Make logistics sense for industrial facilities
Author : Victoria Swift, Schneider Electric
09 June 2025
Logistics plays an important role in efficiency for a wide range of facilities, requiring a digital transformation journey that links data with other critical information.
Logistics operations make a big contribution to industrial facilities’ efficiency, yet it can quickly fall down the priority lists for plant managers who may view logistics as outside of their specialised area.
In fact, any industrial facility that is looking to achieve end-to-end connectivity must consider logistics as a vital piece of that puzzle.
As plant managers look to converge the worlds of IT and OT and realise the full potential of digital transformation, bringing logistics into that equation will create a single digital thread that runs through all operations. This will smooth operations and deliver sustainability benefits that will contribute to the collective decarbonisation of industry.
Just as in production environments, logistics applications are often based on multiple disparate systems with new and legacy assets.
Engineers can pull together multiple hardware and software into a single interface using the latest generation of open automation platform such as EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE). This makes it straightforward to address efficiency gaps effectively.
The approach can also find untapped opportunities for savings in product handling and transportation.
End-to-end transformation
Including logistics in a plant’s end-to-end process will not only support the goals of the wider facility but can also simplify the supply chain.
Looking at manufacturing as an example, an end-to-end solution with logistics considered will cover real-time data monitoring, next-generation robots and cobots.
But most importantly it will provide a single digital thread that provides visibility from the production environment, throughout logistics operations, and all the way to the final consumer location which could include the retailer.
But what does that actually look like in practice, and how does it differ from current ‘end-to-end’ options? Firstly, seamless integration is possible today using an open automation platform. This provides an interface that integrates the varied and disparate systems regularly seen in both industry and logistics, providing real-time data between the two environments.
It can dynamically align inventory levels with production, anticipating customer demand and adjusting accordingly. The reason this is so crucial for efficient logistics is that the flow of data goes both ways, ensuring each business in the complex supply chain is effectively using every raw material and energy resource for minimised waste.
Secondly, the effective use of robotics solutions will streamline complex challenges in handling materials and workpieces. Carrier systems are one example. In the past, manufacturers used dedicated carriers for different products and tasks.
However, the latest modular multi-carrier systems are multipurpose and can convey, separate, group or position multiple types of product. This makes machines smaller and easier to integrate into production lines. For instance, Schneider Electric’s Lexium MC12 Multi Carrier enables operators to maximise resource use continually.
Digitalised sustainability
Logistics operations hold immense opportunity to make an impact on sustainability. Plant managers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices in the same way they would approach manufacturing operations.
Large-scale warehouse operations and distribution networks consume substantial amounts of energy but reducing that energy doesn’t have to add more complex tasks for plant managers.
By unlocking the flow of data from the production environment through to logistics, plant managers will be able to see energy consumption clearly, even extending to transportation operations.
Plant managers with a holistic view (true end-to-end) of operations will also be able to record and report energy data in compliance with stricter green regulations in the drive towards Net Zero 2050. This data can also prove to customers that their products are created with environmental protection in mind.
Plant managers can also use data to improve circularity by identifying where materials can be repurposed, and waste can be reduced. For example, even used packaging materials can be brought back into the supply chain for recycling.
While individually the recycling of a piece of packaging is unlikely to move the sustainability needle, when these activities are applied across every logistics operation for every plant in the country, it represents a significant step in lowering the overall environmental impact of industry.
Logistics for all
Operators who are not logistics professionals can benefit from bringing this crucial business operation into their end-to-end digital strategy. Plant managers can use real-time information to create a clear picture of resource use and inventory flow. This can integrate directly with information from production for more accurate decision-making.
Utilising digital monitoring and control technologies such as TeSys island enhances flexibility by integrating motor controls with this system data, enabling faster responses to unexpected changes.
By extending digital transformation to logistics, a plant manager will reduce downtime and improve productivity – and viewing all operations as one system is an important step in creating a resilient and future-ready facility.
It’s time to rethink logistics, not as a supporting function of production environments, but as a key component for a business’s overall digital strategy. By making sense of logistics, plant managers will build an agile business ready to meet challenges now and in the future.
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