Logistics as a Science - Central Research Questions in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

In view of the fundamental changes in the economy and society resulting from the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution(""Industry 4.0""), it is necessary to reposition logistics as a discipline and a science -because it is a central element in, and the driving force behind, this development. Logistics has developed from being a pure service-providing activity - delivering the right goods to the right place at the right time - to become a key driver of digital and societal change. Topics like the Internet of Things and Services, big data or autonomous driving are inseparably intertwined with logistics today. In this process, logistics as a science and an economic sector drives not only the application but increasingly also the development of basic methods, algorithms and technologies.