Europeiska unionens e-handelsrapport från 2019 beskriver en fortsatt ökning av e-handel, samt att en stor andel av den svenska befolkningen handlar via nätet. E-handel möjliggör gränslös handel mellan berörda verksamheter och konsumenter. Begreppet ”last mile”, sista milen, är ett logistiskt moment inom försörjningskedjor där gods transporteras den sista sträckan i distributionen innan den når slutkunden. Till skillnad från traditionella godstransporter i större partier, har e-handelns transporter av enskilda paket fragmenterat både laster och distributionsnätverk. Med ökad e-handel har last mile uppmärksammats som ett problem. I glesbefolkade områden förstärks last mile problematiken med fragmenterade transporter i och med färre leveranspunkter samt lägre kunddensitet. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur distributionen av paket kommer att utvecklas i Sveriges glesbebyggda områden. Studien använde en kvalitativ metod med induktivt genomförande. Den kvalitativa metoden som användes för att samla in primärdata var semistrukturerade intervjuer. Då rapporten ska belysa aktörer i B2C last-mile leveranser, genomfördes intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom logistikbranschen samt akademiker verksamma inom logistik. Studien visade att glesbefolkade områden har otillräckliga paketvolymer för att distributörer ska kunna utföra mer effektiv last mile distribution. Därmed kan servicegraden i glesbygder inte likställas med den som i större städer och tätorter, vilket heller inte förväntas av glesbydsmottagare. Studien visade även att last mile distributionen inom glesbygder har utrymme för inkrementell utveckling. Det berör effektivisering av befintliga distributionsmöjligheter, istället för innovativa lösningar. Paketautomater är ett av de koncept som kan innebära en potentiell förbättring av servicegraden, givet att den infrastruktur av paketautomater ska verka i ett öppet system, och inte är bundna till varken enskilda distributörer eller butiker. Invånarna i glesbygdskommuner kan även ta sitt eget initiativ för att förenkla upphämtningen av paket för varandra genom olika lokala samordningar, för att göra sig mer oberoende av aktörers bristande närvaro. En möjlighet för distributörer som är verksamma med last mile inom glesbygder för att uppnå bättre transporteffektivitet i viss omfattning är konsolidering och samverkan i högre grad. Däremot är potentialen inte tillräckligt stor att på egen hand förbättra servicegraden i glesbygder och beredskapen bland distributörer är för låg att göra detta. / The European Union's e-commerce report from 2019 shows a continued increase in ecommerce, and that a large proportion of the Swedish population shop online. E-commerce enables borderless commerce between the businesses concerned and consumers. The term ”last mile” is a logistical stage in supply chains where goods are transported in the final leg in of the distribution chain before it reaches the end customer. Unlike traditional freight transports in large quantities, e-commerce transport of individual parcels has fragmented both cargo and distribution networks. With increased e-commerce, the last mile has been highlighted as a problem. In rural areas, the last mile problem is amplified with fragmented transports due to fewer delivery points and lower customer density. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the distribution of parcels will develop in Sweden's rural areas.     The study used a qualitative method with inductive reasoning. The qualitative method used to collect primary data was semi-structured interviews. As the report will primarily emphasize actors in B2C last-mile deliveries, interviews were conducted with professionals from the logistics industry and academics.     The study showed that rural areas have insufficient parcel volumes for distributors to execute efficient last-mile deliveries. Thus, the level of service in rural areas can not be equated with that in larger cities and urban areas, which is also not expected of its inhabitants. The study also showed that last-mile deliveries in rural areas have room for incremental improvements. It concerns increased efficiency of existing distribution opportunities, instead of innovative solutions. A Parcel locker is one of the concepts that can mean a potential improvement in the level of service, given that the infrastructure of the lockers must operate in an open system, and not be bound to either singular distributors or stores. The inhabitants of rural municipalities can also take the initiative to enable easier parcel pick-ups for each other through various local cooperations, to make themselves more independent due to the lack of presence of distributors. One opportunity to achieve better efficiency of transports to a certain extent for distributors who operate with last-mile deliveries in rural areas is consolidation and collaboration to a greater degree. However, the potential is not large enough to single-handedly improve the level of service in rural areas and the willingness among distributors is too low to do so.

