Читать книгу The Digital Transformation of Logistics - Группа авторов - Страница 59

The target of logistics management in an IoT world is still the same as before: managing material and information flows. With smart devices (Things) connecting everything with everything, the way of doing to reach this target will change. Logistics management must address new questions related to connected Things. Data must be collected in order to be able to analyze it, so that decisions can be made. New IoT ecosystems consisting of a lot of new players must be managed.

Beside the Things, the major topic of logistics in an IoT world will be the big data generated by the Things. The major challenge will be how to use and share this data in an IoT ecosystem most efficiently and effectively. Standards, trust, and connectivity will play a crucial role.

Figure 3.4 IoT ecosystem.

Source: Based on Papert and Pflaum (2017). © John Wiley & Sons.

The connected world will offer new possibilities of doing business in terms of providing sensors for track and trace services, offering sensor‐based preventive maintenance and repair services, and helping companies to reach their logistics goals in terms of cost, lead time, and quality in a better way. This also requires new skills and a mindset change. Logistical process know‐how has to be combined with data analytics and technology. Lastly, cross‐functional collaboration, especially with internal or external IT teams, will be a crucial success factor.

The use of more smart and connected Things will enable the supply chain to implement an increasing number of automated processes. Things in the supply chain triggers the automated goods receiving, putaway and transport, commissioning, and packing of boxes and pallets for the next customer order. All devices in the physical world will be represented as a “digital twin” in the digital world. In addition to the already known classical 3D models or computer simulations, the digital twin is a virtual model of the real Thing based on “sensed” real‐life data. Design, operation, and optimization of logistical processes, infrastructure, or global supply chains can be done based on the digital twin either in real‐time or as a simulation of different scenarios (Gesing and Kückelhaus 2019).

The implementation of IoT logistics and automation solutions requires substantial investments in hardware like RFID gates, barcode readers, AGVs, smart racks, and Wi‐Fi, as well as the corresponding software and IT infrastructure.⁷ For all investments in IoT, logistics management has to show a clear calculation on the expected return of investment (ROI). Reducing costs, most likely personnel, on the one hand, and increasing revenues through new and better services, on the other hand, will be the major driving factors in this calculation.

As in every transition phase from old technologies to new ones, there is a certain time period where it is necessary to handle both worlds. This also applies for IoT. Logistics management in an IoT world must ensure that the IoT ecosystem can handle IoT and non‐IoT logistics at the same time although the realization of the future picture of IoT logistics must clearly be in focus. A vision for the IoT logistics of the future can be that Things will be transported, handled, and stored in an automated way by robots and controlled by self‐organizing, decentralized, smart, AI‐facilitated networks of Things.