Future of Logistics: AI Report for Hellmann
Which AI developments really change logistics? For Hellmann Worldwide Logistics we built a report together with QAware in summer 2024, in six weeks: six trends, concrete case examples and recommendations as a basis for the IT strategy.
The Challenge.
Which AI developments are actually relevant?
There's no shortage of headlines about AI in logistics: autonomous trucks, robot warehouses, digital twins. For a company that has to make investment decisions, that's exactly the problem: a flood of signals is no substitute for judgment.
Hellmann didn't need another trend catalog, but a solid foundation: which technologies are past pilot stage? Where do real efficiency gains emerge? And which developments affect the business model directly?
So the report combines two perspectives: our trend scouting from the international innovation scene and the technical assessment by QAware, innovation view and feasibility view in one document.
The Solution.
Orientation in a
fast-moving market.
The logistics industry is under pressure: the global market will double to around 21 trillion US dollars by 2032, skilled workers are scarce, e-commerce and return flows are growing, and the industry has committed to climate neutrality by 2050. AI is seen as the key technology, in 2024 alone companies planned to raise their AI use in logistics by 38 percent.
So for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics we built a report together with software partner QAware that brings order to the field: what's real today, what's vision, and what does it concretely mean for a logistics company?
The result is a report of a good 60 pages: market figures, six AI trends with real case examples, technical assessments from QAware and recommendations as a basis for the ongoing IT and innovation strategy.
The Content
Six trends
reshaping logistics.
Each trend in the report with market figures, real case examples and a technical assessment from QAware.
How connected systems steer traffic flows and supply chains on their own, with examples like Einride, Roboat and Ottobahn.
Robot fleets that pick and pack: more speed and accuracy amid growing staff shortages.
Climate neutrality by 2050 as the frame: how AI optimizes routes, utilization and emissions at once.
From gut feeling to prediction: traffic patterns, weather and delivery volumes as the basis for planning and pricing.
New delivery models close to the customer, and what they mean for network structure and fleets.
No clean data, no AI value: what logistics firms must change about their data foundation before models deliver.
The result isn't a trend catalog but concrete recommendations, prioritized by maturity and business relevance.
Our Products
What we put
to work here.
FUTURE CANDY products, applied to the future topics that matter for this project.
Products used
Innovation Consulting
Innovation that ships.
Strategy, delivery and transformation. We turn trends into solid roadmaps and real projects.
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Keynotes
The future on your stage.
Nick Sohnemann & Roman Weishäupl activate your audience for what's next.
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Tech Events
Formats that wow.
From concept to showtime: events and tech experiences that let your audience touch the future.
Learn moreRelevant trends
From strategy to delivery: AI that creates real impact inside your company.
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When connected devices and AI come together: supply chains that sense and steer themselves.
Learn moreInsights
that stick.
Anyone can find trends today. The value comes from someone saying what matters for this company, what's still at pilot stage and what you can safely ignore.
Einride's autonomous trucks, Roboat in Amsterdam, Ottobahn as cable-car logistics: once you see it running elsewhere, the feasibility debate changes.
Combining our trend scouting with QAware's technical assessment turns an inspiration paper into a basis for decisions.
How we did it.
From the first question
to a finished report.
3 steps, how FUTURE CANDY delivers an AI report like this.
We clarify which questions the report should answer and map out together which technology fields matter for your business.
Trend scouting from the international innovation scene, real case examples and the technical assessment, innovation view and feasibility view in one document.
The findings become a solid basis for decisions: prioritized by maturity and relevance, as a foundation for the ongoing IT and innovation strategy.
Planning something similar?
We show you on a real use case what's possible today, from the first idea to a finished result.