Logistics 4.0 refers to the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the transport and logistics sector. The changes are mainly motivated by the greater availability of technology at the industrial level. On the other hand, changes in consumer habits towards e-commerce have had an important impact on global logistics. Thus, this change of paradox drives companies in the logistics sector to optimize their processes in order to respond to the new demands of a growing sector. In this sense, logistics operators have to digitize their processes to gain competitiveness and provide the necessary information for the traceability of shipments.
Technologies for Logistics 4.0
The increasing availability of technologies at the industrial level is one of the most important factors influencing the development of the current industrial revolution. According to a study by the consulting firm PwCToday, there are four times as many Internet-connected devices as there are people in the world. This allows for a considerable leap in the way we operate our businesses and understand information. According to another study by the same consulting firm, technological readiness, the digital fitness of an organization's workforce begins to be an important factor of competitiveness: those who understand how to exploit the full potential of technology will be those who gain a competitive advantage in the market.
Some of the most used technologies in logistics 4.0 are:
IoT
Intelligent internet-connected devices that allow remote monitoring from packets to containers. The information that these devices can manage is growing quickly: temperature, pressure, positioning, etc.
Big Data
Today's technological advances allow us to store and manage an unthinkable amount of data a couple of years ago. For example, the company Spire Maritime. For example, it manages maritime traffic data to track ships in real time using big data and AI.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The learning of machines to perform mechanical tasks has gone a step further. It now helps in making decisions based on the analysis of information and the creation of performance models. As much as for what we call business intelligence, as well as for the optimization of tasks in warehouses, artificial intelligence can help logistics to decide with more information.
Autonomous vehicles
Robotics applied to the transport of goods has caused an unprecedented revolution in warehouses and production lines. The world is waiting for how this technology lands on streets and seas, as is the case of the Yara Birkeland.
Blockchain
Information exchange technology that ensures complete traceability and security. In a sector with such a long chain of intermediaries, blockchain is postulated as an ideal technology to maintain the traceability of shipments.
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Digitalization of the logistics sector
Digitalization is about the ability of enterprises to adopt information technologies to automate processes and increase the productivity of an organization's day-to-day operations. The repetitive tasks and complex validation flows - very common in the logistics sector - are particularly sensitive to an improvement when it comes to digitalization. For example, the receipt and issue of goods from a warehouse, as well as the documentation of traffic records are other critical tasks of a logistics operator. These tasks are positively impacted when companies choose to automate processes through digitization.
Connectivity: from Chain to Logistics Ecosystem
The connectivity of the logistics sector has to do with the idea that the logistics chain as we understand it today has been transformed into an ecosystem, that is to say, an environment in which collaboration and the availability of information between the different actors prevails. A well-functioning logistics ecosystem, where organizations share information on milestones and traceability becomes possible in the technological environment of logistics 4.0.
Logistics forwarders 4.0
The most important change that the entry into logistics 4.0 represents for logistics operators, is the digital preparation with which they present themselves to this new scenario. Both at the level of technological resources and in the professional preparation of its human team. Today's freight forwarders must invest in technology and training if they want to compete successfully in logistics 4.0.
Cybersecurity in Logistics
The digitization of transport and logistics operations poses an unprecedented IT security challenge. In this way, cybersecurity begins to take on relevance in organizations in order to keep critical business information safe while allowing the secure and reliable flow of information between the different actors of the logistics ecosystem.
Consultant in Logistics and Supply Chain Technologies
