In times of high interest rates, global uncertainty, and volatile supply chains, companies are under more pressure than ever to ensure efficiency, resilience, and sustainability simultaneously. Traditional supply chain management is no longer sufficient. An integrated view of material, information, and financial flows is crucial. This is exactly where financial supply chain management (FSCM) comes in: it connects financial processes with operational logistics, creating the basis for efficient working capital, stable supplier relationships, and lower risks.

Only when material, information, and financial flows are managed together can a consistent, responsive, and simultaneously agile system be established. A delay in payment can be just as crippling as a missing component. Synchronising financial flows reduces friction losses, improves predictability, and creates the basis for automated, data-driven decisions.

Liquidity is a key performance factor in modern supply chains.

In modern supply chains, liquidity is much more than a financial indicator; it acts as a lubricant, keeps processes moving, enables investment, and stabilises partners. Without it, even well-planned supply chains come to a standstill – not because of a lack of materials or data, but because payments are delayed or overdue, risks are not mitigated, or necessary upfront investments cannot be financed. Liquidity is therefore a strategic factor that influences efficiency, resilience, and sustainability in equal measures.

Efficiency is achieved by reducing financial friction losses along the supply chain.

In many companies, delays are not the result of logistical bottlenecks, but of financial process disruptions: manual invoice checks, unclear payment statuses, lack of coordination between transport events and financial approvals. The digital linking of delivery and payment data, automated workflows, and transparent event control reduces unnecessary waiting times, duplicate verification processes, and capital commitment.

Resilience is created through financial and operational synchronisation.

Supply chains become resilient not only through additional inventory or alternative sources of supply, but also through the ability to jointly manage financial and operational risks. When transport events, inventory changes, or delivery delays are directly linked to cash flows, liquidity requirements, and financing options, the result is a system that can detect disruptions early on and respond flexibly. FSCM creates precisely this connection: it reveals which suppliers are under financial pressure, where liquidity is becoming scarce, or which operational risks could develop into financial bottlenecks. This is how FSCM becomes a resilience booster.

Sustainability requires financial stability.

An integrated view of all flows in supply chain management not only creates more efficient and resilient processes, but also actively promotes the development of stable, fair, and sustainable supply networks. Financial stability is a prerequisite for environmental and social responsibility in supply chains—especially for smaller suppliers. FSCM ensures that liquidity is distributed fairly, payment processes are transparent, and capital can be directed toward sustainable activities, for example, through ESG-based financing or dynamic payment models. CO₂ data can be linked to payment flows, supplier evaluations become traceable, and financing incentives can be directly tied to sustainability criteria. In this sense, there is nothing more economically sound than sustainable supply chains, which also make a significant contribution to sovereign value creation.

The financial digital twin is becoming the central control instrument of the future.

Looking to the future, the open source Financial Digital Twin is a particularly promising solution. For example, it links digital transport and financial data, speeds up invoicing processes, improves risk assessments, and enables proactive management of financing and insurance.

The Financial Digital Twin maps all financial dimensions of a supply chain – risks, cash flows, receivables, liabilities, and all relevant assets – in a consolidated, dynamic overview. Through simulations and scenario analyses, the effects of investments, market fluctuations, or operational decisions are immediately synchronised and made visible. This enables companies not only to react but also to manage their operations proactively.

The Financial Digital Twin acts as an advanced warning system. It identifies liquidity bottlenecks, assesses financing options, and supports strategic capital allocation in real time. In doing so, it links operational logistics data with financial control parameters and creates a basis for decision-making that enables both speed and precision in the management of complex delivery networks.

However, the Financial Digital Twin is not a separate digital twin; rather, it should be understood as the “financial brain” of a comprehensive digital twin.

Open source is the key to interoperability and scalability.

All this potential can only be realised if data flows across systems. Open source acts as a catalyst here – it enables scalability, trust, and joint innovation in an ecosystem that can only function as a network. Open standards, APIs, and shared frameworks create interoperability in value creation networks consisting of many players.

