Logistics articles

  • Suppliers as partners or sources of value

    Suppliers as partners or sources of value

    August 25, 2025

    Kearney partners Suketu Gandhi, Michael F. Strohmer, Marc Lakner, Tiffany Hickerson, and Sherri He pool their decades of experience in Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations. The book explains how to redefine operational strategies to ensure business profitability.

  • Technology applied to storage system design

    Technology applied to storage system design

    July 30, 2025

    Interlake Mecalux uses software powered by adaptive algorithms to configure storage solutions tailored to each client’s needs. The system determines the optimal layout based on factors such as available space and product characteristics.

  • Floor-mounted Electric Monorail System: Speedy, accurate material flow

    Floor-mounted Electric Monorail System: Speedy, accurate material flow

    July 11, 2025

    A floor-mounted electric monorail system (EMS) comprises automatic carriers or trolleys that move along an electrified rail embedded in the floor. This solution is ideal for businesses looking to streamline operations and increase efficiency, regardless of their industry.

  • Interview with MIT CTL’s Rodrigo Hermosilla and Willem Guter

    Interview with MIT CTL’s Rodrigo Hermosilla and Willem Guter

    June 9, 2025

    MIT CTL’s Rodrigo Hermosilla and Willem Guter are researching the collective intelligence of AMRs as part of the collaboration between MIT and Mecalux. The new control algorithm they are developing will increase AMR efficiency and enable these robots to further optimize their processes.

  • Vikram Agarwal (COO of Danone): Plan, make, source, and deliver

    Vikram Agarwal (COO of Danone): Plan, make, source, and deliver

    May 26, 2025

    Vikram Agarwal oversees Danone’s supply chain and brings over 30 years of leadership experience from roles at Unilever, Avon, and Dole. Radu Palamariu and Knut Alicke interview Agarwal in From source to sold: Stories of leadership in supply chain, where each chapter is devoted to an industry professional.

  • Supply chain leaders evaluate the potential of GenAI

    Supply chain leaders evaluate the potential of GenAI

    May 12, 2025

    KPMG finds that 77% of executives believe that GenAI is the emerging technology with the greatest potential to boost productivity and enhance collaboration. The consulting firm has identified three common use cases among companies specializing in supply chain management.

  • Study on smart lighting in warehouses

    Study on smart lighting in warehouses

    April 29, 2025

    Lighting typically accounts for 65% of warehouse energy demand, significantly impacting both operational costs and carbon footprint. Smart lighting systems can reduce energy consumption in logistics facilities by up to 87%.

  • Interview with Sarah Schaumann, Lead Researcher at MIT CTL

    Interview with Sarah Schaumann, Lead Researcher at MIT CTL

    April 21, 2025

    Sarah Schaumann (MIT CTL) leads a project on prescriptive intelligence as part of the MIT–Mecalux research collaboration. Optimizing order distribution with self-learning AI models aims to help companies select the ideal shipping points for their goods.

  • New dawn for chief technology officers

    New dawn for chief technology officers

    April 15, 2025

    Experts at McKinsey Technology highlight that companies now expect CIOs, CTOs, and CDIOs to turn the promise of tech into business value. Chief technology officers must take on the roles of orchestrators, builders, protectors, and operators to meet these expectations.

  • Augmented reality, 3D, and NFTs are transforming shopping

    Augmented reality, 3D, and NFTs are transforming shopping

    March 31, 2025

    A report by the consulting firm Capgemini argues that a new era is emerging where retail sales will become increasingly immersive. The aim is to make users feel as if they have entered a different dimension and to build stronger relationships between customers and brands.

  • Social impact of supply chains

    Social impact of supply chains

    March 24, 2025

    Alicia Martínez de Yuso, a Project Manager at the Zaragoza Logistics Center, analyzes how businesses need effective solutions to prevent supply chain disruptions. Companies need a resilient and sustainable supply chain, adopting innovative practices and leveraging technology.

  • Reducing operational wastes in distribution warehouses

    Reducing operational wastes in distribution warehouses

    February 27, 2025

    Researchers Diego Augusto de Jesús Pacheco, Daniel Møller Clausen, and Jendrik Bumann study how to improve efficiency in a distribution warehouse. Implementing a warehouse management system (WMS) significantly changes the performance of a distribution warehouse.

  • Sustainable reverse logistics network design using simulation

    Sustainable reverse logistics network design using simulation

    February 17, 2025

    Virginia Fani, Ilaria Bucci, Romeo Bandinelli, and Elias Ribeiro da Silva analyze the sustainability of returns and reverse logistics. The strategic decentralization of warehouses and stores dedicated to returns balances lead time and sustainability.

  • Advanced simulations for efficient warehouses

    Advanced simulations for efficient warehouses

    February 3, 2025

    Interlake Mecalux uses simulation software to create virtual replicas of its clients’ warehouses and optimize operations. The software generates a digital twin, a virtual representation that employs real data to predict system performance.

  • AI‐enabled analytics for business

    AI‐enabled analytics for business

    January 17, 2025

    AI‐enabled analytics will be part of all businesses. But this integration will depend on the type of business and what each executive knows and understands about AI. Implementations are just scratching the surface, underlining the chasm between early adopters and the rest of the pack.

  • Interview with Eva Ponce (MIT) on omnichannel supply chains

    Interview with Eva Ponce (MIT) on omnichannel supply chains

    January 6, 2025

    Interview with Eva Ponce, research scientist and Director of MIT CTL’s Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab, on the evolution of the omnichannel customer experience. According to Ponce, automation will drive warehousing, one of the supply chain areas most impacted by the growth of e-commerce.

  • Transformative technologies poised to change the world

    Transformative technologies poised to change the world

    December 23, 2024

    According to Capgemini, GenAI, quantum computing, semiconductors, batteries, and space tech will play a significant role in the near future. Business leaders will be impacted by these transformative technologies aimed at improving energy storage and data collection.

  • Chief Data Officer (CDO): the role driving digital transformation

    Chief Data Officer (CDO): the role driving digital transformation

    December 13, 2024

    More and more organizations are incorporating a Chief Data Officer (CDO) in their strategies to leverage big data and artificial intelligence (AI). A study explores the profile of these professionals tasked with spearheading their companies’ digital transformation.

  • Encouraging e-commerce customers to choose sustainable delivery

    Encouraging e-commerce customers to choose sustainable delivery

    December 9, 2024

    Researchers Alinda Kokkinou, Hans Quack, Ondrej Mitas, and Albert Mandemakers analyze the effects of incentives on online shopping processes. Charging customers for next-day delivery was the most effective way to stimulate them to choose the more sustainable option.

  • Custobots: AI-powered customers of the future

    Custobots: AI-powered customers of the future

    November 25, 2024

    According to Gartner experts, business leaders can already implement five strategies to attract the increasingly numerous custobots. These AI-driven programs are capable of buying and selling products automatically.