Technical potentials and challenges within internal logistics 4.0

The industrial environment is characterized by a permanent change. As a result, the production requirements and their processes are constantly changing. The present paper takes up the latest transformation of industry through digitization and describes future “smart solutions” for new value-added concepts. The focus is on the impacts of changes on the logistics sector within Industrie 4.0 as well as on the technical potentials for internal logistics. In this context a new description approach is developed. The aim is to show a new approach that ranges from key elements of elementary logistics to the diverse new requirements of Logistics 4.0 Furthermore, the future role of humans in the industrial working environment is controversially discussed with proceeding autonomy and digitization.