Simacan LINK · Project

Real-Time Transport Visibility Platform Connecting Retailers and Carriers Across Europe

transportMarket-readyTRL 9

Imagine every truck delivering groceries to a supermarket is like a player on a football field — but nobody can see each other and there's no coach calling plays. Simacan built the equivalent of a big shared screen where retailers, transport companies, and drivers all see the same live picture of every delivery in progress. They already conquered the Dutch grocery market and used this EU funding to take the platform Europe-wide. The system plugs into whatever logistics software companies already use and adds real-time traffic data so everyone can react instantly when something goes wrong.

By the numbers

55%

Market share in Dutch grocery store supply chain

80%

Market share in Dutch home grocery shopping

4 years

Time to achieve market dominance in the Netherlands

Consortium partner (Simacan BV only)

Demo deliverables completed (market expansion, e-CMR, self-service portal)

The business problem

What needed solving

Shippers and transport companies operate in a fragmented digital landscape where each player uses different systems that cannot talk to each other. Deliveries need to be faster, cheaper, and more flexible — especially with e-commerce growth — but real-time coordination between retailers, carriers, and drivers barely exists. The result is late deliveries, wasted driver time, unnecessary emissions from inefficient routing, and manual fire-fighting instead of automated exception management.

The solution

What was built

Simacan built a commercial real-time transport visibility and collaboration platform. Key deliverables include: a European market expansion demonstration proving the solution works across countries, an e-CMR (electronic consignment note) integration for multimodal cross-border transport, and a self-service portal allowing clients to onboard themselves and manage third-party integrations independently.

Audience

Who needs this

Grocery and FMCG retail chains managing multi-carrier delivery fleetsRoad freight carriers serving retail and e-commerce clients across EuropeOnline grocery and home delivery operatorsThird-party logistics providers (3PLs) seeking real-time visibility toolsSupply chain technology integrators looking for transport execution platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Grocery and FMCG Retail

enterprise

Target: Large supermarket chains managing hundreds of daily store deliveries

If you are a grocery retailer dealing with late deliveries, poor visibility into carrier performance, and rising customer expectations — Simacan developed a real-time transport management platform that already handles 55% of the Dutch grocery store supply chain. It integrates with your existing planning systems and gives you live exception alerts so you only intervene when something actually goes wrong, instead of manually tracking every truck.

Road Freight and Logistics

any

Target: Transport companies serving retail and e-commerce clients

If you are a carrier struggling with fragmented communication across multiple shipper platforms and rising pressure to prove on-time performance — this project built a collaboration layer that connects your on-board units, driver apps, and freight sensors into one shared view with your clients. The platform already proved itself with leading Dutch transport companies and now includes e-CMR digital consignment note capabilities for cross-border European operations.

E-Commerce and Home Delivery

mid-size

Target: Online grocery and home delivery services

If you are a home delivery operator facing last-mile visibility challenges and customer communication gaps — Simacan's platform already powers 80% of Dutch home grocery shopping logistics. It enriches transport data with real-time traffic information, enabling automated delivery time updates and exception management without requiring you to replace your existing logistics systems.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does it cost to implement this platform?

Pricing details are not disclosed in the project data. Simacan operates as a commercial SaaS company (simacan.com), so expect a subscription-based model. Given that the platform already serves major Dutch retailers and carriers, contact Simacan directly for enterprise pricing.

Can this handle large-scale operations across multiple countries?

Yes — the entire purpose of this EU-funded phase was to scale from a proven Dutch product to a Europe-wide connected transport platform. Demo deliverables specifically include market expansion demonstrations across European countries and multimodal transport operations.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

Simacan BV owns the platform IP. This was an SME Phase 2 project (single company, no consortium partners), meaning all IP stays with Simacan. Licensing terms would be commercial — contact Simacan directly.

Does it work with our existing logistics software?

Integration is a core design principle. The platform connects with existing planning systems, on-board units, driver apps, and freight sensors. A self-service portal was built specifically for clients to manage setup and onboard third-party integrations themselves.

Is the e-CMR (electronic consignment note) feature ready for cross-border use?

A dedicated e-CMR solution was developed and demonstrated as part of this project, applied specifically to multimodal transport operations on the Simacan LINK platform. Based on the project deliverables, this was at demonstration stage by project end in November 2021.

How quickly can we get started?

The project ran from December 2019 to November 2021 and is now closed, meaning the platform is in commercial operation. A self-service portal was built for onboarding new clients, which suggests a streamlined setup process. Contact Simacan for current onboarding timelines.

What kind of support and maintenance is available?

As a commercial SaaS platform already serving 55% of the Dutch grocery supply chain, Simacan operates ongoing commercial support. The self-service portal and third-party integration capabilities suggest a mature support infrastructure. Specific SLA details should be discussed directly with Simacan.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project: Simacan BV, a Dutch SME, is the sole participant. That is typical for SME Phase 2 instruments, which fund proven companies to scale commercially rather than conduct collaborative research. With 100% industry composition and no academic partners, this project is pure market execution. The fact that Simacan secured SME Phase 2 funding — one of the most competitive EU instruments — signals strong commercial validation by EU evaluators. For a potential business client, this means you are dealing with an established commercial vendor, not a research consortium that still needs to figure out productization.

How to reach the team

Simacan BV is based in the Netherlands. Visit simacan.com for direct commercial contact. SciTransfer can facilitate introductions if needed.

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how Simacan's transport visibility platform could work for your supply chain? SciTransfer can arrange a qualified introduction and help you evaluate fit before committing to a commercial discussion.

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