Keywords

1 Introduction

The challenges of transport systems development are more relevant than ever in the market conditions of Russia. Logistics services ensure the accessibility of territories, create safe and comfortable living conditions for the population, and form the conditions for economic development.

Multimodal transportation, in turn, helps organizations to minimize the cost of cargo transportation, reduce transportation time, etc. As part of the increasing number of goods to be transported, the need for multimodal transportation systems is becoming more and more acute. Those bright examples of organizations that have implemented multimodal transportation systems to digitize individual processes (in fewer cases) and process chains (in more cases) show excellent results in the market in Russia.

The combination of different modes of transport, the restrictions imposed on the transportation, all this must be taken into account when organizing multimodal transportation.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the trend of digitalization of multimodal transportation in Russia on the example of cases of implementation of multimodal transportation systems in various companies.

2 Materials and Methods

The modern trend of transport development is the formation of multimodal transport systems. Multimodal transportation is one of the most complex operations in transport and logistics management. The participation of different modes of transport in the transportation of goods makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the transport process, improve logistics schemes for the delivery of goods in time, reduce the economic impact on the environment, improve transport service territories and the use of rolling stock [1, 2]. Such freight flows are usually subject to careful control. The need for a more efficient logistics process drives the demand for transportation and logistics applications; this demand is consistent with other advanced technologies [3].

Given a set of transportation requests in which the point of origin and destination are far apart, logistics service providers must find appropriate vehicle routes to fulfill these requests at the lowest possible cost.

In view of performing an analysis of multimodal transportation in Russia, an analysis of the existing literature was conducted. Studies that contribute to an in-depth understanding of the topic of open access work were selected.

The following search engines Scopus and ScienceDirect were used to search and select information.

The following search string was used in Scopus:

figure a

As a result of the search, 6 articles from open access journals were found.

The keywords “Multimodal transportation Russia” with the following refinements were searched in ScienceDirect:

  • Years: 2021, 2020, 2019;

  • Article type: Review articles, Research articles;

  • Access type: Open access & Open archive.

The search found 92 articles from open access journals.

A manual check of the results was performed to analyze the articles. Based on the analysis of abstracts, the most relevant articles for this paper were selected. The number of articles analyzed was reduced. The articles were divided into large categories showing the industry of the study. These categories are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Article categories by search results
Full size table

In addition, it can be noted that of all the articles that made it into the final review, some were thematic and concerned a specific region or example, while others covered concepts. Thus, we can conclude that these articles reflect both the practical and historical state of the art.

Given a set of transportation requests in which the origin and destination are far apart, logistics service providers must find expedient vehicle routes to fulfill these requests at minimal cost.

Wolfinger D. et al. in their paper argue that, given a set of transportation requests in which the origin and destination of each request are located far apart, logistics service providers must find appropriate routes of vehicles to fulfill these requests at minimum cost [4].

Unit of cargo can be transported in one of two ways [4]:

  • unimodal;

  • multimodal.

The main advantages of combining multiple modes of transport for multimodal transportation are both lower costs and less environmental impact compared to traditional unimodal transportation.

The existing multimodal transport system emerged during the 2nd and 3rd industrial transport revolutions as a result of the digitization of transport systems of various modalities (road, air, rail, water) and their introduction into the telecommunications and then into the information space [5]. Multimodal transportation implies the use of at least two modes of transport to transport goods from the starting point to the end point [6].

Multimodal transportation network design includes three components:

  • selection of transit stations;

  • determination of transport routes;

  • determination of transport modes.

Archetti C. et al. in their work divided multimodal transportation into three stages [7]:

  • Advance transportation is transportation from the point of origin to a transfer terminal where the cargo changes modes of transport; it is usually by road;

  • Long-distance transportation is a section that covers a greater distance. Long-distance transportation is by rail, sea, inland water, or air.

  • Final transportation is the so-called last mile, i.e. the last way to the place of delivery, and, as in the case of pre-carriage, in most cases is carried out by road transport.

