The role of ICT tools in Logistics and Supply chain and evidence of ICT progress in this field; Advantages arising from supply chain integration and ICT tools adoption to support Logistics 4.0

Nowadays, ICT tools are getting more and more involved in supply chain management. Storing, analyzing, or exchanging data between supply chain partners can be challenging without ICT tools. This topic is trendy among both academicians and businesses. If businesses and organizations want to stay competitive and reach the maximum profit, investing in the supply chain integration might be a wise strategy, since it can have positive returns both in the short and long run. An integrated supply chain allows the storage, visualization, and analysis of the data related to the actors in the supply chain. Real-time information exchange through the internet enables monitoring the data of a product and statue of it in all phases of the supply chain, from invoicing electronically to tracking the status of the goods, until it reaches the consumer. Logistics are an integral part of almost all major economies, and it can be considered even an indicator of the success or failure of a business. Logistics and supply chain management (SCM) are not dened differently and are not mutually exclusive. Customers nowadays demand more and more individualized products. As a result, businesses also need to adopt current technological solutions to support Logistics 4.0. Some of these solutions that can be mentioned and analyzed in our paper are the Internet of things, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Social Media, Physical internet, and Augmented Reality. Moreover, the management team of any organization is critical to monitor the parameters involved in maximizing profit by precise mathematical models thanks to new data analysis tools. In this way, they can face the reality of their organization very precisely on a real-time basis.