05.08.2015 - 09:40:34

Research partnership between Duisburg and Rio de Janeiro in the field of transport and logistics grows stronger

After two visits of the Brazilian researchers in Duisburg in the past year, the cooperation between Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) has been continued with a counter visit of the German side to Brazil.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Noche, Scientific Director of the Centre for Logistics and Traffic and Chair of the Department of Transport Systems and Logistics, and his staff member, Mr. Cyril Alias, who has coordinated the research cooperation with UFRJ and the current journey to Brazil, have been invited by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rômulo Dante Orrico Filho and his colleagues of the Transport Engineering Department (PET) at the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute (COPPE), which is the largest graduate school and research institution in engineering in South America.

Apart from discussing and intensifying joint research topics and planning future activities and events, a cooperation agreement between both universities has been prepared. Moreover, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noche gave a lecture about the topic ‘Application examples of discrete-event simulation in transport and logistics’ in front of students and researchers at COPPE.

Besides, the representatives of UFRJ and UDE visited the Operations Center of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, COR (Centro de Operacões, Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro), in order to receive an impression of the ambitious design of the center and its extensive opportunities of monitoring and control and to identify possible joint research activities. COR is known as one the world’s leading urban control centers for the surveillance of activities in urban systems. Especially, in view of the upcoming Olympic Summer Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, COR represents the ambitious claim of the city to observe the developments therein with relevance for security and traffic, to react immediately to these and to offer various services to citizens, business actors and visitors thereby.

Furthermore, the supervisory authority of largest South America’s sea port, Porto de Santos, received the researchers from UFRJ and UDE in order to discuss the situation on the ground and to identify research approaches for the immediate execution of tailor-made technical and organizational solutions. Apart from containers, the port of Santos handles bulk goods and agricultural products as well as raw materials and products from the oil and petrochemical industry. The port of Santos looks back on a history of cooperation with Duisburg and Rio de Janeiro and is, thus, intrigued by the idea of building on a successful cooperation in the past.

In addition, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Orrico Filho and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noche were the key speakers of the German-Brazilian business forum for logistics systems and projects in São Paulo, which had been organized by the Brazilian logistics association ABRALOG in close cooperation with UFRJ and UDE. The projects of both universities presented to the audience were very well received by the Brazilian business representatives. The event was concluded with an on-site visit of the South American logistics service provider Andreani Logistica Ltda. in São Paulo, which allowed an insight into the local logistics sector, particularly to the German visitors.

Finally, various visits at the Brazilian Federal Ministry of Transport were on the agenda. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Orrico Filho and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noche were welcomed by the State Secretary for National Transport Policy, the National Department of Transport Infrastructure and the National Agency of Land Transportation in order to review individual aspects of the transport policy of Brazil and to discuss effective ways of improvement of the situation for the local logistics industry.

All in all, both sides, i.e. UFRJ and UDE, confirmed their delight to have found a research partner at eye level with the other party. With respect to the very positive reaction from both the local logistics industry and the political actors in Brasilia, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noche shows his delight about the confirmation of Duisburg’s excellent reputation in the international arena as logistics research center and its global attractiveness for other renowned research partners. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Orrico Filho was greatly honoured „to be able to welcome our colleagues from Duisburg in the ‘wonderful city’ after the two very successful visits in Europe last year, to present the situation here in Brazil to them and to identify questions of joint research for the future”.

Further impressionens:
Visit to Centro de Operacões do Rio de Janeiro
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Satisfied participants of the German-Brazilian logistics forum in São Paulo
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Visit to logistics service provider in São Paulo
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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Orrico Filho and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noche are looking confidently forward to a future of common research
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Discussion with the supervisory authority at the port of Santos
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