The organization of multimodal transportation in the areas of rail, road, sea transport in international communication will increase the competitiveness of Russian transport and logistics companies, will allow the country to realize its transit and export potential, as well as increase income from export transportation services.

Researchers consider trends in the development of multimodal transport systems and scientific and methodological problems of territorial and transport forecasting and planning [8,9,10,11].

The need for digitalization of multimodal transport is described in Kobzeva E. et al. [12].

Martin F. et al. write that determining the optimal pricing for parcel delivery that involves frequent transshipment in the context of multimodal transport and the use of multiple common resources is a difficult task [13].

Guo Y. et al. in the study propose a new model of multimodal distribution of automated vehicles, which takes into account the characteristics of automated vehicles and three types of distribution [6].

In this paper [14] considers the method, applying more complex models based on queuing networks, which allow to describe in detail the route of applications movement inside the object with a nonlinear hierarchical structure. The proposed method is suitable for describing a wide range of freight and passenger transportation systems, including river ports, seaports, airports and multimodal transport hubs.

In the article [15] presents multicriteria approach with time indicators for optimization of cargo flow distribution in multimodal transport-technological system.

This article [16] reviews the approaches to network modeling and stability assessment of multimodal transport networks.

The authors also consider the development of multimodal transport systems in different regions of Russia [17,18,19,20].

There is an urgent need to develop more effective ways of organizing multimodal logistics systems for remote fields and facilities for their maintenance, infrastructure development [21].

The correlation of price and quality, delivery, payment, transportation and storage schemes constitute the commercial success of the transportation service. The correctness of their choice leads the organization either to an increase in profits or to monetary losses [1]. It follows from the above that an effective logistics process in an organization must apply tools to analyze and visualize the complexities associated with transportation. These tools should integrate information, warehousing, personnel, materials, and the safe delivery of the final product. As part of the logistics process, the company must always consider the location of the product and analyze the various factors associated with this location [22].

Table 2 shows data from the Federal State Statistics Service for 2005–2019 on the transportation of cargo in containers by individual modes of transport.

The data reflect an upward trend in the number of shipments of various cargoes in Russia. With a further increase in the indicators, organizations will not be able to effectively manage logistics processes without the use of various sophisticated information technologies in the organization of various types of transportation.

Table 2. Transportation of cargo in containers by individual modes of transport.
Full size table

3 Results

The creation of a multimodal transport system is one of the directions of digitalization of transport systems and networks. It is important to note that the successful and promising research and implementation of the idea of building multimodal transportation systems is a powerful impetus for the development of the economy as a whole.

A lot of companies are implementing multimodal transportation in order to reduce the delivery time, transportation cost, cost reduction, etc. In its majority, each individual case of implementation of such systems is individual and is aimed at digitalization of not a single process. Let’s look at three striking examples of the implementation of multimodal transportation systems and their results.

Thus, one of the most famous cases of implementation of multimodal container logistics management system is TMS (Transportation management system) project, based on SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) solution implemented at SIBUR. SIBUR is one of the largest exporters on the Russian container transportation market, automating the through logistic chain. The system made it possible to automate an end-to-end process, rather than a separate link in the logistics chain, thereby maximizing the productivity of the ZapSibNeftekhim logistics complex.

It is planned that this solution will lead to a 30–50% reduction in equipment downtime, a 30% reduction in labor costs of multimodal logistics, as well as compliance with delivery lead times on 95% of shipments [23].

Vostok-Service is a developer, manufacturer and supplier of protective clothing, footwear and personal protective equipment (PPE) with more than 120 branches in 56 regions of Russia and CIS countries, international assets in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as its own retail network of 280 stores located in 170 cities of Russia and CIS countries. Based on the results of the tender, the industry solution from ITOB - 1C: TMS Logistics. Transportation Management. The software product is implemented on the basis of 1C: Enterprise 8 and is integrated into 1C: ERP.