Open source promotes collaboration instead of isolated solutions, reduces dependencies, and increases the speed of innovation. Companies benefit from real-time insights into payment flows, supplier risks, and liquidity requirements – across system and company boundaries. Open source modules for transport, order, and document management, such as those provided by the Open Logistics Foundation, make it possible to link physical logistics processes with financial and risk data.

It is precisely this interaction that is crucial: when transport events, proof of delivery, or quality data are available in open formats, they can be used immediately as triggers for invoicing, payment approvals, or financing decisions. This creates a continuous flow of information that creates transparency, reduces dependencies, and forms the basis for efficient, resilient, and sustainable financial supply chains.

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Interest is growing

To establish a common solution for exchanging emissions data, 16 members of the Open Logistics Foundation are now involved in the Working Group Enabling Logistics Decarbonisation (ELD) and its associated project Emissions Data Exchange. The initiative was launched by the international logistics provider Dachser because an increasing number of the company’s customers – ranging from automotive suppliers and consumer goods manufacturers to the chemical industry – were requesting detailed information on the CO₂ emissions of their shipments. “In addition to regulatory requirements obliging companies to systematically document supply chain emissions, many businesses are also increasingly taking a proactive interest in creating transparency regarding emission-intensive transport operations in order to then reduce them in a targeted manner”, explains Ingo Müller, Department Head of Prototyping & Testing at Dachser.

It thus became clear to the logistics service provider that its previous method of exchanging data via Excel spreadsheets would no longer meet future requirements and that the process needed to be significantly more digitised and automated. Ingo Müller continued, “So it was clear to us right from the start: we need a standardised solution that works for everyone involved and for the entire industry! After all, creating individual interfaces for a large number of customers would entail significant implementation and maintenance costs and, in the long term, lead to a diversity of systems that would be difficult to manage”. Dachser’s push for ‘one solution for all’ was met with broad approval among the members of the Open Logistics Foundation.

Starting point: iLEAP

At the same time, the Working Group formed, Smart Freight Centre and SINE Foundation (see profiles at the bottom) unveiled the iLEAP protocol. It defines the structure, collection and transmission of emissions data, thereby creating a digital standard that ensures reproducibility, consistency and interoperability across software systems. It enables emissions data to be shared in a standardised manner between companies, partners and authorities. It is based on the GLEC Framework and the associated ISO 14083 standard, the globally recognised methodology for calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions consistently across the multimodal logistics supply chain.

This methodology is now, in the EU context, the methodological backbone of CountEmissionsEU, part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The iLEAP protocol increases transparency and traceability throughout the entire supply chain – even when a shipment passes through multiple companies – whilst supporting compliance with regulatory requirements such as the CSRD.Furthermore, iLEAP boosts operational efficiency: emissions metrics can be closely linked to operational data such as fuel consumption or route planning. In this way, emissions reporting becomes an active management tool, not merely a regulatory obligation.

A key principle of iLEAP is open source development. “Developing the protocol as open source allows companies of all sizes to participate in developing and later adopting the protocol”, writes Violetta Matzoros of the Smart Freight Centre, Senior Technical Manager, Data & Digitalization – Methods, Standards & Assurance at Smart Freight Centre, in her Experts’ blog. “This creates a collaborative ecosystem for emissions accounting in logistics”. For the Working Group and the Open Logistics Foundation project, iLEAP proved to be an ideal starting point and basis for further development.

Productive use cases

The first use cases have now been carried out, in which members of the Open Logistics Foundation have implemented and tested the interface. Two of these use cases were worked on by logistics service providers in collaboration with a platform for analysing transport emissions data:

• Dachser partnered with Gryn. The Hamburg-based company enables logistics firms to automatically record, standardise, and analyse transport emissions, and to use them for sustainability and regulatory reporting.
• LKW WALTER partnered with the Norwegian company Kinver, a consolidation and analysis platform.

In both use cases, the logistics service providers made emissions-related data on transport operations for a shared customer available to the platforms – in Dachser’s case, an international automotive supplier; in LKW WALTER’s case, a global market leader in cleaning technology. The main differences lie in the interface hosting: at Dachser, the Gryn platform served as the host, whilst at LKW WALTER, the logistics service provider itself acted as the host. Both projects were successfully completed following the full go-live of iLEAP.

