Application of digital technologies in the EU logistics sector

Abstract

Logistics is currently undergoing a transformative phase due to rapid digitalization, prompting a profound exploration of both theoretical potentials and practical challenges within the industry. This comprehensive review delves deeply into the growing interest in digital technologies within logistics, with a specific emphasis on their practical applications. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to explore the growth and academic focus on the logistics digitalization. Academic literature is studied from the Web of Science database for 2020–2024. Literature review and bibliographic analysis of selected articles are performed using VOS Viewer. It was identified that one of the clusters comprise keywords related to logistics and information technology. The analysis of investments in digital technology reveals experiences of the logistics sector seeking to figure out how investments impact labor productivity. The descriptive analysis results indicate that companies implementing technology can achieve up to a 20% increase in labor productivity, signifying the importance of technology investments for business competitiveness increase. These findings illuminate how various logistics sub-sectors respond to software and computers investments and the pace at which these technologies influence labor productivity metrics. These empirical findings considerably fortify the theoretical framework, offering practical implications and stressing the critical necessity for logistics firms to seamlessly adopt digital technologies into their operational frameworks. In conclusion, as the logistics landscape teeters on the brink of a digital revolution, businesses must navigate and fully embrace digital solutions to maintain competitiveness.