Fabrizio Dallari

Purpose – The logistics sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, with warehousing activities responsible for 13% of the sector's emissions. Despite the growing focus on sustainability, limited research explicitly addresses green warehouses and their environmental impact. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying key factors for creating a green warehouse and developing an innovative rating model. Design/methodology/approach – Focusing on the Italian logistics real estate sector, which is experiencing growth in both contract logistics and real estate, this research identifies 22 key sustainability factors. These factors are validated using the Delphi methodology, involving 22 experts selected from real estate agents, property developers, investors, 3PLs and academics. Then, the model was applied to a sample of 35 warehouses, providing an initial sustainability assessment. Findings – The results reveal significant variability in the importance assigned to sustainable practices for warehouses. The study also highlights specific sustainability factors frequently overlooked in the literature, underscoring the limitations of traditional green certifications not specifically tailored to warehousing. Originality/value – This research proposes a novel rating model designed to meet the sustainability needs of warehouses, distinguishing it from existing certifications that lack warehouse-specific criteria. From an academic perspective, it fills gaps in knowledge about the sustainability of logistics real estate, while from a business perspective, it provides a practical tool for logistics managers to assess and prioritise sustainability investments. This focused framework enables warehouse operators to make more informed decisions in line with evolving market demands for sustainable practices.

Logistics 4.0 is a recent paradigm derived from the Industry 4.0 paradigm applied to the logistics sec-tor. Several new technologies have been developed to improve logistics performance. The presentresearch aims to build a maturity model to support 3PL providers in assessing their level of maturityand identifying the areas in which to invest to improve the logistics service offered through the imple-mentation of Logistics 4.0 technologies. The maturity model was developed using a structured frame-work of four main steps: the definition of the model scope; the model design (literature review onLogistics 4.0 and the existing maturity models); the model composition and validation; and pilot testsin three relevant 3PL providers. The proposed maturity model has four constructs (i.e. strategic out-comes, requirements, Logistics 4.0 technologies, managerial and capability supporters) and four matur-ity levels (i.e. initial, intermediate, advanced, cutting-edge).

In the contemporary global business landscape, the rising complexity of production and logistics systems increases the need for automation. That is why investments in warehouse automation are rising, and practitioners need guidelines to invest in the right technology. In this paper, a systematic literature review is performed to assess the contributions’ ability to provide an up-to-date framework for automated order picking systems (OPS). To adopt an empirical lens, technology providers were interviewed about the best available technologies on the market, identified through technology scouting, to provide more details on the distinct features of the classified technologies. The study aims to provide a new framework for automated OPS, grounded in literature, to help practitioners better navigate the available technologies and choose those that best suit their industrial context. Future research should evaluate automated OPS technologies more holistically and quantitatively, including different perspectives from providers, to better analyse requirements, and impacts on macro-trends.

Giunto alla sua terza edizione, l’Osservatorio sull’Automazione dei Magazzini – OSAM fotografa il nuovo volto dell’automazione per la logistica in Italia: robot sempre più versatili capaci di riconoscere oggetti di ogni forma, strategie di manutenzione che determinano il successo degli investimenti e una mappatura economica del settore. Un dossier essenziale per chi deve decidere dove, come e quando investire nell’automazione, trasformando la rivoluzione tecnologica in un’opportunità concreta di crescita.