Logistics Trends and Innovations in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis Using Text Mining

Abstract

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced many companies in the logistics sector to innovate, or even transform their business and underlying processes. Closing borders, limited supply and manpower, and continuous changes in regulations challenged many logistics firms to innovate. This study analyzes 5098 abstracts of logistics articles using text mining to identify and to quantify the changes in logistics trends and innovations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if these trends and innovations were accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate that (1) resiliency is an ongoing trend in logistics and has shown increasing importance during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) there appears to be acceleration in digitalization trend in logistics based on emerging focus on blockchain, Internet of Things, data, drones, robots, and unmanned vehicles during COVID-19 pandemic, and (3) there seems to be no evidence of acceleration in sustainability due to COVID-19 despite an observed shift in sustainability trends in terms of bioenergy and biofuel before COVID-19 pandemic to low-carbon, hydrogen and electric vehicles during COVID-19 pandemic. This paper recommends logistics firms, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to analyze their readiness to adopt digitalization in terms of data, resources, and technology via, e.g., the use of a maturity scan, to contribute to sustainable and resilient logistics and to make sure that they remain competitive and future-proof. Policy makers can provide support to these SMEs by providing information, funding, and template solutions.

Resilience in the last mile: a systematic literature review of sustainable logistics in South Africa

“…In recent years, sustainable logistics, which involve implementing measures that reduce environmental impact and promote social responsibility, have become increasingly important. It is key to incorporate sustainability into logistics operations in order to minimise waste, optimise resources, and address negative externalities (Mageto, 2022b;Remondino & Zanin, 2022;Zondervan, Tolentino-Zondervan & Moeke, 2022a).…”

An Original Template Solution for Fair Scientific Text Mining

“…An example of a pairwise-comparison of documents from two groups (two time periods) is a bar graph with confidence interval as presented in Zondervan & Tolentino-Zondervan et al Fig. 3 [1] . Bubble plots are a good alternative to line plots when dealing with many terms, since they are more organized and can show various properties as their size or color (see Fig.…”

Leading Logistics Firms’ Re-Engineering through the Optimization of the Customer’s Social Media and Website Activity

“…Despite the industry's conservative mindset, the Transparency Market Research report [74] underscores that the global digital transformation spending in the logistics market is anticipated to reach 94.972,3 million USD by 2026 at a CAGR of 10,7% during the forecast period, a fact that showcases the value of digital acceleration in the industry. The immense growth in e-commerce [75] coupled with the increased number of Internet and social media users [76] and the COVID-19 pandemic [77] has forced the industry to adopt innovative digital solutions and platforms, so as to increase efficiency in logistics service and reach greater customer awareness and business productivity.…”