Manufacturing logistics and procurement – February 2022

Developments in logistics
Research by Protime shows that 53% of the people working in the Dutch logistics sector state that the current logistics process is absolutely unable to cope with the way that consumers order and return products these days. You can download the report after filling in your details (in Dutch).
Aptean has published industry research which showcases a faster return to growth following the pandemic for manufacturing organisations in North America that have achieved digital transformation maturity. The study indicates that manufacturers who have undertaken digital transformation projects have generated higher revenue growth in 2021 than those who have yet to embark on that journey. You can download the report after filling in your details.

New European Standardisation Strategy
The European Commission has presented a new Standardisation Strategy. This new strategy aims to strengthen the EU's global competitiveness, to enable a resilient, green and digital economy and to enshrine democratic values in technology applications. An amendment to the Regulation 1025/2012 European standardisation is open for feedback.

AI and robotization in packaging
McKinsey has published a survey (1.2 MB) on AI showing that AI adoption continues to grow and that the benefits remain significant. As AI’s use in business becomes more common, the tools and best practices to make the most out of AI have also become more sophisticated.
Within the collaborative research project ‘DarWIN’, plus10, SKZ and Sumitomo (SHI) Demag are identifying AI advances and studying how injection moulding machines from multiple manufacturers can learn from each other.
Inspired by the natural dexterity of the human hand, a team of engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has created a reconfigurable hybrid robotics system that is able to grip a variety of objects: from the small, soft and delicate to the large, heavy and bulky. This technology is expected to impact a range of industries, involving food assembly, vertical farming and fast-moving consumer goods packaging.
Research by Evofenedex (in Dutch) shows that Dutch businesses have made small steps in recent years in terms of data and digitisation. Trade and manufacturing companies give themselves a 6.9 rating for their digital base. You can download the report after filling in your details (in Dutch).

Optimisation of packaging lines
Eindhoven University of Technology has published a master thesis (4 MB) entitled ‘Data Analytics for Unplanned Downtime Reduction of Packaging Lines A Use Case in the Pharmaceutical Industry’.
An article (4.7 MB) by researchers from the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences entitled ‘A Data-Driven Packaging Efficiency Optimization Method for a Low Carbon System in Agri-Products Cold Chain’ is published in the journal Sustainability.
 

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