Several times increased the speed of processing tasks for multimodal transportations, with a number of convenient tools for correcting and supplementing tasks, received by the logistician from managers. The use of special handy tools has allowed limited the formation of flights within the framework of only one carrier, which greatly accelerated the process: if before the introduction of a single request for cargo spent about a minute, now for a minute gets to handle 20–50 jobs for multimodal transportations [24].

The task set by KERAMA MARAZZI in 2018 was to establish a rhythmic shipment of feldspar, the raw material necessary for the production of ceramic tiles, from Turkey to Russia to its production sites in Orel and Malino in the Moscow region. Specialists of separate subdivision of Russian Railways Logistics in Moscow developed and successfully implemented a multimodal delivery scheme using water and rail transport along the route: port of Gulluk (Turkey) - Rostov port - stations Mikhnevo, Luzhki Orlovski, Stalniy Kon of Moscow Railways. Russian Railways Logistics is the largest multimodal logistics operator in the CIS and Baltic countries.

Full range of services included vessel freight and transportation to Russian port, cargo transshipment to railroad and delivery to destination stations. Total transportation time of one consignment was 30 days [25].

These cases confirm the effectiveness of implementing holistic information systems in the business process of logistics organizations. However, it is important to understand the need to digitalize not individual blocks, but the entire logistics chain to achieve the sustainability of the organization and increase its competitiveness.

The organization of multimodal transport in the new socio-economic conditions requires a clear basis for the interaction of transport, production, commercial and other organizations in the field of legal regulation, planning and finance, technology, technology and transport management [26,27,28]. All elements included in the system of multimodal transportation (material flow, rolling stock, network of roads and terminals, transport-forwarding complexes) must meet certain requirements.

When planning the route and choosing the necessary transport it is necessary to start from the features of the cargo, the end point, the terms of delivery, pros and cons of each type of vehicle. Competent careful preparation allows you to choose the optimal and most profitable scheme of multimodal transportation.

The most popular combinations of transport modes:

  • car - plane;

  • train - plane - car;

  • car - ship;

  • train - ship - car;

  • car - train.

Depending on the chosen scheme, the rates for the services provided and the delivery time will differ. Often the customer chooses the most preferable option - urgent delivery or low cost, because air transportation will be the fastest, but will cost the most, and the cheapest transportation by sea will take the maximum time.

4 Discussion

The study revealed an upward trend in the need for the introduction of multimodal logistics in Russia. A further increase in the figures may make it impossible to effectively manage transportation. This problem is very acute for many organizations right now. However, for more accurate results, it is necessary to consider in more detail the situation with multimodal transportation in different regions of Russia due to different climatic, transport, social and other conditions.

The creation of a multimodal transport system is one of the directions of digitalization of transport systems and networks. Identification of best practices has highlighted only a few areas where multimodal logistics can be applied. Unfortunately, not many organizations make it possible to monitor the application of new technologies in their business processes, which leads to an incomplete collection of information in the study. The considered combinations of transport are quite universal, but it is necessary to take into account the focus of the organization, the type of cargo and similar various factors for the organization of multimodal transportation system.

Further research is planned to determine the main trends in the development of multimodal transport in Russia, as well as to determine the impact of multimodal transport on the sustainable development of regions.

5 Conclusion

The number and geography of freight transportation increases every year. The quality of rendered services in this sphere also increases. Nowadays multimodal transportations are used increasingly more often for cargo transportation. This type of transportation implies a comprehensive approach to the organization and coordination of cargo delivery, because it involves using several modes of transport.

The demand for multimodal transportation is growing every year, and the potential for the development of multimodal cargo transportation schemes in Russia is very high. The main advantage of the multimodal method of delivery is the use of the maximum quality of each mode of transport, with their competent combination. Digital technology allows a new level of control over the transportation process, using different types of communication. Implementing a multimodal logistics management system is a way for organizations to adapt faster to changing conditions. This can include legislation, consumer demand and behavior, and foreign economic factors. Minimizing costs, increase profits by improving the efficiency of logistics processes.

Thus, today, the implementation of a multimodal container logistics management system can automate the end-to-end logistics process, which allows for maximum productivity in the organization.