The effort involved in implementing the interface was relatively manageable. At Dachser, the project took around four weeks of working time, spread over a period of three months. The data exchange was set up in stages to enable testing and expansion of the functionality in successive phases. Initially, data exchange was carried out manually. At the same time, semi-automatic data transfer functionality was implemented.

At LKW WALTER, the implementation took a little longer because, unlike Dachser, the company hosted the iLEAP interface itself. The main technical challenge lay in authentication. Unlike traditional methods that use tokens valid for a specific period, iLEAP uses TANs – one-time tokens for a single data query. However, an extension to the API connector quickly resolved this issue. At the same time, two-factor authentication was implemented – an important security mechanism for distinguishing authorised from unauthorised requests. An additional layer of complexity in the use case arose from the fact that, as a specialist in intermodal transport, LKW WALTER had to verify whether and how this could be mapped within iLEAP. It became clear that iLEAP processes the relevant data points regardless of the sequence of transport modes.

In conclusion, the two use cases have demonstrated that the iLEAP interface works with standard ERP and TMS systems – including SAP – and that all of these systems provide the data points required by iLEAP.

Mission accomplished

Dachser and LKW WALTER also draw a positive conclusion from their use cases. Ingo Müller says, “iLEAP has proven itself to be practical and will therefore become the interface of choice at Dachser”. Michael Gschwandtner, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at LKW WALTER, agrees: “We too will rely on iLEAP for the exchange of emissions data in future. This provides our customers with a simple, secure and, moreover, cost-effective solution”. The work of the Working Group and the project thus exemplifies what the Open Logistics Foundation stands for. Here, companies develop well-thought-out solutions for practical use that take into account the perspectives of many market participants and which then spread rapidly across the market via the companies involved in the project and the use cases. Ingo Müller and Michael Gschwandtner agree: “As our two companies together reach a very large number of end customers across Europe and worldwide, by using the new iLEAP interface, we are laying an important foundation for it to gradually become the industry standard. Mission accomplished!”

Way conducts trials in Northern Europe

The Finnish start-up Way Data Technologies, also a member of the Working Group and project, has tested the interface in an additional use case. The company operates a platform that collects and analyses telematics and vehicle data from transport fleets. Way piloted the iLEAP interface with several fleets in Scandinavia. The implementation has already been released as open source. The company is also preparing to take part in the pilot project for iLEAP certification. “Our goal is to improve transparency and accuracy in CO₂ accounting by making it easier for all players in the transport and logistics chain to access and exchange carbon footprints based on primary data”, says Juho Hyytiäinen, CEO and co-founder of Way.

Logistics sites are following

In another use case, Fraunhofer IML is investigating the extent to which the iLEAP interface is also suitable for exchanging emissions data from logistics sites. This is based on the REff Tool® (short for Resource Efficiency at Logistics Sites), a web-based application developed at the institute to determine greenhouse gas emissions from logistics sites, such as warehouses, transhipment sites or distribution facilities. The tool helps companies collect primary data – such as energy consumption, refrigeration systems, or other on-site consumption – and use it to calculate and report their carbon footprint in accordance with the ISO 14083 standard. Currently, more than 100 companies use the REff Tool® at over 1.000 sites. Relevant information can be exported as an XML file and imported into other systems for further processing.

“The aim of this use case is to address current challenges in exchanging data from the REff Tool® with another system via iLEAP and to develop practical solutions. To this end, we have examined whether all relevant data for logistics sites is also contained in iLEAP and how the data should be prepared and made available for the interface”, explains Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Dobers, Senior Scientist and Deputy Head of the “Sustainability and Circular Economy” department at Fraunhofer IML.

The partner for this use case is the Hannover-based company IVE mbH, which offers EcoTransIT World, a software solution for complex calculations and optimisation of emissions and energy consumption in intermodal transport. EcoTransIT World is used by shippers, logistics providers and transport companies worldwide, which also transmit data from the REff Tool®, amongst other sources. IVE is participating in the use case to actively support standardisation in sustainability.

