Emerging Technologies and Logistics

Introduction

Leveraging technologies is the key for cost advantages and operational excellence in logistics industry. Refer to our last blog sharing, we have discussed about the conceptual framework of big data with focus on cargo consolidation in logistics industry. Now, we are going to discuss automation, virtual reality, mobile and cloud computing technologies.  With increasing decentralization and mobility, cloud computing provides a fundamental infrastructure that bring in all the emerging technologies of automation, visual reality, and mobile together. It enables more efficient and effective way of sharing of resource, computing capacity, and collaboration.

Before going to details of each aspects, let's have a quick look for a real example of CEVA, a logistics service provider, what is the capacities of her?

Automation

High manpower cost and service failure problem are two of the critical issues of most of the logistics services provider nowadays. In order to reduce human mistake and enhance the productivity of the operations. A lot of automation technologies has been developed in the logistics industry in order to strengthen the competitive advantages. For instance, to reduce picking error, logistics company introduce the concept of light picking for workers to follow. (for more information, refer to below video)

Moreover, electronic data interchange (EDI) is one of the most common automation interface which being used in logistics industry. By using EDI, logistics service provider can get or send data with customer's system automatically, this is a process of data exchange between computer to computer. As no manual input is needed, it can speed up the data processing time as well as eliminate the manual mistake.  (for more information, refer to below video)

Still, in logistics industry, more details operation procedures, automation technology is of the most important technologies which help the industry players to improve their performance.

Virtual Reality Technology

The VR technology provides an interacting environment for modeling and simulating operation activities by means of the 3-dimensional (3D) visualization in the computerized electronic system. As a result, this enables in controlling the logistics operation process and in making decisions effectively at the warehousing and the port container terminal.

VR technology integrates with the Augmented Reality (AR) by adding virtual layers of contextual information at the right place in the right time at the electronic devices. AR will provide new perspectives in visual analysis, logistics planning, process execution.

Mobile Technology

As the world is transforming into a knowledge based society, there is a cogent need for us to continue to renew our technology and skills. Given the plethora of data flow in the logistic industry, the introduction of mobile technology helps create a paperless environment as well as improving the accuracy of data. As a result, it will improve the productivity of the logistic industry in receiving more volumes of business and thus creates more business opportunity.

However, the emergence of data leakage and system break down may loom if the mobile technology needs to be sublimed or upgraded to the next version. Hence, the more sophisticated a mobile system, the higher the cost should the system breaks down in any circumstances. Therefore, the consistency and stability of the mobile system ensures the reliability of the business especially in the logistic industry.

Cloud Computing

Under globalization, deep industry expertise and leveraging technologies extensively are the keys for internal operation excellence and business service optimization in logistics companies. With increasing decentralization and mobility, the application of the emerging technologies, automation, virtual reality, mobile, and big data would have great impacts in the future logistics industry. Cloud computing provides opportunities of bringing in the emerging technologies at lower costs, because the cloud enables more efficient sharing of resources, more computing capacity and easier collaboration. The following video demonstrates a example of cloud-based visual collaborative work space.

The power of the cloud computing does not require the asset-heavy IT infrastructure and employed IT experts to maintain the software and hardware system. Instead, people use technology to create access to an abundant source to create a powerful new cost-effective logistics system.

Collaborative consumption is not only the key concept of cloud computing, but also has social, economic and environmental impacts in the logistics industry. With technologies being used, there is an evolving change in the logistics business model. It is important to understand how the challenges and opportunities may arise in the future. 

Last but not the least, should you want to know more the details of these emerging technology and logistics, please read the coming individual sharing which coming soon...