Title: Current state of process automation in internal logistics: a Germany-wide expert survey

Authors: Konstantin Muehlbauer; Sebastian Meissner; Stephanie Baeuml

Addresses: Technology Centre for Production and Logistics Systems, Landshut University of Applied Sciences, Landshut, Germany ' Technology Centre for Production and Logistics Systems, Landshut University of Applied Sciences, Landshut, Germany ' Technology Centre for Production and Logistics Systems, Landshut University of Applied Sciences, Landshut, Germany

Abstract: The ongoing digitalisation enables the use of new technologies for automation within material and information flow to make them more efficient and effective. For the future development and implementation of process automation technologies, it is important to evaluate the current state and identify obstacles as well as further potentials. The article presents the results of a Germany-wide survey of companies with regard to process automation in material flow and information processing within logistics systems. The results indicate that the material flow in the areas of storage and internal transport are already frequently automated. The generated data in these areas offers new potential for the implementation of further automation technologies in information processing for more efficient and higher-quality planning and control.

Keywords: automation technology; artificial intelligence; expert survey; information processing; internal logistics; logistics systems; materials handling; process automation; Germany.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2024.142617

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2024 Vol.49 No.3, pp.372 - 388

Received: 07 Feb 2022
Accepted: 26 Feb 2022
Published online: 12 Nov 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article