Factores críticos y estrategias para la implementación de la logística integral en centros de distribución en Panamá

Panama combines an interoceanic position with distribution centers whose operational integration was uneven, and studies that explain this gap are scarce. The objective was to determine the critical factors that conditioned the implementation of integrated logistics in Panamanian distribution centers and the strategies that can be adapted to the local context. A qualitative systematic review was carried out following PRISMA 2020, with searches in Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, SciELO and Redalyc and with institutional grey literature published between 2019 and 2026; the process identified 200 records, and 30 documents (23 scientific articles and 7 technical reports) passed screening, full-text reading and bibliographic verification. Content analysis, organized into five categories, showed that the best supported benefits were lower distribution costs, better supply chain performance and energy efficiency. Barriers were distributed across organizational, technological and human capital dimensions, with resistance to change, staff reskilling and the cost of digital infrastructure standing out. Warehouse management systems, transport management systems and the Internet of Things offered the best balance between evidence and feasibility, and no adoption figures specific to Panama were located. A gradual four-phase roadmap anchored in Latin American experiences was formulated, and the results indicated that the main gap was organizational and related to human talent, and that pilot projects and coordination among academia, industry and government offered the most viable path to close it.