Forthcoming in International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management 1 EFFICIENT TRACKING FOR SHORT-TERM MULTI-COMPANY NETWORKS

Abstract: Tracking of shipments is an important element of customer service in the transportation industry; and essential for logistics services as merge-in-transit. However, contemporary tracking systems are designed for use within a single company, and are thus invariably inadequate for multi-company environments. The single company focus has led to a reduced span of monitoring and a diluted accessibility of information due to proprietary tracking codes and information architectures centred on the tracking service provider. This article presents a novel forwarder independent approach for solving the difficulties of tracking in multi-company supply networks. Based on the research, the authors argue that the proposed tracking approach is superior to contemporary approaches for material flow tracking in short-term multi-company distribution networks