"LET'S TRY TO imagine how the world of transport could evolve," begins Francesco Mattozzi, account manager at Italy-based intermodal specialist Chemical Express. While the chemical transport sector has made a start with the move towards 'Industry 4.0', there is a way to go and, he says, it will result in a very different business environment in the future.When we get to that future, he says, clients for transport services, together with the logistics operators and those companies involved in the services ancillary to transport operations 〔railways, ships, terminals, ports, washing stations, etc〕 are all connected through an information exchange system based on blockchain technology.Customers request offers, by publishing transport tenders or by a single request, and the carrier's artificial intelligence 〔AI〕, through an algorithm, calculates the rates, verifying in real time all the costs involved, like fuel, tolls, rail and sea freight, according to the requested transport mode.If the offer is accepted, the carrier receives the order directly in his planning, verifying the availability of the requested vehicle in the right place and on the requested date, taking into account the type of product to be transported, the quantity, whether the product is classified as dangerous, and confirming the loading date or proposing an alternative date to the customer.
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