Planning a Trucking Research Consortium using Industry Customer Discovery and Innovation Ecosystem Mapping

Mohamed Razi Nalim; Nirmala Priyanka Manthripragada; CLIFF CAMPBELL; Sabya Mishra; Clayton Nicholas

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: College Industry Partnerships Division (CIP) Technical Session 2
Tagged Division: College Industry Partnerships Division (CIP)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47846

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Paper Authors

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Mohamed Razi Nalim Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis orcid.org/0000-0002-7586-6357

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Dr. Razi Nalim is Chancellor's Professor of Mechanical Engineering at IUPUI, where he directs the Combustion and Propulsion Research Laboratory and helps lead the Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute. He has extensive experience in higher education and professional practice – in industry, academia, and government. He has administered research, sponsored work, graduate programs, international initiatives, accreditation, and financial aid, working with the faculty and administration of two major public university systems and their urban and flagship campuses. He has published well over a hundred technical papers, and received 7 patents, supported by over $12 million in external grants from NASA, NIH, NSF, Rolls-Royce, and others. He pioneered research in novel pressure-gain combustion systems. He also pioneered project-enhanced active learning in gateway STEM education, with federal grants for pedagogic research and student training. He previously led research and development at two small companies, and he founded a new start-up to commercialize his research. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and he has served overseas as Fulbright Scholar (twice) and NATO AGARD Scholar.

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Nirmala Priyanka Manthripragada Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

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Abstract

Trucking is a critical segment of the economy, supporting the supply chains of many other sectors, moving goods that account for about half of U.S. GDP. However, it remains the least automated and most labor-intensive of all transport modes and is the leading cause of fatalities and pollution. The automation, electrification, and interconnected operation of trucks can help resolve driver shortage, supply-chain disruptions, delivery service delays, emissions, and road safety issues. This paper reports on the development of a plan to bring together the knowledge and business ecosystems related to trucking technologies into an industry-university consortium, providing students with learning through interdisciplinary research. To be called the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT), the consortium’s vision is to converge and apply knowledge in emerging technologies in connected, electrified, and automated freight trucking and public transport networks to advance agile logistics and mobility for all. It will bring together diverse private and public sector stakeholders to conduct research on commercial vehicles, freight supply chain networks, and pertinent information systems to accelerate the adoption of automated and electrified systems to transport people and goods efficiently and flexibly. Vehicle electrification and automation technologies focused on expensive private cars may not benefit all citizens. But their adoption in commercial vehicles can enhance mobility and improve life for underserved populations. Automation, electrification, and connected operation of trucks, buses, and autonomous delivery robots can help reduce driver shortages, supply-chain disruptions, service delays, emissions, fuel demand, and road crashes, can improve agility, safety, and predictability, and can enable innovations throughout supply chains and transit networks. Research is needed on how transport and logistics providers best use automation and electrification to address national concerns, such as supply chain resilience, flexible manufacturing, mobility for disabled and underserved people, elimination of carbon emissions, infrastructure utilization, congestion, workforce shortages, work-life balance, and the safety of truckers, road workers, and vulnerable road users. The paper reports on a work-in-progress to formally utilize industry customer discovery and innovation eco-system mapping methods to construct a whole network of knowledge contributors in university, government, and business sectors, while also identifying communities of collaborators and players with strategic roles. Contributors to the modern trucking value stream include original vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, software developers, fleet owners, transportation companies, infrastructure providers, university innovators, and transportation planners. An extensive and rigorous customer discovery process, primarily by telecommunication, provided many insights into industry needs and opinions. A series of industry-targeting workshops and meetings were held to determine industry interest and to discuss potential research plans. Finally, a formal ecosystem mapping process was launched to discovery communities and trends in both business and innovation spheres. Ecosystem maps are tools to understand the relationships and dependencies between the various actors and parts that contribute to creating customer experiences. The work helps plan a future industry-university consortium by creation of comprehensive eco-system maps of electrification and automation technologies for commercial freight trucks and buses.

Citation
Format

Nalim, M. R., & Manthripragada, N. P., & CAMPBELL, C., & Mishra, S., & Nicholas, C. (2024, June), Planning a Trucking Research Consortium using Industry Customer Discovery and Innovation Ecosystem Mapping Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47846

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Trucking is a critical segment of the economy, supporting the supply chains of many other sectors, moving goods that account for about half of U.S. GDP.  However, it remains the least automated and most labor-intensive of all transport modes and is the leading cause of fatalities and pollution. The automation, electrification, and interconnected operation of trucks can help resolve driver shortage, supply-chain disruptions, delivery service delays, emissions, and road safety issues.
This paper reports on the development of a plan to bring together the knowledge and business ecosystems related to trucking technologies into an industry-university consortium, providing students with learning through interdisciplinary research. To be called the Center for Electrified and Automated Trucking (CEAT), the consortium’s vision is to converge and apply knowledge in emerging technologies in connected, electrified, and automated freight trucking and public transport networks to advance agile logistics and mobility for all. It will bring together diverse private and public sector stakeholders to conduct research on commercial vehicles, freight supply chain networks, and pertinent information systems to accelerate the adoption of automated and electrified systems to transport people and goods efficiently and flexibly.
Vehicle electrification and automation technologies focused on expensive private cars may not benefit all citizens. But their adoption in commercial vehicles can enhance mobility and improve life for underserved populations. Automation, electrification, and connected operation of trucks, buses, and autonomous delivery robots can help reduce driver shortages, supply-chain disruptions, service delays, emissions, fuel demand, and road crashes, can improve agility, safety, and predictability, and can enable innovations throughout supply chains and transit networks. Research is needed on how transport and logistics providers best use automation and electrification to address national concerns, such as supply chain resilience, flexible manufacturing, mobility for disabled and underserved people, elimination of carbon emissions, infrastructure utilization, congestion, workforce shortages, work-life balance, and the safety of truckers, road workers, and vulnerable road users.
The paper reports on a work-in-progress to formally utilize industry customer discovery and innovation eco-system mapping methods to construct a whole network of knowledge contributors in university, government, and business sectors, while also identifying communities of collaborators and players with strategic roles. Contributors to the modern trucking value stream include original vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, software developers, fleet owners, transportation companies, infrastructure providers, university innovators, and transportation planners. An extensive and rigorous customer discovery process, primarily by telecommunication, provided many insights into industry needs and opinions. A series of industry-targeting workshops and meetings were held to determine industry interest and to discuss potential research plans. Finally, a formal ecosystem mapping process was launched to discovery communities and trends in both business and innovation spheres. Ecosystem maps are tools to understand the relationships and dependencies between the various actors and parts that contribute to creating customer experiences. The work helps plan a future industry-university consortium by creation of comprehensive eco-system maps of electrification and automation technologies for commercial freight trucks and buses.
AU  - Mohamed Razi Nalim
AU  - Nirmala Priyanka Manthripragada
AU  - CLIFF CAMPBELL
AU  - Sabya Mishra
AU  - Clayton Nicholas
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Planning a Trucking Research Consortium using Industry Customer Discovery and Innovation Ecosystem Mapping
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47846
ER  -