terms of how it met expectations, detailed implementation issues encountered and recommendations for adoption on a wider scale.