Sustainability

Logistics is one of the biggest trade volume industry sectors in Germany. External factors of influence are pushing the logistics sector to redesign its processes and operating activities environmentally. In the practical experience methodical tools are missing which help to identify environmental potential for optimization, to evaluate it and to document quantitatively the realized improvement. One possibility to combine the environmental and the financial point of view in intralogistics is demonstrating a novel reference model. With this model weaknesses can be identified and appropriate goals and activities can be defined to improve them. The combination of the reference model with a data base system affords to simulate and to review the effects of the activities just before their operational realization. The application of the reference model and its benefits for the contract logistics enterprises will be characterized in this article.

The evidence of the ecological sustainability of logistics systems is increasingly expected by customers inside and outside the supply chain. Companies can affect their carbon footprint at different strategic levels: products, structures, processes and technologies. The potential use and evaluation of technologies and their contribution to improve ecological sustainability while taking into account economic conditions are the subject of this paper.

Lot sizing is a substantial factor of economic production. There are various lot sizing approaches considering the same cost factors in different ways. Their results are usually quite similar. A common weakness of all lot sizing approaches is the limited consideration of relevant cost factors. The costs which are neglected usually rise with increasing lot sizes. This leads to illusory exact results because too large lots are calculated generally. This paper compares functions and results of different lot sizing approaches and discusses neglected cost factors.

It is expected that employment will increase in the next 5 years. Furthermore, several surveys examining the training needs state that there is a large need for improving the qualification of employees working at all different positions within the supply chain. The need for qualified persons cannot only be fulfilled by motivating the employees in continuous learning. This article shows an approach used for vocational training in the field of Intelligent Cargo.

Logistics has changed extensively in recent decades. Initially characterized by the classical functional structuring procurement - production - distribution, the task of logistics in our days is to integrate value chains into global networks. In future, logistics challenges will proceed even faster. Logisticians from science and practice estimate that the next 10 years will bring as many changes as the past 50 years. To keep pace with this dynamic change the knowledge about future developments and trends that will shape the logistics of tomorrow is key to success. From our perspective, four global core developments will significantly influence the planning, coordination and proceeding of product flows in the future: supply chain risk, technology, environment and geopolitical orientation and change of social structures. These developments open up opportunities for logistics but include also major challenges.

In an increasingly turbulent environment, today enterprises are confronted with the challenge of aligning available capacities with the capacities required using targeted measures. An approach is presented to support the selection of measures quantitatively.

BLG Logistics experiments with the concept of “True Greenness“ to develop ecologically-oriented concepts beyond process optimization and CO2 Compensation.

Drive-train electrification intended to create sustainable mobility by enhancing efficiency and identifying supplements and alternatives to crude oil is integral to many vehicle manufacturers’ strategies. However, innovations in the field of electromobility, i.e. mobility rendered possible by electrically powered vehicles, will only establish themselves when they generate genuine value added for customers and are environmentally compatible. Thus, cost effective configuration of a ubiquitous (public, semi-public) infrastructure that supports the use and market launch of electric vehicles constitutes one of the key challenges and will necessitate support from new planning approaches and models.

Since the turn of the millennium companies are confronted with a tightly interwoven network consisting of changed framework conditions. Thus, for many companies it is necessary to form a network, together with a simultaneous securing of liquidity. Additionally, it is important to consider ecological values. The selection of adequate concepts in the supply chain management in combination with the right extent in logistic services poses a major challenge. However the dynamic assessment and selection of logistic concepts is quite possible. This article presents such an approach.

The vision of the “Internet of Things” describes networked, interactive objects which are capable of autonomous decision-taking. The potentials of this vision for logistics in the automotive and food sector go from tracking and tracing throughout the supply-chain, via quality assurance and monitoring through to new service models and consequently completely novel sources of revenue. Key elements of the “Internet of Things” such as auto-identification technology or sensors are already mature and ready to be used in logistics. On the basis of a series of industry case studies, this article describes the current situation in industry with regards to these technologies and identifies future potential. To facilitate the analysis, it presents an instrument by which the level of implementation of the technologies of the “Internet of Things” can be measured.