At the international logistics service
provider Dachser, advocating the use of standards has tradition. With this in mind, the company is also involved in the Open Logistics Foundation. As a co-founder of the Foundation and a member of Working Groups and Projects, Dachser is driving forward the digitalisation of logistics – especially with a view to the so-called
commodities.
Dear Community, when it comes to top quality, reliable and efficient logistics services, Germany and Europe have been setting high benchmarks for many years. However, the tables turn when
it comes to digitalisation and standardisation of processes. In global comparison, European logistics companies reach at best a moderate position in these two aspects. This is mainly because
over the years, the IT processes have evolved in silo structures. In other words, companies have either independently developed their own digital solutions or rely on standard solutions from individual system providers.
Blockchain offers real potential for authorities
to reduce interventions at borders and overall to
bring more transparency into customs clearance
and logistics processes by further digitalising
the relevant data and documents. Roman Koller,
Research Associate, Fraunhofer IML, and Michael Douglas, Senior Consultant, ALS Customs Services, answer three key questions.
Open source is integral to the technological endeavors of any organisation or enterprise that
aspires to play successfully in the digital arena. The emergence of revolutionary innovations such as cloud, IoT, Big Data, or AI are inconceivable without open source. Although the idea itself has long been known in freight forwarding and logistics, as it already started to revolutionise the industry decades ago, the right mindset is what makes the difference.