Integration of New Business Models in Smart Logistics Zones

This paper is dedicated to the core challenge of sustainably integrating new and viable business models into logistics systems in the context of the digital transformation. On the one hand, enterprises are facing increased competitive pressure and growth gaps in their own product portfolio; on the other hand, new technology and system solutions are finding their way into enterprises. These new solutions lead to significant changes in the cost structure as well as in the process design. Especially in increasingly digitalised and automated economic sectors such as logistics, production or processing industries, the adaptation and development of the own business model requires a systematic approach that presupposes the use and integration of proven methods. In the context of designing Smart Logistics Zones the interaction of logistical objects, processes, systems and the physical and digital infrastructure is achieved in a goal-oriented manner, depending on the requirements and the situation. An interactive design of the future of human-technology organization takes places. The procedure of the Smart Logistics Zone should support entrepreneurial decision processes purposefully and on the core idea of an Industry 4.0 in preliminary way. In addition to the integrative research concept, this paper focuses on the application of the methodological approach to a reference scenario of the Smart Logistics Zone and an exemplary business model.