With cities facing rising demand for deliveries, a growing number of vehicles are entering urban areas, worsening pollution, clogging up streets, and causing congestion in the distribution model itself. 

“This is a huge challenge. The current distribution model is not sustainable over time and increasingly generates a negative impact on cities,” stressed Santiago Vesga, Project Director at the Innovation Cluster for Sustainable Freight Delivery (CITET), which developed the Standtrack logistics initiative. 

Now a commercialised solution supported by EIT Urban Mobility, the Standtrack logistics platform is helping revolutionise supply chain management in a sector confronted by increasing complexity and changing consumer habits.  

For cities and citizens, Standtrack translates into fewer delivery vans on their roads, along with reduced emissions and noise pollution. For the logistics industry, it means traceability, interoperability, and collaboration. Helping them to improve their sustainability and generating cost savings.  

“The efficiency and speed that we need requires us to have a tool like Standtrack,” explained Daniel Latorre, Deputy General Manager of goods distribution company CITYlogin, one of Standtrack’s project partners. 

New mindset for logistics management 

Standtrack’s end-to-end tracking solution for packages uses a single identification tag to ensure full traceability from point-of-origin to the final customer, reducing complexity and possibilities for error. Additionally, different providers and information can be integrated at any time with the platform. These innovations optimise resources and clear the way for smoother logistics, by avoiding the need for wasteful and time-consuming re-labelling at different stages of the delivery process.  

“We are not just moving goods; the flow of information and sharing this information with all the actors involved in the supply chain is just as important as the goods itself,” Latorre pointed out.  

To achieve this flow of information, Standtrack has created a model that powers horizontal collaboration among supply chain stakeholders. “This represents a significant innovation and introduces a new mindset,” Vesga highlighted.  

The platform connects through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) with the different logistics actors’ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, offering improved efficiency through accurate, real-time visibility.  

In the past, when a transport company wanted to subcontract another company during a period of peak demand, it would have to perform a lengthy series of integrations. Now, thanks to Standtrack, once users are integrated into the platform, collaboration can be immediate.  

Standtrack pilots for disaster relief 

Tried and tested through several successful European pilots, Standtrack has become a market-ready solution.  

“Working with EIT Urban Mobility has been very beneficial,” Vesga underlined. “On the one hand, it provided us with the resources needed to carry out the project, which we are very happy and grateful for, and on the other it gave us a platform to showcase the project’s achievements.” 

Running in parallel, successful pilots took place in Braga and Madrid, as well as Vitoria-Gasteiz and Valencia, where the solution contributed to efforts to get the local economy back on track following devastating floods.  

Logistics firm T-Box Delivery & Solutions, tasked by the local government to manage disaster response logistics in Valencia, integrated its Transport Management System (TMS) with Standtrack. This enabled real-time traceability within the platform, supporting efficient distribution in disaster-affected areas. Notably, T-Box went on to purchase the solution. 

In Vitoria-Gasteiz, Standtrack helped enable sustainable last-mile deliveries by integrating with Eraman Coopcycle’s TMS to improve freight traceability. By enabling cross-docking at the Eraman Hub, the solution facilitated the final despatch of DHL and GLS packages via cargo bikes, significantly reducing the need for delivery vans and thus cutting emissions.  

“Through this project we’ve achieved our ultimate goal of bringing the solution to market. This milestone has been possible thanks to the collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility,” Vesga emphasised.  

From competition to ‘coopetition’ 

Looking ahead to the future of urban logistics, multiple challenges mean new approaches are required. According to José María Iglesias, Deputy Director of Mobility at the Madrid Municipal Transport Company (EMT), a Standtrack project partner, the sector is confronted with many of the same challenges as mobility in general. “We have to avoid noise pollution, environmental pollution and traffic congestion in the city,” he stressed. In this context, the need for being at the forefront of innovation only rises.  

“The way the sector is currently structured will likely not make sense in the near future,” CITYlogin’s Latorre explained. He sees the industry shifting “from competition to ‘coopetition’” where a competitor one day may also become a collaborator in some part of the supply chain, a trend where Standtrack offers a crucial edge. “The solution allows us to have visibility, the ability to respond, integrate, and select new providers, helping us transition to a collaborative world,” he added.