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore last mile delivery practices among large and medium Swedish omni-channel (OC) retailers and e-tailers. Also, the study aims at analyzing what similarities and differences exist between the two types of retailers. Method: A literature review was carried out in order to gain more knowledge about the topic and develop a theoretical framework, used for analyzing data. Also, a quantitative study was conducted through electronic surveys (secondary data) and website observations (primary data). The 100 retailers were large and medium OC retailers and e-tailers and were selected based on a probability sample.  Findings: The study has shown that there are plenty of similarities and differences between the two kinds of retailers. Some of the delivery practices and options that OC retailers and e-tailers perform similarly are unattended HD (unattended home delivery), attached C&C (click and collect), drop shipping, free solitary C&C (click and collect). There are also differences between retailers when it comes to attended HD, time slot, eco delivery or LTL-Courier (Less Than Truckload-courier). E-tailers offer more competitive remote deliveries with more free remote delivery options. OC retailers leverage on both store network and remote delivery services. Thus, OC retailers can learn how to cope with e-commerce growth and adapt their delivery services as e-tailers do. Limitations: This study has a geographical focus on Swedish OC retailers and e-tailers. The data that was collected has been limited to the logistics variables: delivery mode, velocity, time slot, slot price differentiation, delivery fee, eco delivery, picking location, delivery area and transport service. Theoretical implications: This study is an important step towards contributing to academic theoretical literature regarding last mile delivery practices. Based on the previous frameworks, new logistical variables were added, such as more velocities, delivery fee, eco delivery and drop shipping. These contributions were helpful in the process of exploring characteristics about retailers and how they differ from each other. Managerial implications: This research is valuable for managers and retailers in order to find the best logistical strategy. It could be beneficial for OC retailers who face challenges that e-commerce brings and compete with e-tailers. Keywords: Last-mile delivery, Retailing, Omni-channel, E-tailers, E-commerce. Paper type: Research paper

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En stor utmaning för företag som befinner sig på den internationella E-handelsmarknaden är att ha fullständig kontroll över utgående transportkostnader. Oväntade kostnader kopplade därtill är ett dyrt och tidskrävande problem för en verksamhets Supply chain management. Last mile transporten, den avslutande transporten av en kundbeställning, påverkas speciellt mycket då den betraktas som den dyraste delen av försörjningskedjan. Syftet med examensarbetet är således att undersöka om det finns en besparingspotential i att få ökas kontroll över inkomna fakturor för last mile transporter. Det här examensarbetet har genomförts på ett fallföretag inom E-handel. För att uppnå syftet och besvara frågeställningar har fallstudien använt det vetenskapliga angreppssättet abduktion, vilket har möjliggjort växling mellan litteratur och empiriskt material. Med hjälp av intervju, observation och dataanalys samt en kompletterande litteraturgenomgång har materialet analyserats och diskuterats för att slutligen dra en slutsats. På fallföretaget genomförs den nuvarande kontrollen av inkomna faktorur för last mile transporter genom stickprov, och de oväntade kostnader som påträffas misstänks vara feldebiteringar. Examensarbetets slutsats är att oväntade kostnader kan orsakas av att skillnaden mellan angiven och debiterad vikt är störra än ett kilo, samt att bränsletillägget är större än 50 procent av transportens grundpris. Problematiken är omfattande dels då effektiviteten och kundnöjdheten ur ett långsiktigt perspektiv påverkas negativt, dels då insikten om och förståelsen för verksamhetens utgående kostnader är nödvändigt för företag som verkar på den internationella marknaden. Slutligen har en mer tidseffektiv arbetsmetodik i programvaruverktyget Microsoft Excel rekommenderats för att urskilja möjliga orsaker till oväntade kostnader vid last mile transporter.

