Innovation and New Technologies as Determinants of Logistics 4.0

Continuous technological changes in various industries are necessary for achieving economic development goals. Logistics, as an integral part of the supply chain, is gaining an increasingly significant role for national economies. To encourage its further development, especially in the era of intensive digitization and the context of Industry 4.0, innovations and new technologies are seen as important drivers. The paper examines the impact of capacity for innovation and availability of latest technologies on countries' overall logistics performance, as well as individual components of international logistics. Additionally, the role of export and import as moderators of this relationship are analysed, to see the patterns of its influence in open economies. The empirical results provide evidence of a positive direct impact of selected technological variables on the elements of international logistics, as well as a positive effect of export and import on the Logistics Performance Index (LPI), while the introduction of moderators into the analysis, using the Baron & Kenny model, points out that the impact of technological components is weaker in economies with a higher volume of exports.