Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML

Open Source for »100 % Logistics«:
Digitalization made by Open Source

Information from research and for business

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What opportunities does the open source approach offer for logistics?

More than three million organizations use it, more than 65 million people work with it and there are more than 200 million repositories for open source software (OSS) worldwide. These figures show that open source is an integral part of the digital economy, both worldwide and in Germany, and is now part of almost all software and therefore all innovation processes. In logistics in particular, the potential associated with the development and use of open source software is enormous. Open source solutions can be used in a wide variety of areas, such as goods management, supply chain management (SCM), freight tracking, warehouse management systems (WMS) or transportation management systems (TMS).

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Fraunhofer IML strongly promotes open source with the aim of creating de facto standards for logistics services – so-called commodities with which companies do not earn any money. Examples of these commodities are digital transport documents or track & trace services. “Logistics is currently still suffering from the fact that each company develops its own solution for certain easily standardized and non-competitive services and applications – with its own resources and at its own expense. It would be better if everyone used the same open source solution, or at least built on a common solution and adapted it for their company or particular application,” says Christian Prasse, Head of Strategic Development at Fraunhofer IML. As part of the large-scale research project Silicon Economy, the institute has initiated the establishment of the industry-funded  Open Logistics Foundation The non-profit organization acts as an independent and neutral coordinating body for open source projects in logistics, not only in Germany but also internationally. Fraunhofer IML is one of the foundation's strategic members. 

What specific advantages does open source software offer logistics?

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Open source software is software with publicly accessible source code that can be viewed, modified and redistributed by anyone. Almost all software developments are already based on open source. The model promotes collaboration and innovation, as developers worldwide can contribute to improvements. Many open source projects are developed collaboratively from the outset – within a network of companies – while others are driven forward by individual companies. Collaborative development generally leads to an increase in the speed of development and a reduction in costs. The same applies to the use of open source software.

Nevertheless, the security of open source software is a recurring topic of discussion in companies that leads to uncertainty. According to experts, however, open source is generally considered to be very secure, often even more secure than proprietary software. This is because the code is generally subject to reviews by a larger community, meaning that security gaps can be identified and rectified more quickly. Fraunhofer IML provides comprehensive support for the process of developing and using open source software with the institute's own Open Source Program Office (OSPO) (Verlinkung mit Sprungmarke auf OSS-Forschungsseite) and sets high quality standards.

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5 good reasons for open source in logistics

In the field of logistics, interoperability between different software solutions is crucial to ensure an efficient exchange of information and optimized processes. Open source software generally offers more flexibility in terms of integration than proprietary software.

Whether collaborative development or individual use: open source software offers a number of advantages that many companies have been relying on for years. From Fraunhofer IML's perspective, these are the most important reasons in favor of open source, especially regarding logistics:

Reduction of development time and costs

High adaptability of the software to the company's requirements

Increasing innovation potential through open cooperation structures

Creation of cross-company (de facto) standards in logistics

No more dependence on specific providers

For further reading: Open source in logistics

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Strategic approach

The acatech expertise “Open Source as an Innovation Driver for Industry 4.0” from Fraunhofer IML is aimed specifically at managers in industry with a guideline for entrepreneurial open source action

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Practical support

The “sample cards” developed at Fraunhofer IML on the subject of open source show which business models are available to companies with open source. 

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Our research with open source

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What we offer to companies

Fraunhofer IML supports companies in the development and use of open source software according to their level of digital maturity. A wide range of offers is available – from workshops in which companies can familiarize themselves with the topic, to Open Labs, in which they develop open source software for specific requirements together with competitors.

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Our research with open source

Fraunhofer IML is convinced that software developments funded with public money should also be made publicly accessible. Open source helps to ensure that results from research projects can be developed more quickly and used more effectively in practice. Open source has therefore become good scientific practice at the institute and an integral part of the exploitation strategy. 

ON CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS AND RESULTS

FAQs zu Open Source

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  • Open source is a solution-neutral license and cooperation model. Open-source software is software with a publicly available source code that can be freely viewed, used and modified by third parties. Open source is an indispensable building block for bringing standards – be it data models or interfaces, but also components and services – into use much faster. 

  • Recurring and interoperable solutions are of great importance in logistics. Standardized software solutions developed on an open source basis enable different players in the logistics industry to work together and seamlessly exchange data. Open source as an interoperable approach not only ensures cost savings, but also promotes efficiency and flexibility throughout the entire value chain. Particularly in commodities – i.e. basic, standardized products or services – companies benefit from open, well-documented solutions that can be easily adapted and reused.

  • Fundamentally, open source software can be used freely and free of charge. In detail, it depends on the license under which the software is licensed. A distinction is primarily made between so-called permissive licenses and copyleft licenses. The software developed at Fraunhofer IML is generally published under a permissive license. This means that companies can also commercialize further developments of the free software without being forced to pass on the source code of them. 

  • The most well-known open source licenses include the MIT License, the Apache License and the BSD License. Each license has its own conditions on how the source code may or must be used, modified, and distributed. With the establishment of the Open Logistics Foundation as part of Fraunhofer IML’s large-scale research project Silicon Economy, the new Open Logistics Foundation License1.3 has established itself, especially in logistics. Numerous of the institute's software and hardware developments have been published under this license and can be found in the repository of the Open Logistics Foundation.

Ansprechpartner

Christian Prasse

Contact Press / Media

Dipl.-Logist. Christian Prasse

Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Str. 2-4
44227 Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Straße 2-4 44227 Dortmund

Jens Leveling

Contact Press / Media

M.Sc. Jens Leveling

Team Leader Data Driven Logistics

Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Str. 2-4
44227 Dortmund

Phone +49 231 9743 221

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