A steady increase in parcel volume has put more pressure on the freight transportation industry and will only continue to do so in the future. The whole industry will continue to grow as the volume increases which in turn will put more pressure on the drivers responsible that the goods arrive safely to their destination. There are many reasons to try and facilitate their working environment. It is very common for delivery drivers nowadays to use different mapping services to help navigate. The maps have helped a lot since their arrival, but this does not mean that they are faultless, there is still room for improvement. This study examines how mapping services can be used and updated to help drivers save time while deliveries. It focuses on public, free-to-use maps. A survey was conducted where drivers in the industry were asked questions about their use of mapping services and where they got to give their opinion on possible improvements to these. Motivated by observations in the field and the literature, the survey presented two potential improvements to the maps to gather opinions from the drivers. The first one was a possible addition of loading zones and loading docks to the mapping services in order to help drivers find their destination’s drop-off area. Previous studies have shown that drivers lose time in the last mile of their trip. The second problem occurs when a map navigates so that you approach your destination from the wrong direction. The study showed that delivery drivers today use maps very frequently. All 33 respondents in the study use a mapping service for their work at least once a week, 29 of them using one at least once a day. The drivers were very positive about a possible addition of loading zones and docks to the maps, all of them thought it would facilitate their work. After analysing the data collected it could be seen that an average driver loses 20 minutes a day searching for a place to load. The drivers were overall frustrated with the maps despite using them very frequently. They agreed with the problems presented in the survey and gave further examples of how they are being held back by the maps.

<p>Included in licentiate thesis in manuscript form.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Hydrogen fuel cells are an abundant and cleaner source of energy, making them an attractive option for powering transportation systems. Hydrogen fuel cell drones are a new type of drone that generates energy from fuel cells for flight and expels heat and water vapor as byproducts. Compared to battery-powered drones, hydrogen fuel cell drones have better endurance and payload capacity due to their higher energy density, making them more efficient for eCommerce delivery. This research compares the performance of hydrogen and battery delivery drones for both drone-only and truck-drone last-mile delivery systems. A mixed integer programming model has been formulated to minimize the total delivery time for small to medium customer instances using the two-echelon vehicle routing problem, where drones are launched from the truck to serve one or more customers. The study conducted a comparative analysis by varying different parameters of drones on multiple sets of customer instances from real-world data to determine the best choice of drones for different scenarios. The results of the analysis show that hydrogen fuel cell drones have significant delivery advantages over typical battery drones in terms of delivery time and efficiency. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to demonstrate the impacts of different parameters on the objective function of the delivery systems.</p>

Abstract: Efficient last-mile transportation is a continuous difficulty for businesses, particularly in e-commerce, necessitating the development of creative solutions. This thesis investigates the use of mobile warehouses in mid-sized urban and rural areas to help with this problem. The study begins by emphasizing the importance offlawless delivery as well as the role of warehouses in supply chains. Mobile warehouses emerge as a possible solution, addressing constraints related to these regions' low population density, purchasing power, and market dynamics. The methodology includes a review of the literature on mobile warehouse solutions and the introduction of a generalized cost function model for estimating last-mile logistics costs. The model, which is adaptable to different vehicle types, is applied to Dalarna County in Sweden, considering delivery routes and stops. The findings spotlight the efficacy of mobile warehouses, notably mobile trucks, for last-mile delivery in Dalarna County. Interpretation of results from simulation scenarios emphasizes the importance of route optimization. While the study acknowledges its limitations, it underscores the potential benefits of adopting mobile warehouses, both in practical and theoretical terms. These findings resonate as valuable insights for businesses and the logistics industry, especially in the dynamic landscape of e-commerce. The study illuminates the way forward, emphasizing the critical role of adaptive, geography-specific solutions, such as mobile warehouses, in enhancing last-mile delivery efficiency.

This paper presents the results of a Berlin research project in which a low emission urban delivery system was designed and tested in collaboration with different urban logistics stakeholders. First, the paper shows the developed concept that includes a macro-hub and corresponding micro-hubs, while the vehicle fleet consists of electric cargo bikes as well as an electric van. Second, the key results of the corresponding 6-month field trial are discussed. Parcels have been delivered to B2B recipients. To investigate the feasibility, the ecological and the economic impact of the developed concept, transport data was constantly collected during the field trial. Based on the data, average costs and emissions per parcel were calculated and compared to a conventional delivery system. Furthermore, managerial implications were derived. Finally, the limitations of the study and further research are summarized.