Logistics trends, challenges, and needs for further research and innovation

Logistics and transport are central elements and pre-conditions of worldwide trade and business. Sustainable transport solutions are vital for societal acceptance: economic growth with less resources and even less environmental impact will be crucial for European countries and globally-access to markets at reasonable transport prices is a cornerstone for the benefits of globalisation. Sustainability in logistics includes ecological, economical and social objectives. Challenges arise from a global, competitive environment, restrictions, social or ecological concerns, as well as deficits in information flows, knowledge transfer or well integrated ICT applications. This chapter provides an overview of the trends and challenges in the area of logistics and supply chain management and addresses the needs for research and innovations. In addition, it describes the structure and the main themes of the other chapters of this book.