Manufacturing logistics and procurement – May 2020

Optimising paper manufacturing
According to a new study from Karlstad University, a virtual paper-making machine makes it possible to test run and optimise operations without costly downtime, so saving money and sparing the environment. The model of the complete machine, which is presented in Björn Sjöstrand’s doctoral thesis (5.5 MB), runs on a regular computer.

1.5 meter society due to Covid-19 in producing
Whereas for many hospitality companies it will hardly be possible to keep a distance of 1.5 meters in the future, it is easier to implement in the industry. ABN AMRO (in Dutch) expresses this expectation in its new sector report (in Dutch, 331 kB) 'Entrepreneurship in times of corona'.

Logistics and transportation
In the project “Rural Parcel Delivery”, VIL (in Dutch) wants to improve efficiency in the delivery of parcels in rural areas. A model of collaboration in geographic clusters with shared cross-docking capacity will be studied and tested to arrive at the most optimal economic and social situation.
Supply Chain Magazine (in Dutch) has published their ‘3PL Metrokaart Nederland 2020’ with 32 leading logistics companies in the sector. Half of them expect a downturn due to Covid-19. You can download the publication after filling in your details.

Artificial Intelligence
TNO (in Dutch) has published a position paper (in Dutch, 3.7 MB) on Artificial Intelligence in mobility and transport. According to TNO, there are many promising applications, such as autonomous vehicles, smart electric charging, predictive maintenance, self-learning energy and partial mobility.
Ecommerce Europe reports that on 4 May 2020, the second Draft Initiative Report (258 kB) on Artificial Intelligence was published by the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament. Rapporteur Axel Voss (EPP, Germany) gives the European Commission his perspective on a future civil liability regime for Artificial Intelligence.

Industry 4.0 and blockchain technology
Supply Chain Management Review has published an infographic (1.8 MB) about the information they collected in April 2020 from 86 supply chain professionals about the use and planned adoption of blockchain in supply chains around the world.
PackIOT has published a list of 40 terms to help you get to know the main terms and expressions used within the 4.0 industry, internet of things and digital transformation contexts.
 

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