Digital Transition Methodology of a Warehouse in the Concept of Sustainable Development with an Industrial Case Study

Abstract

Logistics is one of the sectors that is evolving in parallel with Industry 4.0, which refers to the integration of new technologies, information, and agents, with the common goal of improving the efficiency and responsiveness of a logistics management system. The warehouse is an essential link in logistics management, a factor of competitiveness, and a link between the partners of the entire logistics chain. It has become essential to manage warehouses effectively and to allocate their resources efficiently. The digitalization of warehouses is currently one of the research topics of Logistics 4.0. This work presents a methodology of the digital transition of warehouse management, which consists of four main steps: the diagnosis of a warehouse to identify the different processes, the degree of involvement of the employees, a calculation of the degree of maturity to identify the new technology and means of data transfer, and the associated software for the collection of information and the methods of data processing. This digital transition methodology was applied to an industrial company. The results obtained allowed for the improvement of all the indicators measuring the performance of the warehouse on economic, social, and environmental levels.