Digital design of intralogistics systems: Flexible and agile solutions to short-cyclic fluctuations

In times of fast-paced, fluctuating and individual markets, intralogistics systems, such as warehouses, have to adapt to the resulting volatile performance demands dynamically. Hybrid systems, in which humans and machines work together efficiently and communicate in socio-technical networks, can be the answer to manage these high-frequency markets. Hybrid systems of the future need to adapt frequently and permanent change becomes the ""new normal"". A one-time planning of warehousing systems upon first installation becomes obsolete. This results in the question of how to design and implement processes for future logistics systems in an agile way in order to exploit the flexibility potential of hybrid services, which represent an interface between man, machine and organization. As part of the Innovation Lab Hybrid Services in Logistics in Dortmund, Germany, a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, this research proposes a new concept for digital design of intralogistics systems that is meeting the requirements of a continuous, short-cycle adjustment following the Industry 4.0 development path.