Swiss Post and winter service on national roads win logistics award

Since 1996, GS1 Switzerland, the competence platform for sustainable value creation based on optimized flows of goods and information and a trade association with around 5,500 member companies, has been honoring new and pioneering logistics services with the Swiss Logistics Award. In recent years, the award has become the most important national logistics prize. This year's winners are Swiss Post and Autobahn-Winterdienst.

The Post with drones in action for health

Swiss Post is currently testing a connection for transporting blood samples between the Ospedale Italiano and the Ospedale Civico in Lugano, 1.1 kilometers away. Today, blood samples are still transported by courier, which is time-consuming and expensive. Over 200 flights have been successfully completed to date. Regular drone use between the two hospitals is expected to become commonplace in 2018. Until then, a charging station will be installed at each of the two hospitals, which the drone will fly to. An employee of Civico Hospital then packs the sample in a safety box, places it in the charging station and triggers the transport process via smartphone. The drone uses connected meteo systems to check whether a safe flight is possible. If the weather conditions are unfavorable, the quadrocopter automatically targets an alternative means of transport, in Lugano a cab. If nothing stands in the way of a flight, it loads the safety box and flies along the defined route to the destination. The drone navigates via GPS, communicating with the main control computer via the cellular network or - if necessary - via a redundant satellite link. Shortly before arrival, the receiver is informed via a defined channel, such as an SMS. The drone lands, deposits the safety box in the charging station and flies back if necessary. According to Swiss Post, the drone can reduce transport time by up to 70 percent and process costs by 80 percent. In addition, the transport can be tracked and monitored and the environment can be protected. Swiss Post now has a total of two dozen other business cases for the transport of blood samples and medicines. The company is currently working on a solution for refrigerated transport. Fully automated processing and the transport of larger loads are also being planned.

For the jury of the Swiss Logistics Award, Swiss Post's transport drones represent a flagship project. Not only because the company has the only permit in the world to date that allows drone flights over populated areas. "With traditional means of transport, we are slowly but surely reaching the limits of what is feasible in road and rail transport," says President Hans Rudolf Hauri, explaining the choice. "We need smarter vehicles and an extension of time beyond the nighttime driving ban." To move out into the third dimension for the transport of special goods has a pioneering role. And not only that, the jury agrees: the use of drones can also help alleviate the shortage of healthcare professionals against the backdrop of centralization and the advancing merger of hospitals into alliances.

Winter service on national roads wins logistics prize

Between October and April, the winter road clearance service ensures that traffic on national roads can flow without incident despite snowfall and icy conditions. The winter road clearance service on national roads is a legal mandate and is regulated in 18 standards and legal texts. The federal government has been responsible for this for almost ten years. The responsibility lies with the Federal Roads Office FEDRO, the execution of the winter service is carried out by 11 territorial units. 60 locations (depots, support points or salt depots) along the national roads with a total of 850 employees enable rapid intervention. As a rule, in case of snowfall, the first clearing must take place within two hours after mobilization. For the national roads, the so-called black clearance applies, i.e. the complete removal of snow including measures against slippery roads. In order to allow a quick intervention, the territorial units must organize a stand-by service. This service must be on standby 30 minutes after the alarm is raised. The territorial units have more than 800 road weather stations along the national roads at their disposal, which alert the territorial units in case of dangerous situations on the roadway or in case of the arrival of a weather front. The cost of winter services varies from approximately 30 to 60 million francs, depending on the severity of the winter. One day of winter service on the national road network costs around 1 million francs.

With the Swiss Logistics Public Award 2017, the jury recognizes the great challenge that winter service on the national roads poses for those involved every year due to the uncertain planning basis and the large area of operation. "For safety on the road - and thus for functioning logistics - ice control and snow removal are of the utmost necessity," says jury president Hans Rudolf Hauri. "But only very few people are aware of the organizational and logistical masterpieces behind black-cleared national roads."

Source and further information: www.gs1.ch