For sustainability researcher Kerstin Dobers, this use case is yet another step towards greater sustainability in logistics. “We cannot achieve sustainability in logistics overnight,” she says. “It is, rather, a journey comprising many steps that will lead us towards sustainable logistics solutions and services”.

All results from the use cases are, or will be, documented in the Open Logistics Repository. Companies wishing to implement iLEAP can draw on the insights and experience gained there, enabling them to roll out the system more quickly

About Smart Freight Centre

Smart Freight Centre (SFC), founded in 2013, is a globally active non-profit organisation (NGO) for climate action in the freight sector based in the Netherlands. SFC works to mobilise the global logistics ecosystem, in particular its members and partners, to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It accelerates the reduction of logistics emissions to achieve a zero-emission global logistics sector by 2050 or earlier. To support this objective, SFC develops and disseminates methods, standards and tools – such as the globally recognised GLEC framework or ISO standard 14083 – for the consistent calculation and reporting of emissions along the supply chain. The organisation promotes collaboration between businesses, policymakers and NGOs to implement practical decarbonisation solutions and strengthen the exchange of knowledge and technology. Together with the SINE Foundation, SFC has developed the iLEAP interface as a shared organisational and technical framework for exchanging emissions data. Smart Freight Centre is a network partner of the Open Logistics Foundation.
www.smartfreightcentre.org

SINE Foundation

The SINE Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Berlin turning pioneering research in the fields of cryptography and economics into action. This “think and do tank” combines technology (e.g., cryptographic software) with governance mechanisms to enable companies and organisations to share data securely and with confidence, without losing control over sensitive information. A key area of focus is promoting sustainable collaboration, for example, through protocols such as PACT for CO2 transparency or the iLEAP data interface. In this way, the organisation aims to pave the way for a more collaborative and sustainable economy.
www.sine.foundation

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Digitalisation plays a key role. Regulatory requirements must be met through appropriate technical solutions: “The EU has set itself the goal of simplifying and digitalising logistics in Europe, for example through the eFTI Regulation on Europe-wide paperless freight document exchange in goods transport, which is currently being implemented,” says Armin Wagner. However, countries such as Ukraine, which are digitally savvy, have already made considerable efforts to digitalise their logistics in recent years. In doing so, they have relied on open solutions that are spreading rapidly. Against this backdrop, collaborative work on logistics at the EU and European levels is the right way forward. “The many small logistics companies with limited financial and technical resources can particularly benefit from open and interoperable solutions, as they allow them to integrate into the market more quickly.”

Entering new markets

The member companies of the Open Logistics Foundation from countries such as Slovenia and Romania, which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, respectively, are also convinced that integration into European logistics systems can only be successful with open solutions. The involvement of Eastern European companies in the Foundation‘s Working Groups and projects is an expression of their specific interest in European integration through technology. “The early introduction of open source technologies and interoperability give us an opportunity to facilitate entry into new markets,” says Matjaž Auflič, Head of Development at TRINET Informatika, d.o.o., based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, who sees the company‘s membership in the Foundation as a stepping stone to strengthen its position in Europe. TRINET is one of the leading providers of software solutions for automated customs procedures and logistics on the Slovenian and Croatian markets. At the same time, according to Auflič, membership also helps the company to better keep pace with the changing regulatory environment in Europe.

Another important point, particularly for companies in Eastern Europe, is visibility within the pan-European logistics community. “Membership of the Open Logistics Foundation allows us to connect with leading European logistics and supply chain companies, develop strategic partnerships, and promote collaborative innovation,” says Razvan Perțicaș, Chief Executive Officer of CargoTrack. The Romanian company provides transport companies with digital solutions for GPS fleet monitoring, real-time vehicle tracking, and toll payment automation. “By working with the logistics community, we gain access to extensive knowledge bases, research results and technical standards. We can contribute to industry standards and regulations, promoting our operational efficiency in the EU. Ultimately, this strengthens our ability to provide efficient, scalable and integrated logistics solutions.” Membership in the Foundation also enhances brand reputation and market position in Europe.

