The Integration of Smart Systems in the Context of Industrial Logistics in Manufacturing Enterprises

The integration of smart systems in industrial logistics can be seen as a major opportunity to strengthen the productivity and international competitiveness of macro- and micro-economic entities within the European Union and on a global scale, as well. Thereby, a smart system can be understood as a system that uses a combination of human-based processes supported by real-time data from actors and sensors by applying an embedded approach. After reflecting on the term smart system, this paper discusses the potential of smart systems integration by focusing on the research area of industrial logistics in manufacturing enterprises. Moreover, the authors present a framework for the usage of smart logistics in manufacturing enterprises. Therefore, based on a literature review and multiple case studies, the authors outline a set of exemplary research initiatives in the field of smart systems integration and discuss preliminary research findings. Finally, future perspectives for both research and practical applications are presented.