Smart product-service systems in interoperable logistics: Design and implementation prospects

To deal with the increasing complexity of customer demands, supply chain (SC) and logistics organisation and management have been constantly moving towards collaboration, intelligence, and service-orientation. The importance of service-oriented design for SC and logistics systems has been stressed, especially with regards to interoperability and sustainability. In this context, the recent intelligent interoperable logistics paradigm has been increasingly studied and the Smart Product-Service System (PSS) concept seems interesting for the paradigm. Smart PSS are characterised by their ability to collect and process information autonomously and subsequently make decisions and self-act/evolve. Interested in the potential for tackling complex logistics systems, this paper investigates how smart PSS could be considered and designed for service-oriented, intelligent interoperable logistics. A recent breakthrough logistics paradigm called the Physical Internet (PI) is taken as a practical example in this research. We present and discuss key design issues and innovative business models associated with smart PSS in PI. The results clearly indicate the promising potential of smart PSS in PI and the need for further research. Consequently, new research avenues leading to a new era of intelligent interoperable logistics are outlined. This paper intends to contribute to two main areas of research: the design and implementation of smart PSS in PI, and functional and conceptual research on PI and intelligent interoperable logistics.