Research team
Expertise
Valentin Carlan (°1986) is a postdoctoral researched at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics of the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp. His research focuses on innovation assessment models, cost and benefit quantification methods for maritime supply chain related innovation and applications of cost-effectiveness analysis for ICT developments. He has hold a doctoral grant financed by the BNP Paribas Fortis chair on transport, logistics and ports at TPR (2014-2016). Besides that ,he carried research with regard to ICT innovation in logistics on topic such as the introduction of a Truck Guidance System (TGS) at the port of Antwerp (2017), the development of a Cluster community system (2017), the development of a Universal Middleware Framework for Data Streaming (2018), the assessment of Belgium’s role regarding the introduction of a Hyperloop network in Europe (2019) and the development of a RoI-calculation tool for automatic loading/unloading technologies (2020). His PhD dealt with the costs, benefits and cost-effectiveness of ICT innovation in the supply chain. In parallel to his research activity, Valentin was the leading member of the winning team of the first Antwerp port Hackathon (2016) and the Hackathon of Volvo Trucks Belgium (2017). Since 2019 he is the co-founder of a spin-off of the University of Antwerp, DigiTrans. DigiTrans provides tailor-made digital assistants for planning operations in logistics that make use of ML and AI algorithms.
Climate Resilient and Safe Maritime Ports.
Abstract
Sea ports are key nodes in supply chains, on an international, as well as on the intra-European scale. Nearly 80% of world freight is transported by ship, and European seaports are gateways to other continents, with 74% of extra-EU goods being shipped through them. Already today European ports play a key role in supply chains and a further 50% growth of cargo handled through European ports by 2030 is predicted. Consequently, pressure on ports to function in the most efficient and reliable way is increasing further. Added to this is the need for decarbonization for ports who are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, and who are exposed to the emission from trucks, vessels, and terminal operations. Companies active in ports or along corridors face a lack of physical capacity and research points out also that assets are used inefficiently. Digitalization is considered a key approach to cope with these requirements. At the same time, climate change induced issues are increasingly impacting the functionality of ports. Rising sea levels, changes in seasonal precipitation, and wind and wave conditions will add to ports' challenges. Also, more frequent and severe extreme events such as storms, flash floods, prolonged heatwaves, and droughts are expected. Maximization of resilience towards climate change induced challenges, increasing agility by making use of digitalization, and contributing to increased decarbonization are therefore at the heart of this proposal. Innovative solutions for infrastructure, including quay walls, monitoring and maintenance, which improve ports' sustainability and resilience, as well as early warning systems for disruptions will be developed and piloted within this project. Improved sustainability of handling of end-of-life cycle of infrastructure, as well as a shift to more sustainable hinterland connections are key elements of the project. Furthermore, business and governance models will be developed jointly by the involved stakeholders to ensure economic, ecologic, and social sustainability of the solutions piloted. It is the key objective to ensure an 80% operationality of sea transport even in case of climate change induced disruptions whilst at the same time improving sustainability and safety of ports. In a first step, issues faced by ports will be prioritized using a multi-criteria tool including impact of disruptions, urgency, cost/benefit of solutions. A detailed catalog of requirements for solutions for the key issues will be developed. Industry partners ports and researchers will adapt, apply, and evaluate highly innovative tools and approaches for these issues. Solutions will be co-created, and for each port the relevant innovations will be identified and piloted according to the key challenges they are facing. KPIs to monitor the development and result of the innovations are ensuring quality control and support of management.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Vanelslander Thierry
- Co-promoter: Carlan Valentin
- Co-promoter: van Hassel Edwin
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
SYTADEL – Logistics data space in Flanders applied to synchromodal planning
Abstract
The emphasis is on the creation of the logistics data space, yet a data space without applications to use and test its efficacy is sterile, which is why we will apply it to synchromodal planning. Synchromodal planning was selected due to its relevance to the future of logistics, and because of its heavy reliance on a logistics data space. The synchromodal planning algorithms will be deployed and tested in Living Labs.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Vanelslander Thierry
- Co-promoter: Carlan Valentin
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Self-service in logistics
Abstract
The central aim of the project is to develop a model that should be able to select a technology that makes the receipt of goods at a logistics company economically more efficient. This project takes the following three research steps: Mapping of the goods receiving process, inventory and analysis of existing technological solutions, and development of a cost-benefit analysis tool to support the selection process.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Carlan Valentin
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project