Ford Warehouse on Wheels Concept Aims to Improve Courier Services
Ford Motor Company is testing out a new delivery service in London that could not only help packages get to you faster, but also reduce harmful effects on the environment and cut down on traffic.
The service, which Ford is piloting in collaboration with sustainable urban delivery service Gnewt by Menzies Distribution, determines the quickest and most efficient means of transport by relying on “last-mile” couriers, which will consist at first of pedestrians on foot and expand to bicycle couriers and even drones and autonomous vehicles and robots. To power the program, Ford is lending its cloud-based MoDe:Link software, which tracks the entire process from the warehouse to final delivery.
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“Our goal is to keep larger vehicles like delivery vans operating in the high‑load, less‑congested environments in which they perform best,” said Tom Thompson, project lead, Ford Mobility. “However, for the last mile of a journey into an urban area, where congestion and lack of parking can be a challenge, it makes sense to offload deliveries to more nimble, efficient, and cost‑effective modes of transport.”
The concept of a “warehouse on wheels” involves Ford vans acting as hubs from which goods are collected at strategic locations around the city. By minimizing the amount of driving that larger vehicles do, traffic moves more smoothly, less emissions are generated, and packages arrive in amore timely fashion.
“We are keen to understand how multi‑modal deliveries can benefit our business, our customers, and — by promoting active travel and the associated health and environmental benefits of walking and cycling — our employees, too,” said Gnewt founder and head of Business Development Sam Clarke. “We are delighted to be working with Ford and helping to trial its revolutionary new software solution.”
Ford is well-entrenched in creating and developing smart mobility solutions globally, including an ongoing partnership with Transport for London that has 20 Ford Transit plug-in hybrid vans testing the viability of electric-only city travel. The trial recently expanded into Valencia, Spain, and Cologne, Germany.
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