Views on Technological Contributions and Limitations of Autonomous Cooperation and Control in Logistics

Abstract

Today, planning and control of logistic processes is generally executed by centralized logistic systems which are not able to cope with the high requirements for flexible order processing due to increasing dynamics and complexity. In many cases exiting planning and control systems do not allow for a fast and flexible adaptation to changing environmental influences. This weakness is often caused by a non-synchronized information and material flow in logistic systems. But there is an ongoing paradigm shift from centralized control of logistic processes in hierarchical structures towards decentralized control in heterarchical structures. The concept of autonomously controlled logistic systems as an approach of a decentralised planning and control system require “intelligent” logistic objects. Autonomy in this case means, that the logistic system, the processes and objects have the capability to design their input-, throughput- and output-profiles as an anticipative or reactive answer to changing environmental parameters. Logistic objects in autonomously controlled logistics systems would operate independently according to their own objectives by processing information, make decisions and executing the decisions by themselves [1].