It took a couple of years of COVID to figure out that the majority of logistics can be automated, and that’s what businesses need to do today. In order to be the best in terms of providing services to meet demand, staying in touch with the latest trends in logistics will help you stay well informed, whether you’re a buyer or a supplier.
So, how are businesses staying ahead in this digital age? Keep reading and find out!
The future is now!
Imagine you wake up and you feel like having steak and eggs. You pop open the freezer, and to your dismay, you see an empty fridge. Woe is me, you wonder, and you start moving towards the car keys. But as soon as you pick them up, you hear your doorbell ring. You open the door to a plate full of sizzling steak and eggs, and you get down to starting your day with a delicious meal.
Sounds great, right? This is something you’ll get to experience once complete automation is achieved in the industry, and here’s how.
AI
We’ve all heard of Artificial Intelligence, but how does that connect to a company offering full truckload services? By training AI to notice patterns in demand and restock and dispatch accordingly, businesses will never have to face a fall in supply ever again.
ChatGPT is something that you’ve probably heard of by now, and even that has a part to play in enhancing the customer experience in logistics! By using ChatGPT, companies have been able to develop chatbots that reply faster, provide faster updates, and resolve customer complaints.
And the industry is open to it as well! 40% of respondents believe that AI can help in inventory management, and this comes as important news to warehouse and shipping container storage yard companies, who can save a fortune on storage and holding costs by just creating more efficient supply chain strategies.
Location Tracking
Gone are the days of placing an order online and then waiting anxiously for days for the package to come. Now, it’s simply a matter of placing an order, and you can track your order from start to finish.
How is this possible? Many companies today have specialized freight carriers that have built-in GPS systems to help track the shipment from start to end. This helps in giving the company real-time information about the goods, their condition, or even if the temperature of the storage unit is being maintained or not.
Autonomous Vehicles
With Tesla leading the way in self-driving cars and other companies fast following suit, you can expect the next generation of shipments to be completely automated. With Elon Musk fully hoping for self-driving to be the “wow factor” that sets Tesla apart, one can expect an expansion to their already well-capable FSD software as well.
Drone deliveries
Last-mile deliveries are fast being optimized by drones, which have become quite capable of delivering small packages over short distances. Amazon, while spearheading this initiative, has fallen behind as Google and Walmart are fast taking up this opportunity to make a total of more than 900,000 deliveries as of 2023.
Big Data
Big Data is quite the buzzword these days, and what it means is the variety of information that comes with ever-increasing transactions and information sources. The global logistics market is set to hit around $12,975 billion by 2027, and this means that companies are fast-tracking their way to higher efficiency by tapping multiple sources of information.
This means better route optimization, warehouse management, preservation and delivery of perishable goods, and ensuring that you get the goods where you need them as soon as possible.
IOT
The Internet of Things! Yes, pretty soon, you won’t have to place orders for everyday goods at all since your devices will do that for you.
IoT in the home consists of interconnectivity between all your smart devices, ensuring that you have the most streamlined living experience possible. Remember that steak and eggs you had delivered to your home? That is possible with a smart fridge taking note of no eggs and meat in your fridge and noticing that you won’t have time to get to work. The AI places an order for steak and eggs, and you get it delivered with the lowest amount of human interaction possible.
But IoT in logistics translates to sensors, RFID tagging, and other equipment being used to identify issues, optimize deliveries, and ensure that costs are managed effectively for companies. This trickles down to cheaper transport costs in the long run for businesses and for the end user. For more information on IoT, check out this Forbes article.
Conclusion
Seeing how technology is fast changing the landscape of the logistics industry, it pays to be ahead in this game since the only competitive edge you have is when you can deliver the furthest for the cheapest in the best possible manner. That is only possible by embracing the digital revolution.
But businesses need to keep in mind that this process isn’t instantaneous. Scalability and security are still two of the biggest issues in integrating technology, and we still aren’t completely in an automated industry as of today. But the way things are going, it’s best to prepare yourself for a digital future.
How Stryder Plays Its Part
Stryder has been in the logistics industry since 1989 and has been at the forefront of streamlined procurement, full truckload services, and production planning. Their delivery systems are already integrating several of these technologies in their specialized freight carriers, and they are the best service providers for some of the largest food and beverage companies in the world.
Ensuring a 99+% of on-time deliveries for more than 20 years, Stryder is your go-to for logistics and warehousing, and you can connect with us to solve any and all sort of your supply chain problems by sending us an email or getting in touch with one of our representatives.
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