Abstract
The world of logistics is changing and entering a new era. The advance of digitalization and technologization enables new business models, increased process efficiencies, novel planning approaches, and much more but, on the downside, there is also the risk of being lost in the maelstrom of developments. Within these developments, the automation of logistics processes and ultimately the design of autonomous logistics systems is one of the most defining trends that has far-reaching consequences for the planning and execution of future logistics processes. This Special Issue aims to contribute to the discussion and to get to the bottom of the question of how the path towards automated and autonomous logistics systems should be designed. This editorial lays a foundation by presenting application areas of automation and discussing the theoretical path towards autonomous logistics systems. The articles that follow provide highly practical insights into current research results on the automation and autonomization of informational and physical logistics processes.
Highlights
Introduction to Automation in Logistics andSupply Chain ManagementFor years, the digital transformation has probably been the most defining trend in the logistics and supply chain industry, presenting practitioners with significant challenges and offering enormous opportunities to achieve competitive advantages at various levels [1,2]
The automation of logistics processes and the design of autonomous logistics systems is one of the most defining trends that has far-reaching consequences for the planning and execution of future logistics processes. This Special Issue aims to contribute to the discussion and to get to the bottom of the question of how the path towards automated and autonomous logistics systems should be designed
This editorial lays a foundation by presenting application areas of automation and discussing the theoretical path towards autonomous logistics systems
Summary
The digital transformation has probably been the most defining trend in the logistics and supply chain industry, presenting practitioners with significant challenges and offering enormous opportunities to achieve competitive advantages at various levels [1,2]. Nitsche et al define logistics and supply chain automation as “the partial or full replacement or support of a human-performed physical or informational process by a machine. Regarding the automation of informational processes in logistics networks, the complexity even increases, because this often involves aligning and integrating multiple partners in complex global networks This had already been an important trend for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic stressed the need for more automation in logistics networks. Based on the investigations of Junge et al [2], it can be assumed that, until 2029, most operational functions in logistics will be handled in near to full autonomy Regardless of whether these predictions are accurate, it is already clear that the automation and autonomization of logistics systems is an important trend that is currently gaining in importance.
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