WDP News Digest - February 2018

Our first WDP News Digest is here. Would you like to stay up-to-date with all the new developments in the logistics world? Then read on, because we will be publishing not-to-be-missed news, emerging trends and all the interesting facts from last month.

#1 JD.com aims at the European and American market

JD.com, the Chinese counterpart of bol.com, released big news at the beginning of February. The Chinese online store wants to take on large competitors, such as Amazon, in Europe and the United States in 2019. In Europe, they are primarily geared towards France in order to extend their logistics network to the United Kingdom and Germany. Would you like to know more? Read the full article on vrt.be. 

#2 Zalando invests in robots for distribution centres

Last month, Zalando invested a large amount in Magazino, a start-up from Munich that makes self-propelled robots to work in distribution centres. Körber, Cellcom and Fiege Logistics also chipped in to make a total investment of €20 million. With this strategic investment, the companies hope the development of smarter robots will lead to an increased degree of automation in the preparation of customers' orders. For more details, read the full article on Emerce.nl.

#3 American shopping chains join forces against Amazon

Rite Aid, a listed American shopping chain that sells medicines, care products and electronics, was taken over by another company in the sector, Albertson. Together they now own at least 4,900 shops and 4,300 pharmacies. The merger group has a market value of about $24 billion and a turnover of $83 billion. With the resulting economies of scale, the companies hope to keep up with their major competitor, Amazon. Details can be read in the full article at tijd.be.

#4 IoT and warehouses in 2018

Last month, IoT For All published an article about how the Internet of Things will optimise the logistics sector in the near future. This will include the security of warehouses, safety for warehouse employees, data collection about production, and even fleet management. How can businesses and consumers benefit? Find out by reading the full article on iotforall.com.

#5 Nominations for Logistics Manager of the year

On 18 April, the 13th edition of Logistics Manager of the year takes place during the knowledge and network event in the Jaarbeurs, Utrecht. The details of the candidates eligible for the titles Logistics Manager of the Year and Young Logistics Talent were released in February. Would you like to know who they are? Find out more about the finalists in the full article on lmvhj.nl.

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