Industry Insights – What’s Shaping Global Logistics in November 2025
1. Global Supply Chain Pressures Intensify
- According to IGD’s recently published Supply Chain Trends 2026report, supply chain headwinds are stronger than ever. Key disruptors include geopolitical tensions, rising costs, and security threats.
- Maersk’s Logistics Trend Map (in partnership with Statista) highlights “Financial Resilience in Logistics”as a top trend – meaning logistics companies are increasingly focused on being able to absorb shocks.
2. Digital Transformation & Visibility
- Supply Chain Visibility is identified by Maersk’s Trend Map as the #1 trend for 2025.
- IoT-enabled real‑time tracking is a major piece of this. Logistics providers are deploying sensors, GPS, and digital dashboards to give end-to-end visibility of shipments.
- Advanced data integration and predictive analytics – powered by AI – are helping companies forecast demand, optimise routes, and manage inventory in real time.
3. Automation & AI Take Center Stage
- AI is now very practical in logistics: it’s used not just for demand forecasting, but also for procurement, fleet management, warehouse robotics, and more.
- Warehouses are becoming more automated, with robotic arms, AGVs (automated guided vehicles), and autonomous mobile robots helping with picking, packing, and sorting.
- On the delivery side, autonomous vehicles (e.g., self-driving vans) and even drones are being trialed for last-mile logistics.
4. Sustainability Isn’t a “Nice-to-Have” – It’s Essential
- More logistics companies are adopting electric delivery fleets, reducing dependency on fossil fuels in last-mile delivery.
- Warehouses are also being optimised for energy efficiency – think LED lighting, smart insulation, and renewable energy installations.
- As carbon regulations tighten and customers demand greener operations, circular economy practices(like reusing packaging) are gaining traction.
5. Resilience Through Diversification
- Supply chain diversification remains a critical priority. With geopolitical risk rising, firms are re-evaluating over-reliance on single sourcing regions.
- Nearshoring (bringing manufacturing closer to home markets) is also trending. This allows companies to reduce lead times, cut transport costs, and improve responsiveness.
6. Strategic Challenges & Opportunities
- According to IGD’s report, supply chain transformation is no longer just about cost-cutting. It’s increasingly about strategic change: building resilience, improving flexibility, and innovating.
- Cybersecurity risks are also rising – as logistics becomes more digital, companies must protect data, IT systems, and operational technology.
7. Partner Updates
- Humanoid:On 26 November 2025, Humanoid – in partnership with QSS AI & ROBOTICS– opened the Middle East’s first dedicated humanoid‑robotics showroom in Riyadh, called Humanoid Lounge. At the opening, HMND 01 Alpha Wheeled was publicly demo‑ed performing live simulation/teleoperation tasks.
- Humanoid:The HMND 01 model was built in just seven months, and the showroom also offers educational workshops and “talk to a robot” interaction, driving awareness and engagement.
- Humanoid:The launch also introduced a pre‑order framework for up to 10,000 humanoid units over the next five years, targeted for deployment across sectors including logistics, manufacturing, retail, and infrastructure.
- Humanoid:Working with SAP on Proof-of-Concept (PoC) pilots that explore integrating the HMND 01 humanoid platform with SAP’s enterprise systems (such as SAP Extended Warehouse Management, EWM) to help robots autonomously support industrial logistics tasks like intelligent kitting, production component retrieval, and workflow execution.
- Humanoid:These pilots demonstrate how SAP’s “Embodied AI” can allow robots like HMND 01 to understand broader business context – for example, tying inventory, production orders, and fulfillment logic together with physical task execution.
- Milvus Robotics: Awarded the “Tekno‑Girişim Badge” by Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology.
- Milvus Robotics:Selected for the Turcorn 100 Program, a national programme supporting high‑potential technology companies aiming for global scale.
- AWL: Regional Showcase at Logistica Next: As a key player in the Dutch market, AWL had a strong presence at Logistica Next 2025 (Utrecht, Nov 4-6), where they demonstrated their “Smart Concepts” for intralogistics-focusing on flexible automation that integrates seamlessly into existing (brownfield) warehouses.
- AWL:Focus on AI-Driven Handling: Throughout November, AWL highlighted their advanced robotic sorting and de-palletising solutions (such as RODE and ROSI stacker) as the primary answer to the region’s labor shortages, showcasing how “no-code” AI allows their robots to handle varied parcels without complex programming.
- AWL: Hosts FME AI for Industry Event: AWL proudly hosted the FME AI for Industry Annual Event on November 20th at their Harderwijk facility. AWL used this platform to present their core message that the key challenge for manufacturers isn’t just adopting AI, but ensuring data maturity and system infrastructure are robust enough to successfully scale flexible, AI-driven robotic solutions.
- Sereact: Active Ants Deployment Success: In early November, fulfillment expert Active Ants confirmed the successful go-live of Sereact’s AI robots at their Dorsten (Germany) and Roosendaal (Netherlands) sites, achieving 600 picks per hour with 99.99% accuracy on completely novel items.
- Sereact: Strategic Showcase at Logistica Next: Sereact was a featured partner at the Reesink Logistic Solutions booth during Logistica Next (Utrecht), demonstrating how their “PickGPT” technology integrates into existing warehouse flows to automate complex picking tasks without prior training.
- Sereact:Innovation in Inventory Control: The company expanded the reach of Sereact Lens, their AI-vision solution that acts as an automated quality control layer for AutoStore systems, enabling real-time detection of inventory errors and damaged goods without human intervention.
What This Means for Fintralogistics
- Strategic Focus: Our operations should double down on visibility tools and data analytics. By doing so, we can offer clients more transparency and predictive insights.
- Sustainability: Investing in greener logistics isn’t just good for the planet – it’s becoming a business differentiator. We should evaluate EVs and eco‑friendly warehouse upgrades.
- Resilience: As risks continue to mount (geopolitical, financial, climate), we need to build logistics solutions that are flexible, diversified, and future-proof.
- Innovation: We must embrace automation, AI, and IoT where it makes sense. Staying on top of tech trends will help us operate more efficiently and serve our customers better.