SYTADEL

Flanders' role as Europe's logistics hub brings significant added value, supporting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people employed in the logistics sector. However, these benefits are not without associated costs:  

• Congestion of our road network
• Increased traffic accidents
• Negative impact on air quality

It's no surprise that initiatives aimed at better balancing economic value and social sustainability are generating significant interest—especially, and perhaps most notably, from within the logistics sector itself.

One of those initiatives is SYTADEL, a cSBO project in which imec, the University of Antwerp, Vlerick Business School and VIL work together to advance next-generation data-sharing mechanisms in logistics to make collaboration in logistics supply chains more sustainable and efficient. 

What is SYTADEL?

SYTADEL aims to develop a logistics Data Space in Flanders that enables secure, decentralized data exchange across stakeholders in logistics supply chains. The Data Space enables synchromodal planning, optimizing freight transportation by dynamically selecting transport modes (road, water, or rail) in real time.

The project is driving research in key areas, such as creating a technical architecture for logistics Data Spaces, developing governance structures, and designing business models that incentivize to share data. Additionally, it explores how Data Spaces can benefit algorithms used in synchromodal planning to improve logistics efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

By focusing on real-world applications, SYTADEL bridges the gap between theoretical concepts of Data Spaces and practical implementations, contributing significantly to the future of the European digital and logistics ecosystem.

The project began in April 2022 and will end in April 2025.

LivingLabs

Through two LivingLab deployments, SYTADEL tests these innovations in real-world supply chains.

LivingLab 1: ArcelorMittal’s Ghent to Romania outbound steel coil delivery

ArcelorMittal is the second biggest steel producer in the world with a production of 79.26 million tons in 2021. Counting 5.800 employees worldwide, Belgium accommodates four ArcelorMittal sites in Ghent, Liege, Geel and Genk.  From their premises in Ghent, ArcelorMittal transports steel coils to clients all over Europe per rail, inland waterway and road transport.  

An increased visibility of in-transit inventory, increased predictability of arrival times and a synchromodal rerouting solution is created to increase efficiency of their shipments via Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) on the Rhine-Danube corridor. The solutions strengthen ArcelorMittal’s trust in multimodal supply chains, increasing the likelihood of adopting IWT as their preferred modal choice.

LivingLab 2: Nike-BCTN inbound sportswear shipment

Nike is the famous, world-leading sportswear manufacturer. Nike’s EMEA Logistics Center in Meerhout acts as a hub for distributing imported sportswear from Asia across the European continent.  

Maritime shipments inbound to the Port of Antwerp Bruges are forwarded by IWT via the Albert Canal to the Meerhout terminal of BCTN. Yet this intermodal supply chain lacks end-to-end visibility as tracking the shipments typically requires monitoring multiple platforms.

With SYTADEL’s Data Space approach we tackle this issue, while enabling commercial platforms to extend their reach within the logistics ecosystem.

Synchromodality

Synchromodality refers to logistics planning that considers all possible modes of transportation for the intended route. This makes it easier to schedule transportation based on specific parameters, such as delivery time, transportation costs and – of course – sustainability.

Additionally, synchromodality responds both to the challenge of the anticipated substantial growth in freight transport and the pressing need for more sustainable freight transport solutions. It emphasizes collaboration among stakeholders to dynamically select the most suitable mode of transportation – whether road, water or rail – at any given moment to move goods within the infrastructure network. This concept extends beyond traditional intermodal transport by integrating transport network planning that accommodates real-time modal shifts across intermodal terminals and flexible arrangements resulting from mode-free booking.

To determine the value of the outcomes and targets of SYTADEL, four key attributes of synchromodality have been identified:

• Integration emphasizes the importance of collaboration between trusted stakeholders across various supply chains or sectors. The goal is to create a cohesive and responsive transportation system through seamless cooperation, flexible arrangements and comprehensive data sharing.
• Visibility focuses on the essential need to dynamically share and access current, accurate, reliable and relevant information from multiple sources. Visibility is vital for proactive decision making within a synchromodal supply chain, ensuring stakeholders have a complete overview of their operations and all events that can impact it.
• Flexibility refers to the capacity to adjust transport modes or routes, enabling switches between modes at specific terminals or modifications during transit. This capability is supported by the integration of stakeholders who facilitate flexible agreements and share critical information about infrastructure, transport capacity, assets and the transport network.
• Synchronization represents the physical coordination of static and dynamic resources at precise times, including the synchronization of infrastructure, transportation systems, and assets across networks. It also involves sharing information about these resources in a timely manner and can extend to inventory management and production scheduling.

