Imagine Europe's freight hubs — ports, rail yards, logistics parks — as islands that barely talk to each other. Trucks arrive, containers get swapped slowly, and half the vehicles drive around half-empty. CLUSTERS 2.0 connected eight major logistics hubs across Europe into a smart network, built new modular cargo boxes that fit any vehicle type, and created automated systems to move freight between trucks and trains without cranes or forklifts. Think of it as turning Europe's freight system from a bunch of disconnected bus stops into an integrated metro network.
European freight logistics loses money every day because cargo transfers between trucks and trains are slow, expensive, and require heavy equipment like cranes. Most trucks drive long distances partially empty because load units aren't standardized across transport modes. Terminals are congested, yet building new infrastructure is prohibitively expensive — operators need to get more throughput from what they already have.
The project built working prototypes of New Modular Load Units (NMLUs) that fit trucks, trains, and ships interchangeably, plus automated horizontal transhipment systems that can move cargo between trucks and trains without cranes. They also developed terminal management software and validated everything across 5 Living Labs at major European logistics hubs.
If you are a freight forwarder struggling with half-empty trucks and expensive cargo transfers between road and rail — this project developed New Modular Load Units (NMLUs) and automated horizontal transhipment systems that can reduce transhipment operational costs by 30% and push door-to-door vehicle load factors up to 75%.
If you are a terminal operator dealing with congestion and limited throughput without budget for new infrastructure — this project built terminal management systems targeting a 20% increase in management capacity and 10% reduction in congestion, plus automated train-truck transhipment prototypes that eliminate the need for heavy crane equipment.
If you are a manufacturer shipping goods across Europe and paying premium rates because intermodal options are too slow or unreliable — this project validated solutions across 5 Living Labs at major hubs like Zaragoza, Duisburg, and Bologna that target a 40% increase in intermodal transport usage, making rail-road combinations a realistic alternative to long-haul trucking beyond 300 km.
The project specifically targeted low-cost, low-capital and investment-intensive transhipment solutions. The goal was to reduce operational costs of transhipment by 30%. Exact pricing for NMLU units or automated systems is not published in the available project data — you would need to contact the consortium partners for commercial terms.
The consortium tested solutions at 5 Living Labs across real logistics hubs including PLAZA (Zaragoza), Duisport (Duisburg), Interporto Bologna, and the Port of Trieste. The project targeted handling 50% more freight with existing infrastructure, suggesting the solutions were designed for real-world scale from the start.
The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with 32 partners across 10 countries. IP is likely shared among consortium members including PTV (coordinator), Fraunhofer IML, and the industrial partners. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant technology owners.
The project was designed around EU modal shift objectives and TEN-T network requirements. Solutions were developed with major European logistics clusters that already operate under EU transport regulations. The NMLU prototypes were tested at Fraunhofer IML's packaging laboratory for compliance.
The project ran from May 2017 to July 2020 and delivered working prototypes including automated ContainerMover upgrades and NMLU loading systems. Based on available project data, the Living Lab validation phase suggests implementation at a prepared terminal could be relatively rapid, but specific timelines would depend on your existing infrastructure.
The project developed new terminal management systems designed to increase management capacity by 20%. The automated horizontal transhipment prototype was built by upgrading existing ContainerMover equipment with new software, suggesting the approach is designed to retrofit into current operations rather than requiring full replacement.
The project officially closed in July 2020. However, the consortium included 21 industry partners and 12 SMEs with commercial interests in continuing this work. PTV Planung Transport Verkehr GmbH (the coordinator) is an established transport software company that may offer commercial follow-up.
This is a heavyweight consortium — 32 partners from 10 European countries with a 66% industry ratio, which is unusually high for an EU research project. The coordinator, PTV Planung Transport Verkehr GmbH, is a well-known German transport planning software company. With 21 industry partners and 12 SMEs alongside Fraunhofer IML (one of Europe's top logistics research institutes), this project was clearly built for commercial outcomes, not academic papers. The participation of major logistics hubs (PLAZA Zaragoza, Duisport, Interporto Bologna, Port of Trieste, BruCargo Brussels) means the solutions were tested where real freight moves every day.
PTV Planung Transport Verkehr GmbH is the coordinator — a German transport software company based in Karlsruhe. Contact their innovation or partnerships team.
Want to connect with the CLUSTERS 2.0 team about their transhipment technology or NMLU prototypes? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and brief you on which partner owns the specific solution you need.
