2016 and 2017 have seen a lot of dynamic activity in the logistics and transportation industry. Some interesting industry trends are being witnessed at a global level. Interested to check what these trends are? Then read on:
- Traditional supply chains are being fragmented into smaller manageable parts – including nearshore and offshore locations. Also, the number of connections within the route is increasing to cater to the growing popularity of on-demand delivery services marked by shorter delivery time and significantly better overall experience.
- Shipping and transportation of goods have moved from being a tactical choice to a strategic choice with massive business critical ramifications. One key reason behind this rationale is that players are increasingly recognizing the immense revenue generation capabilities this industry offers.
- Another trend that we are seeing is the dramatic increase in the number of shipments of high-value items, fragile devices, or sensitive equipment like pharmaceutical goods that demand a superior level of packaging and transportation/ warehousing care.
- The transportation industry is seeing a massive influx in the business to business niche, primarily driven by the online retail boom. As a result, there is a greater emphasis now on transparency, location/ asset tracking, and efficient logistics management.
The dual good news of increasing value and shrinking costs have made it possible for mobile technology to penetrate the transportation and logistics industry. The advantages offered by embracing app based mobility in the ironically mobile logistics industry can be a transformative force.
What can mobile apps for logistics do?
Uber-like app solutions are already popular in the transportation and cab industry with growing number of taxi businesses investing in their own white label taxi app to stay competitive and grow their businesses. Not to be left behind, the logistics industry that covers trucking and freight businesses, cargo delivery companies, pickup and delivery services, etc., are also embracing mobile apps like never before. The driving force is clear. Benefits include cost decline, enhanced operational efficiency, increased productivity, and incredible user experience in the overall supply chain management and package delivery process. A well-functioning and feature-rich logistics app can help eliminate complex logistics problems and solutions easily.Here are some avenues that face challenges in the logistics industry where using a mobile app can be the right solution.
- Management of warehouse and yard
With scanning of goods arriving and going out of the warehouse, it becomes easier and error-free to track the products, equipment, good, storage etc. Supervisors get quick access to up-to-date data on automated logging of ids of these goods and avoid human errors and sync quickly with the main database. - Flexibility to optimize routes and delivery schedules
The ability to get insights on transportation routes and optimize delivery schedules is a great asset in ensuring maximum business efficiency in supply chain management. Additionally, a good app for logistics creates new opportunities for a sustainable partnership between the logistics company and the customer, thus leading to enhanced customer loyalty. - Location tracking
Today’s advanced mobile GPS technologies ensure real-time vehicle and fleet tracking. For companies that have to manage a huge fleet of vehicles plying on diverse routes, provider a logistics app for driver partners can provide real-time data to maintain sanity about the whereabouts of the cargo as well as the fleet. - Vehicle and fleet management
Critical success factors like assessing the amount of fuel and mileage on a route can help optimize operations with smart vehicle management using logistic apps. This utility value can also be extended to other features like battery check, network coverage status, engine condition, and tire health. Vehicle maintenance and repair can become proactive rather than being reactive by drawing intelligent, predictive signals from the collected data points.
What features should a logistics management solution have?
- Dispatcher interface (Control center)
This interface lets a dispatcher benefit from task automation. They can allocate a cargo to a particular vehicle or driver based on variables like distance, the direction of the journey, kilometers clocked, and load capacity of the vehicle. - Feedback mechanism
A good feedback channel ensures that your customers can raise complaints right from the shipper app (as opposed to taking to social media in the absence of a feedback mechanism, which in turn, is dangerous to business reputation). A good logistic app and management solution should have feedback on the driver as well as on the shipper.
