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Since the early 2000s, Dubai has made significant economic improvement with the help of its economic diversification initiatives. Dubai’s transportation and logistics industry has also changed notably with low logistical and operational costs and favorable government policies attracting investors from around the world, marking the region as a gateway to the Arab, Asian, and African markets. This is complemented by Dubai’s strategic location between Asia and Europe, serving both the East and the West, and providing optimum trading conditions for the Emirate. Dubai continuously invests in the development of its infrastructure and technology for a well-integrated transport system and excellent logistics infrastructure.

Improving process efficiency, meeting labor shortages, and reducing delivery times have been the crucial factors of success for the logistics companies in this region, as Dubai has emerged as a trans-shipment hub. With the emergence of digital technologies, innovative solutions are being adopted by service providers. On one hand, deploying warehouse robots, exoskeletons, collaborative robots, self-driving vehicles and equipment helps service providers to reduce processing times, as robots handle the mundane time-consuming processes.

This study analyses the key trends and its implications relating to Dubai’s logistics-related strategies––autonomous logistics, sharing economy, Logistics 5.0, intelligent digital assets, and sustainability. This research also identifies the potential disruptive impact of logistics on logistics segments such as transportation, warehousing, and supply chain solutions in Dubai until 2023.