J. Zhou (Ed.): Complex 2009, Part I, LNICST 4, pp. 1160 – 1166, 2009. © ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2009 Collaborative Transportation Planning in Complex Adaptive Logistics Systems: A Complexity Science-Based Analysis of Decision-Making Problems of “Groupage Systems” Michael Hülsmann 1 , Herbert Kopfer 2 , Philip Cordes 1 , and Melanie Bloos 2 1 University of Bremen, Management of Sustainable System Development, Wilhelm-Herbst-Str. 12, 28359 Bremen {michael.huelsmann,pcordes}@uni-bremen.de http://www.wiwi.uni-bremen.de/mh/ 2 University of Bremen, Chair of Logistics, Wilhelm-Herbst-Str. 5, 28359 Bremen {kopfer,bloos}@uni-bremen.de http://www.logistik.uni-bremen.de/ Abstract. This paper aims to analyze decision-making problems in Groupage Systems from a complexity-science perspective. Therefore, the idea of Complex Adaptive Logistics Systems (CALS) and its inherent organization principle of autonomous co-operation and control will be presented. Furthermore, Groupage systems as a way to implement collaborative transportation planning will be introduced and, in combination with the idea of CALS, resulting decision- making problems for so-called ‘smart parts‘ in logistics systems will be deduced. Keywords: Complex Adaptive Systems, Logistics, Collaboration, Groupage Systems, Decision-making Problems, Complexity Science, Autonomous Co- operation. 1 Introduction Modern logistics has become more complex than ever before [e.g. 1,2,3]. Some reasons for this development can be observed on different basic levels of supply network systems. One reason is evident on the level of the system’s elements: the management of logistics systems has to face an increasing number of agents which have to be controlled within such a system [2]. Another group of reasons can be found on the level of inter-relations: resulting from the rising number of agents more and more inter-relations between numerous and heterogeneous agents have been established [e.g. 4] – in the managerial dimension (e.g. recursive negotiations between opposing stakeholders) as well as in the informational and communicational dimension (e.g. integrated data exchange and warehousing) and in the dimension of material flow (e.g. atomization of goods and transportation means). Finally, some reasons may