Industry 4.0, increasingly present in the logistics chain
Industry 4.0 is on the lips of the entire logistics sector. call techniques Fourth Industrial Revolution They continue to promote the processes involved in logistics that each time have less future and more present. Here’s what the numbers say: Investment expectations in industrial companies for the next five years to adapt to 4.0 continue to rise, according to this year’s XIII scale from Círculo Logístico, carried out by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB). The study aims to analyze the logistics sector in depth, while it prepares for the International Logistics Fair (SIL), also organized by CZFB, which will take place from 7 to 9 June in Hall 8 of Plaza de España in Barcelona. justice.
A total of 974 Spanish managers from the sector took part in a Barometer survey that sheds light on the unknowns of the future of logistics in an increasingly digital reality. Additive manufacturing, robotics, automation, Internet of Things (IoT), big data, photonics and artificial intelligence are concepts that are becoming increasingly popular in the value chain of the logistics sector. So much so that 6.4% of the country’s industry logistics departments intend to make investments of more than 50 million euros in the short term to adapt to Industry 4.0. This figure, while still shy, has increased by 4% compared to last year’s measure and heralds a growing trend towards automation and technological transformation for a sector that is becoming an increasingly major player in the economy, especially after its rise to stardom during the coronavirus crisis. 19 epidemic. In this sense, Blanca Sorigué, General Manager of CZFB and SIL, stresses that “one of the most current issues is the arrival of Industry 4.0; the sector is experiencing a boom period, in which “big data”, artificial intelligence or “blockchain” influence the optimization of logistics operations.
However, when it comes to choosing the essential aspects in the logistics of the future, before the automation of processes (27.1%), transportation cooperation rears its head (28.4%). The results of the analysis show that transportation remains the undisputed leader in the most outsourced logistics activities: 95.7% confirm that they have subcontracted transportation services for their company, a figure followed by distribution at 50.4%. Of course, aside from the subcontracted activity, the aspects most valued by those surveyed when outsourcing logistics are quality (82.6%), experience and trust (64.6%) and savings (58.3%). Flexibility was left out in this version and left the podium, moving from second to fourth place with a rating of 47.9%.
But when talking about the logistics of tomorrow, there is a quality that advances as fast as technology: One of the most important findings of the scale is the unwavering commitment of companies in the sector to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. from the United Nations. The number of companies that do not implement any action aimed at achieving these goals has decreased compared to the data collected by the CZFB a year ago. Currently, 94.5% of logistics and supply chain managers report that they work so that the word logistics is accompanied by the attribute sustainable.
The leading event in this burgeoning sector is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and CZFB has set out to celebrate it in style. He will join the Eurolog anniversary party, the annual conference of ELA (European Logistics Association), the conference of the Federation of National Associations of Freight Forwarders and International Logistics Operators in Latin America and the Caribbean (Alacat), which will take place within the framework of SIL 2023. All points to That international synergy will be ensured with leading experts in this logistics hall that will put our country in the global focus of the supply chain and will open up business and communication opportunities for visitors.
With a GDP in 2021 of 71,528 million euros and with industry as an economic engine, the Basque Country will be the autonomous community invited to this edition of the fair. Its ports, airports, road network, railway network, and industrial centers make this region a major player in the Atlantic corridor, and thus a great connoisseur of the logistics environment. The development of multimodal infrastructures makes the Basque Country a node capable of meeting the important challenges posed by the smart logistics of the future, with an emphasis on sustainability and the digitization of the sector.