These attributes collectively aim to enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of synchromodal transportation systems through improved collaboration, information sharing, adaptability and coordination. 

Logistics Data Spaces

There is a growing international push to develop and implement systems for federated data sharing data among organizations. While several broad initiatives are currently in progress, they mostly remain conceptual at this stage. Only by putting those concepts into practice within a specific implementation context can they be evaluated and further refined. The SYTADEL project focuses on applying state-of-the-art Data Space technology in the context of logistics synchromodal planning. 

To facilitate the real-time decentralized data exchange that synchromodality requires, imec builds a Data Space architecture through which data from various sources flow without the need to change data ownership. Information is shared to optimize transportation planning more efficiently and sustainably. 

Read more about how Data Spaces can facilitate data sharing in the article “What is a data space?” (article in Dutch).

The role of imec

As a strategic research center, imec is committed to addressing complex social challenges. Often, these are challenges that companies, governments and researchers cannot tackle on their own. The SYTADEL project is a great example of how we use our expertise in innovative technology and Data Spaces to ensure that players in the logistics chain can make well-informed decisions.  

Within SYTADEL, imec is responsible for:

• the development of the logistics Data Space and the synchromodal planning algorithm
• the integration of the planning algorithm into the Data Space
• the LivingLab coordination
• knowledge-sharing and valorization of the project
• project management

Also look at the other logistics projects imec is contributing to in Flanders:

• PIONEERS
• PILL
• TOKEN

The project partners

Imec works together with the University of Antwerp, Vlerick and VIL to achieve the objectives of SYTADEL.

Within SYTADEL, VIL focuses on the transfer of knowledge to the industry and the valorization of the project. VIL's involvement ensures that the SYTaDeL project is well-integrated into the logistics ecosystem in Flanders, leveraging its extensive network, expertise, and strategic alignment to achieve the project's objectives.

Vlerick Business School is responsible for focusing on the governance and business model development for a federated data space within the SYTaDel project. Vlerick led one-on-one sessions with advisory board members to identify trust challenges, data-sharing barriers, and opportunities offered by a federated data space. These insights shaped a governance framework aligned with stakeholder needs. Vlerick also played a central role in developing business models for the data space to support long-term adoption and value creation. Additionally, Vlerick prepared two conference papers, titled “A Data Governance Framework for a Federated Logistics Dataspace” and “The Business Model for Federated Data Spaces to Facilitate Synchromodal Logistics”, which were presented at the International Physical Internet Conference in 2023 and 2024, disseminating project insights to both academic and industry audiences.

University of Antwerp is responsable for analyzing data-sharing practices in synchromodality and summarizing key literature to bridge academic insights with project outcomes. UA led workshops to identify barriers to data sharing, address data confidentiality concerns, and highlight the benefits of a federated data space approach. UA also played a key role in developing the data space's business model, ensuring alignment with both operational and strategic objectives. Additionally, UA prepared an academic paper (currently under review), titled "Contributing to Synchromodality through the Implementation of a Federated Data Space in Inland Waterway Transport", showcasing the project's contributions to both academic and industry sectors.

The Advisory Board of SYTADEL consists of 13 companies: ArcelorMittal Belgium, De Vlaamse Waterweg, Digitaal Vlaanderen, ECS, Hakka, Lineas, Nike Logistics Europe, OECO - part of Cronos Group, POM West-Vlaanderen, Port+, Procter & Gamble Services Company, SHIPIT Multimodal Logistics and Wienerberger.

All partners will be able to benefit from the knowledge gained through the SYTADEL project. This includes improving their own business processes, stimulating new initiatives for innovation and helping logistics parties work together in a more efficient and flexible way. 

Contact

For more information, please contact Birger Schrevens.