At the beginning of this work, the client, the Solothurn Economic Development Agency, knew very little about the logistics industry in the canton of Solothurn. The main objective of the work was to provide the client, who is involved in the economic development of the canton, with a better understanding and overview of the industry. At the beginning, information on logistics companies in the canton of Solothurn was sought, which was difficult due to the lack of complete public sources.

This work was divided into two main parts, namely (1) literature review and list of companies, and (2) interviews – company analysis and findings. First, an overview of the logistics industry was created in a literature review. At the beginning of the work, an interview was also conducted with Christian Hunziker, member of the Solothurn Chamber of Commerce. In the second part, representatives of 7 logistics companies operating in the canton of Solothurn were interviewed. The questionnaire, which was the same for all companies, focused mainly on sustainability, technologies, and collaboration.

The responses of the interviewees are largely consistent with each other and with the findings of the literature review. The logistics industry has generally grown over the last few years and many companies have started up new sites or expanded their locations. All the companies interviewed are already taking sustainability measures. These include testing various alternative fuels, renovating buildings or constructing new buildings more sustainably, and promoting self-production of electricity. Digitization and automation bring with them opportunities to increase efficiency, but also potential risks. Basically, more and more automated equipment is being introduced and processes such as dispatching are being automated. Challenges for companies are the lack of electricity, cybersecurity, and the shortage of labor, especially specialists. In addition, land reserves have been depleted, limiting further business expansion. The logistics companies mainly exchange information via associations; direct exchange among each other takes place rather irregularly. Exchange with the municipalities takes place only about once a year, but according to the companies it is not needed more often.