The partnership, involving the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Bologna and ITL, among others, aims to implement sustainable, innovative and environmentally friendly micro-logistics to be used for innovative delivery methods in urban areas
Milan, Oct. 10, 2023 – GEL Proximity, a spin-off of the Politecnico di Milano recently acquired by MBE Worldwide, has won the Horizon Europe call for proposals organized by the European Commission to carry out an experimental project dedicated to innovative and sustainable logistics in the City of Bologna, which is once again confirmed to be a true center of experimentation in logistics. Among the objectives are to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20 percent and the number of vans circulating in city centers by 30 percent through a Logistics as a Service (LaaS) approach in urban goods distribution and to the use of innovative delivery methods such as cargo bikes and vehicles with modular units that can make transshipment flexible, fast and sustainable.
The project – The pilot project in the Bologna area therefore involves the creation of a number of proximity logistics hubs at which carriers can drop off goods that will then be sorted and distributed by various last-mile operators using environmentally sustainable vehicles. Through the technology made available by GEL Proximity, it will therefore be possible to integrate the different actors in the supply chain by managing the collecting of parcels, the opening of automated spaces, delivery schedules and entry into historic areas of the city with the aim of making the entire supply chain more efficient with a view to increasing environmental sustainability.
GEL Proximity, in fact, offers an omnichannel technology solution to connect Proximity solutions on the ground, including Locker, PUDO (Pick-Up-Drop-Off Points) and NDA (Nearby Delivery Areas) with couriers, riders and end customers. The platform thus acts as a facilitator to optimize goods delivery and return flows by working to ensure a more sustainable alternative to traditional home delivery.
The city of Bologna will be one of four Lighthouse Living Labs involved in the URBANE (Upscaling Innovative Green Urban Logistics Solutions through Multi-actor collaboration & PI-inspired last mile deliveries) project, along with the cities of Helsinki, Thessaloniki and Valladolid.
The partners – In addition to GEL Proximity, the partnership also includes ITL – Istituto sui Trasporti e la Logistica, a publicly owned foundation of the Emilia-Romagna Region whose main activities involve research, consulting and innovation to foster the development of transport and logistics in the Region; Municipality of Bologna, which will be responsible for the planning, design and implementation of mobility and logistics systems and projects consistent with the General Urban Traffic Plan (PGTU), the Urban Plan for Sustainable Mobility (PUMS) and the Urban Plan for Sustainable Logistics (PULS); Due Torri S. p.a, a logistics company based in the Bologna metropolitan area active in goods distribution, warehousing and eCommerce through the formulation of tailored services, customer care, ICT tools and process monitoring. Finally, TYP, a technological transport company founded by Arcese Group, specializing in B2C and B2B express deliveries nationwide and able to offer a digital customer experience and value-added logistics services in major metropolitan areas. Also collaborating in the implementation of the project will be: Emilia-Romagna Region, OPEN ENLoCC, Municipality of Ravenna (follower city of the Urbane project) and, finally, other cities in the region, including Piacenza, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Rimini.
“Our technology represents a concrete solution to the problem of urban congestion and emissions related to Logistics. It is a source of satisfaction as well as a great responsibility to know that the European Commission has chosen GEL Proximity to support the implementation of innovative and highly automated urban hubs that will encourage the collection and sorting of goods in omnichannel logic in the metropolitan city of Bologna,” – said Lorenzo Maggioni, CEO of GEL Proximity.
