The logistics sector remains crucial in keeping our society afloat, as it provides us with essential products like food and healthcare equipment. With closing borders, staff being ill at home, airlines catching their breath, it’s all hands on deck to keep our supply chain going. At the same time, the silver lining of this crisis might be that there is an opportunity to reform and better align logistics as we know it, to human’s and nature’s needs in post-corona times. Which concrete challenges and problems do you see? how would you use technology to tackle them? Share your ideas with us, so our teams can get to work! 

First submissions

• During this crisis more and more people will be used in logistics. E.g. volunteers bringing groceries to people's homes. We need a systeem that can be used to give the volunteer instant driving directions without the need of looking something up or typing something.
• Local producers and merchants don't know how they can get their products to their customers (B2B and B2C). Customers don't know if and where they can still find the products they need. Food and medication are essential for the wellbeing of citizens and the respect of "blijf in uw kot" (stay in your room). A lot of people are nowadays afraid to go for groceries because they belong to the risk-group. They are unable to make it to the shop, or don't dare to go to places where the may get infected. Can we organise personal shopping for those unable to do groceries?
• Ecommerce companies like bol.com, Zalando, Amazone and others promote free sending and return of goods. As a consequence consumer are educated to try goods / clothes / shoes for free at home and return when not suitable. An estimated 50% return rate on clothes and shoes seems common. So 50% of the resources needed (labor, transport, fuel, packaging materials, etc) to run this model are instantly wasted. Can we enforce a price on "Free" sending and returning off goods, educate consumers on environmental impact of free sending and return impact, facilitate / promote / support brick and mortar shopping in (post) corona times?
• I manage some emergency logistics for the public services of a city of approx. 600.000 inhabitants. We expierence shortages in the stocks of personal protection gear, desinfectants, etc...  We need to manage our stocks as efficient as possible, avoiding overstock in one organisation while there is shortage elsewhere. Is there a possibility to connect the stock management of different depots which probably use other digital platforms? Can we use a digital platform connecting the stock management of the stocks of different big organisations?