Diversity of perspectives

The implementation of the eFTI Regulation is currently of particular interest to European companies. Through eFTI (Electronic Freight Transport Information), the European Union is establishing a Europe-wide framework to digitalise control and authorisation processes for freight transport by road, rail, water, and air. The regulation came into force in August 2020 and will take full effect from 2027. Initially, authorities will be required to accept electronic transport documents. However, companies will also be required to use the eFTI-compliant format when transmitting documents electronically. “The key thing now is to work towards a uniform, open solution that everyone can use,” says Jens Leveling, Technology Advisor at the Open Logistics Foundation. “To achieve this, we need a variety of perspectives from logistics companies across Europe and beyond. This is the only way to develop solutions that work technically and meet the specific requirements of different markets. On the other hand, this diversity means that
the resulting standards and systems are more likely to be interoperable.”

Armin Wagner from GIZ also believes that the Open Logistics Foundation’s work and engagement are of great interest to companies in both the EU and candidate countries. He says, “It is crucial for every company to understand how the European market works and to anticipate future developments at an early stage. Taking an active role in such initiatives is always worthwhile if you want to establish and grow your business in Europe in the long term.”

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The electronic consignment note (eCMR) is one element of Rhenus’ digital transformation strategy. Together with the members of the Open Logistics Foundation, we have successfully implemented a future-oriented solution and reached an important milestone on our path toward full digitalisation. By replacing the previously paper-based CMR document, the eCMR becomes a valuable data source and an enabler of efficient processes along the entire transport chain. Pilot projects have already demonstrated clear benefits: from scheduling to invoicing, manual efforts are reduced, throughput times decrease, and critical data—such as loading, recipient details, and digital signatures—are automatically transferred into the TMS system. High shipment volumes can now be processed more efficiently, invoices are generated faster, and the overall administrative workload decreases. This not only improves cash flow and liquidity but also creates transparency through instantly available data, supporting analyses and data-driven decision-making. Delivery times, waiting periods, and routes can thus be continuously optimised. For Rhenus, the eCMR plays a particularly important role in direct load traffic but also holds potential for the Rhenus Groupage Network. In the long term, we plan to further roll out the eCMR across our road freight activities in order to leverage the improved data quality for analyses and informed decision-making.

Boris Jeggle, Managing Director, Rhenus 4PL Solutions GmbH

Transparent supply chain

For Dachser, its commitment to the electronic consignment note (eCMR) is fundamentally about driving forward the digitalisation of the logistics industry. At the centre of this is the barrier-free collaboration of all actors along the supply chain – from the sender via the transport service provider through to the recipient. The OLF-eCMR now enables not only the integration of large companies into the system, but also that of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on an equal footing. In tests of the software with our partner Markant, it has become clear that the digital consignment note brings considerable relief for all parties in the transport chain – from drivers to planners through to the recipients of the goods. The successful pilot applications also confirm to us that with the open source approach, we can digitalise many more commodities, i.e. transport documents and information. In this way, the OLF-eCMR paves the way for a more networked, more efficient and more transparent supply chain, from which all parties will benefit in the long term.

Ingo Müller, Department Head Prototyping & Testing – Corporate Research & Development, DACHSER SE

Finally interoperable

Our goal at Markant is to fully digitalise all documents relevant to delivery in logistics and to provide them as structured, machine-readable data. With our cloud-based Digital Transaction File (DVA), we already enable suppliers, freight forwarders and retailers to use a central platform for end-to-end digitalisation, automation and real-time communication. The DVA is characterised by a high degree of innovation with a particular impact on process optimisation between industry and retail, and for this, it won the ECR Collaboration Excellence Award 2025. Processes such as delivery, complaint and status reporting are thereby handled efficiently, transparently and standardised at the position level. The DVA uses established standards such as the electronic standard format EDI, which replaces paper-based documents such as orders or invoices. With the OLF-eCMR, we have now been able to integrate a new standard, which once again ensures interoperability across company boundaries, creates process security, reduces effort and supports sustainable, future-proof supply chains throughout the entire industry. In this way, we can now offer our customers an improved product that creates even more tangible benefits.

