The current state of synchromodality: An application of a synchromodal maturity model on case studies in the Netherlands and Belgium

This article shows the results of our study to determine the general level of synchromodal maturity for shippers and logistics service providers operating in The Netherlands and Belgium. A questionnaire was used to assess the maturity of synchromodal transport for 41. This research extends the literature by applying the model to a broader setting. Although 41 companies provide some good insight on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), generalization cannot be made on the findings. In this study most results were obtained for logistics service providers and shippers. It was observed that shippers in general are more mature in synchromodal transport, except for decision-making power. The higher score for data exchange for shippers seems to suggest that vertical collaboration is strongly supported by data exchange. Our study shows that most companies are more mature in the areas of decision-making power and transport planning. On the other hand, transport execution, pricing and type of relationships are lagging. The lagging of transport execution could be explained by absence of a frequent and dense intermodal transport network. Next to that, collaboration between different parties is critical for successful implementation of synchromodality. Comparing the scores between companies within the Netherlands and Belgium similar patterns can be observed when comparing shippers and logistics service providers. Future research will focus on further benchmarking the maturity levels of synchromodality in Europe.