ABSTRACT
The transformations started with the advent of the paradigm of Industry 4.0 have also influenced the logistics sector, leading to the creation of the concept of Logistics 4.0 (i.e. the transformation from hardware-oriented logistics to software-oriented logistics empowered by digital competences). This new “vision” of logistics, initially championed by manufacturing companies, has recently taken hold also in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry, driven by the boost of the e-commerce market, the progressive diffusion of “disruptive technologies” (e.g. drones, cognitive computing and artificial intelligence) and the new challenges brought by exogenous factors (e.g. COVID-19), which push 3PL providers to go beyond their traditional focus and capabilities towards a digital transformation. However, it is still unclear how diffused the concept of Logistics 4.0 among 3PLs is and how its adoption takes place in this industry in terms of technologies, services and capabilities. A better understanding of the current situation of diffusion and adoption could help 3PL providers to assess their own position with respect to the concept of Logistics 4.0 and seize the opportunities offered by its adoption (e.g. higher efficiency, better visibility, improved service level, increased safety and security). For this reason, the paper develops a maturity framework to support 3PL providers in this sense and develops a road map to identify the areas in which invest to improve the logistics service offered to clients through a Logistics 4.0 approach. By means of an extensive literature review on Logistics 4.0 technologies and on maturity models, it was possible to develop a novel maturity framework that combines the dimensions of “Logistics 4.0 technological maturity” and level of adoption of technologies to ultimately lead to the identifications of potential services to be offered by 3PL providers. © 2021, AIDI - Italian Association of Industrial Operations Professors. All rights reserved.