Many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are still not fully exploiting the potential offered by digital transformation: “Digitalization is more important than ever: increasing globalization has intensified competition and made supply chains more complex,” says Christian Prasse, Head of Strategic Development at Fraunhofer IML. “To serve international markets while minimizing transport costs and delivery times, companies must therefore develop increasingly efficient processes.”
Digital transformation enables companies to increase process transparency through seamless real-time monitoring and to plan and control them proactively. By using historical data, real-time information, and basic algorithms to predict future events, companies can take proactive measures. According to Christian Prasse: “Transparency and the ability to make forecasts are now the most important prerequisites for corporate competitiveness.”
Sustainability has also become an increasingly important aspect of process optimization in logistics. Digitalization makes it possible to minimize environmental impact, conserve resources, and achieve climate targets, whether self-imposed or legally required.
Digitalization in logistics also extends to continuing education and training: technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (XR) simplify training and shorten onboarding times. This helps to mitigate staff turnover and the shortage of skilled workers.
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML
