The SpediFux Logistics 2022 trend report

The impact of the pandemic on the global economy was also clearly noticeable in 2021. The European transport industry also suffered from the consequences of Brexit. Meanwhile, technological innovations offer promising opportunities for the future. In our logistics trend report, we take a look at the developments of the past year and venture an outlook on the trends for 2022.

The SpediFux review 2021

Supply bottlenecks, shortages of raw materials, backlogs of goods: our globalized economy has been suffering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic for two years now. The experience of the past few months shows how much closed borders and disrupted supply chains have affected the world of logistics. Political developments and disasters have made things even more difficult for the already struggling transport industry. The outlook for 2021 is therefore not very positive.

Horror without end for the time being: CoVid-19 and globalization

The virus continues to cause enormous difficulties in almost all areas of life. This is also the case in logistics: the transport network in many ports and transport hubs around the world is still paralyzed. The situation has stabilized somewhat compared to 2020. However, the consequences of the shortages of goods and raw materials will be with us for years to come.

Goodbye, Great Britain: standstill at the Channel after the turmoil of Brexit

Brexit also led to some unforeseeable complications Various freight forwarders have withdrawn from business with the islands for the time being. Import and customs procedures have become more difficult since then, and there is a lack of staff and expertise in many places. This is making trade with one of the world's largest economies more difficult for many companies. The UK's withdrawal from the European single market will leave its mark for some time to come.

Traffic jam in the Suez Canal: The accident of the Ever Given

In March, the accident involving the Ever Given in the Suez Canal caused the Suez Canal to be blocked for days. Several hundred ships were jammed at this bottleneck in global goods traffic, some of which were only able to resume their journey after weeks. The delays resulting from the accident caused damage amounting to around USD 9 billion a day. Here, too, there were serious delays due to shortages of raw materials and intermediate products.

A year to forget? This is what 2021 teaches us

SpediFux has followed these developments closely and drawn conclusions from them. Our forecasts for the logistics sector are as follows:

1. We assume that European companies will once again focus on shorter transportation routes in light of the experiences of 2021. Manufacturing processes that are often outsourced to Asia due to low production costs are therefore likely to be increasingly relocated to neighboring countries in the future(nearshoring). Although this will tend to reduce the profit margin, it will also minimize the risk of bottlenecks. The trend towards keeping inventories as low as possible and just-in-time production is also likely to be curbed.
2. The consequences of Brexit will be felt in the European single market and beyond for a long time to come. Trade with the islands has become more costly for many companies, leading to a decline in the movement of goods. Nevertheless, the British economy is one of the largest in the world and remains important from a European and global perspective. There is a niche here for specialized freight forwarders with many years of experience and the corresponding capacities. This comes at a price. Transports across the English Channel are likely to become more cost-intensive.

3. Digital solutions and autonomous technologies are being integrated even more into existing transportation networks. The trend towards high-tech upgrades is nothing new. However, the changeover in the industry is likely to be accelerated in the wake of the pandemic and the past year. The collection, evaluation and analysis of enormous amounts of data by intelligent programs allow for a flexible and faster response to problems such as the Ever Given disaster. As a result, advancing digitalization is making logistics more resilient and reliable in general.

The logistics trends 2022

The terms digitalization, automation and sustainability have been on everyone's lips in the transport industry for some time now. They will also be the most important topics in logistics in 2022.

Autonomous vehicles, drones, artificial intelligence: development continues

The dream of fully automated deliveries continues. Be it autonomous transport vehicles or deliveries by drone to your doorstep: there seem to be no limits to the imagination.

Industry giants are still working on high-tech transport networks to increase efficiency and minimize costs. Intelligent algorithms are already calculating optimal warehousing and delivery routes.

Fully autonomous transportation from the warehouse to the door is still a long way off. 2022 will be dominated by technological development. We must continue to analyze the possibilities of innovations and stay up to date at all times.

Climate and environment: sustainability is more relevant than ever

More than almost any other issue, sustainability now dominates the discourse in business, politics and society. The logistics sector is aware of its role as a climate-intensive industry and is continuously working to reduce its ecological footprint. Both technological improvements and a general rethink are helping to achieve this. For example, environmentally conscious transport companies are focusing more on rail transport and alternative means of transportation(How Spedifux is reducing its footprint).

emissions cannot be completely avoided. However, offsetting one's own carbon footprint offers a way for responsible transport service providers to contribute to a greener future. There are now numerous and sensible models for this. That's why we at SpediFux are now completely climate-neutral, as you can see at ClimatePartner.

Consumers' purchasing decisions and economic behavior are increasingly influenced by issues such as sustainability and fairness. This means that not only the environment but also the industry benefits from a greener focus.

Transparency: knowing what's behind it

As a result of these changes, there is a need for information on products and services that is as accurate and clear as possible. This also applies to the world of logistics and transportation.

Whether live tracking, climate ranking or smart price calculators when booking: transparency is the trend and pays off. Those who offer digital and easy-to-use concepts have a clear advantage here. Complicated business models and small print should be avoided in view of the general availability and comparability of information in the digital age.

The challenges of yesterday drive the trends of tomorrow

The past year was more than mixed for the transportation industry. Now it is time to look ahead. The pandemic and political crises will continue to cause noticeable turbulence in global supply chains. As the global economy is barely adapting to the new conditions, the next major challenges for 2022 and beyond are just around the corner with the Ukraine crisis and the development of energy prices.

Those who want to remain competitive in the market in the future will learn from the past. The logistics trends of 2022 are hardly surprising. Nevertheless, it is more important than ever to be able to react flexibly to changes. This is why digital and sustainable approaches are the best answer to the upcoming challenges of climate change, pandemics and political crises.

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