New trends revealed in DHL’s “2016 Logistics Trend Radar”

A recently-published report from DHL reveals 26 key trends that could impact the logistics industry in the next five to ten years. The new 2016 Logistics Trend Radar, the third in the pioneering series, introduces brand new trends, tracks the evolution of trends spotted in earlier editions and ones that have faded or become mainstream since the series started in 2013.

“Predicting trends is notoriously challenging,” says Markus Kückelhaus, Vice President Innovation and Trend Research, DHL.“It is difficult to know ahead of time which trends will have long-term effect on businesses and which ones are simply parts of a short-lived hype. To identify and understand trends early on in their development we established the Logistics Trend Radar to help us and our customers stay ahead of the curve.”

The 2016 Logistics Trend Radar provides insights and information on ongoing transformations and latest trends likely to shape the future of logistics – from macro trends such as the changing energy and trade landscape to micro trends such as logistics startups unbundling the logistics industry. It reveals what sectors will be affected by developments and time frames for potential impact or introduction over the next decade.

Artificial intelligence and personalization are behind several of the most transformational trends of the 2016 report – including intelligent supply chains that use self-learning or ‘machine learning’ systems. The impact of data-driven and autonomous supply chains provides an opportunity for previously unimaginable levels of optimization in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and last mile delivery that could become a reality in less than half a decade despite high set-up costs deterring early adoption in logistics.

Changing consumer behavior and the desire for personalization are behind two other top trends Batch Size One and On-demand Delivery: Set to have a big impact on logistics, on-demand delivery will enable consumers to have their purchases delivered where and when they need them by using flexible courier services. Batch Size One explores what could happen as consumer demand for highly personalized products goes head to head with mass production over the next 20 years. A batch size of one would lead to decentralized production and rapidly changing supply chains that will require logistics providers to be fast and flexible to react to changes in time and place of production.

“Key trends featured in this year’s Logistics Trend Radar could transform the global logistics industry and with 15 of the 26 trends likely to make an impact in under five years, it is crucial that anyone involved in supply chain management and logistics understands these potentially game-changing developments and the implications for their own business or sector now,” said Matthias Heutger, Senior Vice President Strategy, Marketing & Innovation, DHL.

Created by DHL Trend Research, the 2016 radar includes an analysis of emerging trends and sector-by-sector impact. It also features a review of ongoing trends plus insights from industry thought-leaders such as the World Bank, Fraunhofer Institute, HP and 500 Startups on the future of the logistics industry.

Transformative pilot projects from DHL Trend Research are also highlighted in the report such as DHL’s testing of collaborative robots in warehouse operations.