An efficient development process for an innovative transport unit

The development of a MegaSwapBox (MSB), an innovative transport unit that can transport goods trimodally via rail, road and waterways (short sea and inland shipping), marks an important step towards reducing traffic congestion. The successful development of such an MSB significantly depends on an efficient and economical developing process which allows an effective development from the first idea up to the construction and testing of a prototype. This paper focuses on the development process of such a MSB. It includes methods like an as-is analysis and a requirement specification. An approach for a structured development process, as well as a workshop concept that is used for an effective solution finding are applied. An extended evaluation of the profitability and usability of possible designs leads to the construction of a prototype with the suitable design. This development process will be applied within the TelliBox project “Intelligent MegaSwapBoxes for Advanced Intermodal Freight Transport”.