Economic assessment of the effects of the introduction of digital platforms for the integration of participants in mixed (multimodal) freight transport (based on rail transport)

Abstract

Purpose: to reveal and describe the functionality, main services and opportunities for participants in the transportation process (cargo owners, operators, service companies) to connect to a digital integrator – a single platform “Electronic trading platform “Freight Transportation” (ETP FT), to substantiate the methodology for the economic assessment of the effects of the introduction of digital platforms for the integration of participants in freight mixed (multimodal) transportation (based on rail transport); calculate the individual economic effects of integration on the platform for various participating parties. Methods: supply chain analysis, evaluation of time-saving effects, analysis of logical flow processes and operations. Results: a methodology has been developed to assess the economic effects of integrating transport market participants into a digital platform, which consists in evaluating individual cost savings elements for a specific platform participant, including: by converting the document flow to an electronic format, by minimizing the cost of storing paper forms of documents, the cost of shipping, forwarding documents and related cash gaps, saving time and shortening financial cycles during the transition to electronic signing of documents and acceptance of electronic forms of documents by participants. Recommendations: The materials are addressed to specialists of companies participating in the transport and logistics market, IT directors and specialists, and all stakeholders interested in the development of the digital ecosystem.