Reiner Sailer, Lead Service Owner Supply Chain Services, Markant Services International GmbH

Real innovations

Open source components are often the starting point for real innovation because they are modular, flexible and open for integration. The OLF-eCMR is an example of this. Currently, the digital consignment note primarily serves as digital documentation. However, its potential is much greater and includes, for example, many more possibilities for automated and intelligent processes. As an IT company that co-developed the eCMR, we want to maximise the potential of digital consignment notes for our customers in logistics. We are working in two directions. Our developers are currently working on an application for drivers who only need to take a photo of a paper-based CMR. The data is automatically read out with the help of generative artificial intelligence and loaded into the eCMR system. This process, previously manual, is thus mapped more efficiently in digital form and also simplifies traceability. But the eCMR can also automatically trigger entire processes and value chains. Imagine the following: After the goods have been delivered and the eCMR updated, an AI agent automatically informs the ERP system, customer service and the accounting department so that the invoice for the delivery can be created. The OLF-eCMR shows how open standards enable real innovations – not through isolation, but through cooperation. When processes are intelligently networked and automated, companies gain major competitive advantages based on open source components.

Ulrich Buhrmann, Director Market Transport & Logistics, iteratec

New stages

For EDITEL, it has been a central concern from the very beginning to place security and reliability at the forefront in the standardisation of digital transport documents. Only if authenticity, integrity and traceability of a document are guaranteed can the necessary trust be created so that companies, as well as authorities, fully accept digital processes in cross-border transport. For us, standards are not a marginal condition, but the basis for a functioning, digital supply chain. Equally important in our view is interoperability: digital standards only deliver their full benefits when they are consistently adhered to and actively applied. This allows all parties to collaborate seamlessly within their existing systems, eliminating media discontinuity, costly interface projects, and the limitations of closed networks. This is exactly where we see our strength: together with the Open Logistics Foundation, EDITEL ensures that compliance and efficiency go hand in hand and that every partner can digitalise their processes without losing flexibility. Looking ahead, we already see new stages on the path to seamless digitalisation. Customising options, such as flexible PDF layouts or the targeted adaptation of content and process steps, open companies up to the possibility of embedding digital transport documents precisely into their established workflows. In the long term, we envision the next logical step in integrating further documents that extend the transformation beyond transport to the entire supply chain. In this way, we create the basis for fully seamless, legally compliant and interoperable documentation – for the entire order-to-cash process.

Thomas Höfler, Product Manager, EDITEL Group

More than transport

Since the publication of the industry-ready OLF-eCMR, the introduction of the digital consignment note has been gaining momentum rapidly and is developing into a European movement. In addition to the OLF members Rhenus and Dachser, which are among the most important and highest-revenue logistics service providers in Europe, small and medium-sized transport companies, which represent the largest share of the industry in terms of numbers, are also joining in rapid succession and at high speed. This accelerates the spread of the digital consignment note far beyond established supply chains. In the consultations that the Open Logistics Foundation regularly offers on the OLF-eCMR, it is no longer a question of “if”, but “how”. The development partners of the OLF-eCMR, for example, are then available for the concrete technical implementation in companies. The electronic seal is a frequent topic whose importance for digitalisation, not only in logistics, is often still underestimated. The seal implementation can also be used far beyond eCMR – wherever companies sign digitally.

Jens Leveling, Lead Software Architect, Fraunhofer IML; Technology Advisor, Open Logistics Foundation

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Unified solution for One Record

Work is already underway within the Open Logistics Foundation: Member companies from the industry founded the Working Group “Digital Air Cargo” to make air cargo more efficient and to enable new applications and solutions. The focus of the Working Group’s first project – “NE:ONE” – is the data exchange standard One Record, developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). One Record aims to overcome the fragmentation of freight information in the air cargo industry by consolidating all relevant data related to a shipment – such as air waybills, freight documents, customs declarations – into a single digital dataset. In the NE:ONE project, an open source software was created based on developments from the project “Digital Test Field Air Cargo (DTAC),” funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). The goal was for One Record to not be implemented in many individual variants but instead to create a uniform solution for all freight companies.

