Real-time Event Processing for Smart Logistics Networks

In times of aggravating competition in the logistics industry, organizations need to distinguish themselves and enhance their logistics performance. Responsiveness to critical situations and deviations from plan serves exactly this goal as it may lead to measurable improvements in business performance. However, meaningful data needed to exploit and enhance this capability may reside in several widespread sources. Identifying and utilizing such sources can be pivotal on an organization’s path to survival and success on the market. Using smarter approaches to logistics is such a path. Cyber-physical systems and complex event processing may be adequate technological means to aspire for the transition towards smart logistics systems and processes.Our contribution introduces enhanced techniques to engineer event-driven CPS with the ePoEM model. This allows to identify value-adding sensors, respective measurement and data models, and rules of event detection and reaction. A case study covering picking and distribution processes in a typical consigner company demonstrates how to add value with event processing and move towards smart logistics networks.