Logistics

Recent advancements in cyber physical systems (CPS) and industry 4.0 concepts are expected to result in a disruptive change of business processes in industry and commerce. In particular, this refers also to supply chain management (SCM) and logistics systems and processes. Methodically, maturity models can be used to determine the maturity level of SCM and logistics organisations. In this paper we present an extension for a maturity model being able to check the industry 4.0 compatibility of SCM systems and processes. Moreover, the aim is to provide a tool supporting the transformation towards SCM 4.0-ready systems and processes. The requirements for the digital transformation process are described and important fields of actions are discussed.

Guaranteeing the quality of products and processes within supply chains is essential. Nevertheless, quality management is still restricted to production processes while logistics processes are normally not considered. IT infrastructures for exchanging quality data are often missing. Those needs can be addressed by using sensor systems in combination with a cross company exchange of sensor data based on EPCIS. In order to realise this approach, sensor systems, the EPCIS standard, decision support systems and business models need to be further developed.

In the last few years, the private sector and international organizations have propagated numerous standards and norms, which prescribe some strict measures to protect supply chains. Security in the supply chain can be significantly increased with only a few principles. Against the backdrop of the many already existing initiatives, we discuss whether and how these could contribute to the supply chain security of companies. We aim at developing practitioner recommendations, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises without own security routines. These recommendations may serve as a guide and help to establish a management system for supply chain security.

Currently the implementation of digital technologies in response to important competition requirements is promoted in many places. Consequently, the working environment of employees in operative logistics is going to change significantly. This article provides an overview of the possible uses of future-oriented technologies in different logistics processes as well as the thereby changing subtasks and competence requirements of operative employees in the working world 4.0.

Range and individualisation of diversified logistic services vary substantially. A unique indicator for specific CO2-emission is not a viable option. The author proposes to aggregate individual CO2-efficiency trends of sub-entities by adding all singular tendencies during a reporting period weighted against the overall CO2-emission of the reporting entity or group of entities. The result is a weighted average tendency giving a viable indication of the specific CO2-emission trends of a logistics service provider.

In order to meet the demands of a more flexible supply of small lot sizes, many companies use in-plant milk-run systems. Despite the increasing distribution of milk-runs, a standard has not been established yet and the planning is often carried out without a suitable methodology. Therefore, a methodology was developed that supports the integrated design of the technology, the process and the controlling of an in-plant milk-run system as well as an integrated evaluation of alternatives.

The online grocery is facing big challenges. In addition to products of daily use, it is necessary to deliver fresh, chilled and frozen foods quickly and reliably to the customer. Frozen products are delivered for decades to the customers by using small cooling vans. Since some years also normal parcel delivery services in combination with insulated shipping containers are used. This article examines in a comparative analysis the environmental impact of alternative shipping modes in comparison to normal supermarket shopping by use of a life cycle assessment according to DIN EN ISO 14040.

Musculoskeletal disorders are responsible for about one quarter of all days of incapacity to work in Germany. In order to identify which types of strain lead to an increased risk of the emergence and aggravation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in operational intra-logistics and to identify in which types of jobs this risk especially occurs, 30 people working in different companies were interviewed. It was discovered that almost all types of manual handling of loads (lifting, carrying, pulling and pushing), and both standing permanently as well as forced sitting are relevant.

In contrast to the use of robots in standardized production processes, robots must be flexible and adaptable within dynamic logistics processes in order to cope with variable environmental conditions and non-standardized goods. Due to the recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence and networking through industry 4.0, robots will perform complex tasks in logistics in a reliable way in future. A crucial component of a robot system represents the interpretation of the work environment with the help of multi-modal sensor systems, especially image processing systems. This paper describes applications for robotic systems in logistics as well as a concrete example of focusing on the interpretation of multi-modal sensor data for the automation of a logistics task.

The most basic task of conveyor systems in intra-logistics is the transport of goods. For more complex tasks, such as rotating, sorting or layer forming, additional mechanical components are often needed. These range from simple pneumatic cylinders to complex industrial robots. This paper presents the novel and highly flexible conveyor system Celluveyor. Due to the modular design and system architecture, any plant layout can be generated and virtually any material handling task can be realized by a simple software update with one single conveyor system.