The research at the Chair of Management and Logistics of the Technische Universität Darmstadt under the direction of Prof. Dr. Ralf Elbert focuses on the methodically and instrumentally supported planning and control of logistics and transport services. Qualitative studies in interaction with mathematical models and simulation-based experiments enable the complexity and associated uncertainties to be systematically taken into account. In analogy to product development, this can also be called Logistics & Transportation Service Engineering. In terms of content, Logistics & Transportation Service Engineering takes up the new possibilities as well as the changes brought about by digital transformation. The question arises, for example, how new planning concepts of a "digital freight forwarder" can increase the efficiency of multimodal transport solutions. At the same time, virtual reality and augmented reality offer new planning and control options for digital warehouses. However, their applicability, acceptance, and benefits are still unclear in detail. It is also still unanswered how technological innovations - especially blockchain technology and additive manufacturing processes (including 3D printing) - will change the configuration of a "digital supply chain" and thus the business models of logistics and transport service providers?
