Design of a Loose Pallet Pool Based on Cloud Computing

This paper focuses on a loose pallet pool which could maximize the use of idle pallets scattered in various parts of the world. First, the concept, operation model and operation process of a loose pallet pool are briefly discussed. Then, a loose pallet pool information platform based on cloud computing is proposed because the effective implementation of a loose pallet pool system needs an information platform to support. The architecture of a loose pallet pool information platform includes four layers (from the bottom to the top), which are: (1) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS); (2) Platform as a Service (PaaS); (3) Software as a service SaaS); and (4) interface. Finally, it is proposed to establish a loose pallet pool information platform based on Google App Engine.