Industry continues to develop standards

The open source software is now published in the Open Logistics Repository, making it available to all stakeholders. They can freely download the software, integrate it into their IT landscapes, and adapt it. The more companies use this solution, the better and more effectively the industry can advance its digitalisation. The engagement numbers in the repository show that companies have already recognised the value of this tool. During the IATA One Record Hackathon in Dublin in the spring – where it participated as a partner for the first time – the Open Logistics Foundation called on companies to actively continue developing the software and regularly provide updates and bug fixes. In this way, the entire industry can benefit from continuous improvements and ensure that the software remains relevant for everyone in the long term. However, the Open Logistics Foundation does not want to build solely on the NE:ONE software. In its new IATA-supported initiative for the use of open source technologies in air cargo, the Foundation invites companies to become members and realise their own digital solutions – from uniform interfaces for data exchange between airlines, carriers, and customs authorities to open source platforms for tracking, documentation, or automation. To support this, the Foundation offers the participants a neutral platform for idea exchange and regulated, competition-compliant collaboration. This is especially important when competitors are working together on a project. One of the major challenges in the air cargo industry is the high regulatory and safety requirements. Digital solutions must be compatible with strict regulations on security, customs, and the environment. The Open Logistics Foundation is aware of this, so software development is accompanied from the outset by a Legal Product Owner who ensures that all technical solutions comply with legal requirements

Closing gaps in digitalisation

At the World Cargo Symposium in Dubai, Andreas Nettsträter and Carina Tüllmann of the Open Logistics Foundation, once again promoted the initiative. In their presentation on “Global Open Source Community for Digital Freight,” they explained to an interested audience the importance of a global digital cargo community and how it improves collaboration and efficiency in the industry. “Air cargo is on the path to digitalisation, but there are still major gaps,” said Carina Tüllmann. “With our initiative for the use of open source technologies, we can and want to close these – or at least some of them. We hope that many companies will get in touch with us, both the big players and the smaller actors. Because collaborative development works all the better the more roles and perspectives it includes.“

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This is also made possible by the members of the Open Logistics Foundation, who jointly develop and implement software in the Open Logistics Foundation projects. Each company transfers the usage rights for its respective lines of code to the Open Logistics Foundation under a Contributor License Agreement. The copyright to the individual contributions remains with the individual developers or – depending on the constellation – also with the companies in which the developers work.

Companies can use the source code in hardware and software environments as well as in databases, data networks, and online services. Furthermore, they can modify, interpret, edit or redesign the source code they use. They can use the software modules from the Open Logistics Repository for internal purposes and to provide services to third parties. An example would be integrating the eCMR components into commercial transport management software. The companies do not have to report the use or contribute modifications back into the Open Logistics Repository. Dependencies on other open source software components are checked for compatibility with the Open Logistics Foundation License. The Open Logistics Foundation maintains a white list of compatible licenses, and adherence to compliance will be supported by special tools in future.

In the legal departments of companies, new or adapted licences are often seen as a potential risk. “As an open source community with European roots, it was important to us that our licence follows the European legal understanding with formulations on warranty and liability,” said Marius Brehler, Open Source Advisor at the Open Logistics Foundation, explaining the background to the creation of a separate licence. This means that liability is explicitly limited to intent or gross negligence. In addition, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) has confirmed in a licence review process that the Open Logistics Foundation License meets the definition of an open source licence.

Read the Open Logistics Foundation License

The OLFL at a glance

Any software under the Open Logistics Foundation License …

… may be freely used, reproduced, modified, distributed or sold. There are no restrictions on the type and use with regard to certain people or user groups. If a contributor to the software also holds his own patents relating to his contributions to the software, they are thereby granting a patent licence.

… can be combined with other products and distributed or sold as a package to third parties. These can also be distributed under other licence conditions. However, it is mandatory to indicate which software in the product is subject to the Open Logistics Foundation License.

This article was published in the fourth edition of the Open Logistics Magazine. You can read the full magazine and register for future editions here.

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