Analysis of transport services based on intelligent goods

Purpose of this paper: The purpose of the first part of the paper is to identify a set of services that potentially can be provided by intelligent goods, and to show what is needed, from a functional perspective, to realize these types of services. In particular, we focus on what information and functions are required. The purpose of the last part of the paper is to present some of the most important factors affecting the placement (e.g. goods, vehicle or ERP level) of the information and processing required by a service. We also discuss how these factors affect our identified services. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. A number of potential intelligent goods services have been identified based on a literature study. An in-depth analysis of these services has thereafter been carried out. Findings The paper presents what is needed, from a functional perspective, to implement potential intelligent goods services. The paper also provides an initial analysis of what factors influence where the data and processing necessary for a service should be placed, and thus under which circumstances solutions based on intelligent goods are recommended. What is original/value of paper The literature study shows that many inventive services based on local information and/or local intelligence have already been suggested, and some have also been realized. However, the requirements imposed by the services have not yet been analyzed thoroughly. We address questions, such as, what is required for realization, what factors influence which is the best realization solution, and furthermore, when is intelligent goods really the best instrument to use