Transport and logistics are expected to be in the future among the service sectors most impacted by Industry 4.0, due to the array of innovative applications that will be developed from emerging digital technologies related to both smart transports and “mobility as a service”.
In this perspective, logistics centres constitute a fruitful research field for assessing the impact of incoming technologies on the business models of logistics companies operating in these centres, which play a pivotal role in international supply chains by interacting with a variety of stakeholders. Recent studies have investigated the main critical success factors on which logistics centres may base their competitive advantage, stressing the relevance of infrastructural size, geographical market scope, position in transport/commodity chains, strategic decisions, organisation and technology, and governance settings (Notteboom et al., 2017).
PortEconomics members Francesco Parola and Giovanni Satta co-authored along with Claudio Ferrari, Francesco Vitellaro and Marta Giannoni (University of Genoa) a study that aims to scrutinize how the applications of Industry 4.0 could shape the architecture of logistics centres’ business models, by performing a systematic literature review on 38 academic papers published in leading international journals such as International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Journal of Business Logistics, Supply Chain management and Transportation Journal.
The study, presented in the International Association of Maritime Economists 2018 Conference (IAME2018) held 11-14 September, Mombasa, Kenya, provides valuable insights for both academics and practitioners. The systematic literature review performed demonstrates that a comprehensive framework of analysis for assessing the impact of new digital technologies on logistics centres’ business models is still lacking, in terms of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and scope of research. In addition, the outcomes support managers by suggesting viable options for exploiting innovation from new digital technologies for pursuing costs leadership strategies and for differentiating the services offered by logistics centres focused on cargo flows and shed light on the impact of technological innovation embedded in Industry 4.0 paradigms on their business models.
Find and download the extended abstract and presentation via PortEconomics.
