Technological advancements are heading up each year extending its hands to almost every fields. Same is in the case of logistics too. Logistics have also evolved with these fast-changing technologies and with the newest innovations. Logistics have grown to a vast extent in the previous years and 2020 is going to be of no difference. With the growing market demands, logistics is expected to take new turns by the end of the decade. Reports based on the analysis of 2019 says that the digitization in logistics have been the major focus of the past decade and seems to continue the trend in the coming years. Here we talk about a few of the primary trends that logistics is looking forward in 2020 which could probably set a new benchmark in the transportation and logistics sector.
Augmented Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has already been used widely in logistics. Though the implementation of Artificial intelligence has simplified the logistics tasks to a greater extent, AI could not replace certain manual jobs that required complex skills. This is where augmented intelligence is used which works in combination with human intelligence and AI automated processes. Introducing augmented intelligence can enhance logistics capabilities. The primary focus of logistics in 2020 would be the implementation of augmented intelligence which could save quality time and operational expenses along with reducing the manual errors.
Data standardization and analytics
Data standardization and the use of advanced analytics could be another breakthrough in the logistics sector in the year 2020. Due to the fragmented data maintenance, digitization of operations have become a tedious task. By adopting data standardization, organizations could effectively maintain the interoperability between the customers and the shipping line. An organized data could be used for advanced analytics which predicts the market demands with utmost precision.
Real-time visibility
Providing real-time supply chain visibility is going to be another major approach in logistics. Visibility has already been enabled by the year 2019 and 2020 focus would be on making it real-time. By implementing technologies that provide real-time data, it would be easy to make quick responses to the changing traffic, weather etc. The Internet of Things was a face changing innovation in the logistics industry which has brought inevitable progress in the sector. Tracking shipments at any point of time by the warehouses as well as the customers were made possible only by the IoT technology. Hopefully, 2020 would make moves for the real-time visibility of the supply chain system.
Green logistics
In 2020 the logistics sector is aiming to be more eco-friendly. With a mission to integrate environmental thinking into logistics, companies have begun adopting smart measures to reduce the negative impact on nature. Nowadays electric vehicle has been used along with the AI technology which elps in route optimization. More efficient and eco-friendly packaging methods are adopted. The focus is to develop sustainability keeping a balance with economic and ecological efficiency. Carbon-free fuels in ships and marine vehicles would be made possible within the future years. As of now, 2020 aims to make successful efforts to use more of renewable resources and lay a footstep to zero carbon emissions in logistics.
Digital twinning
Digital twinning is another revolutionary concept that logistics is planning to implement in the year 2020. Digital twinning is the idea of replicating processes that are going on within the supply chain system. Consumers can get a mirror image of all the processes within the system. It can tremendously benefit the overall growth of the supply chain system. Digital twinning can build a strong sense of trust within the customers as they can have a sneak peek of their product before being delivered. This is sure to enhance the transparency and trust between the producers and consumers.
Cobots and chatbots
Digitization of warehouses and the entry of warehouse robots, though adopted in the previous years, is still on a growing pace. The use of collaborative robots or cobots has brought tremendous potential in warehouse management. The efficiency is packaging, storage and picking up with lesser time consumption have made cobots a better alternative for warehouse operations. On the other hand, the advent of chatbots has influenced the online sector since they removed the barrier between the online sellers and customers. The ability to effectively manage and retrieve warehouse information made it the most recommendable user interface within the sector. Moving on to 2020 we can expect more advancements in these technologies too.
As 2020 marks the end of the decade, the logistics capabilities have grown to a better record within the period. Implementation of technologies has had a positive impact on the growth of the sector. Hope the coming years would make remarkable footsteps in the field of logistics and supply chain.
