In 2007 the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) was established as “…a key tool to respond to Europe’s needs in terms of jobs and competitiveness, and to maintain leadership in the global knowledge economy.”   

A new research component called the SMART-CM project (SMART Container Chain Management) was created within the 7th Framework Programme. Its purpose is to … advance technology implementation and research in order to overhaul the complete container door-to-door transport chain so that it is more efficient, secure, market driven, and competitive. It systematically analyses current processes and systems, produces new innovative concepts for processes and technologies, and demonstrates all these in a set of 2 world scale Demonstrators covering 4 supply chain corridors.

Read the full article – Securing the Global Supply Chain Without U.S. Leadership.