The famed Internet of Things is no longer a thing of the future. IoT devices and tools are quite real nowadays, and they help businesses everywhere with a wide range of tasks and processes.
Let’s take logistics as an instance – this industry is based on communication, planning, various infrastructures, and methods of remote tracking vehicles and goods. In short, business owners had to find ways to keep track of their employees’ activity at both local and international levels without hindering their progress.
This is why IoT is a godsend for the logistic sector! As the technology became more affordable and easy to integrate with vehicles and goods, it became easier to plan for efficiency and security while using modern devices and tools.
So, if you want to know why the logistics sector is moving faster than many other industries, here are the top three trends to keep in mind for this year:
Route Optimization
About 95% of all the manufactured goods will be, at some point, transported using trucks. This makes trucks an essential element of the logistics industry and the management of their operation is a high priority on every business owner’s list.
This led to the development of providers like Samsara, who provides GPS fleet tracking that can make a fleet owner’s life easier. Such a range of modern equipment and management solutions could not have been possible without the use of IoT.
For instance, smart dashboard cameras are now used to assist drivers in preventing accidents. In addition, the same cameras in combination with tracking devices and various sensors and software tools can assist with route optimization and risk assessment. Using the data received from the road (via GPS tracking systems, weather and traffic reports, and more), a logistics manager can make changes in real-time to each truck’s route in order to avoid jams and slow traffic areas. As a result, the delivery will happen on time, and the customers’ satisfaction will increase.
Tracking Goods & Managing Stocks
Modern technologies also allow for the tracking of goods by using RFID tags and sensors. This helps in the event of theft or missing inventory (for security reasons) but it’s also used to manage storage space and conditions.
Modern sensors can send real-time data about their location and surrounding (air humidity level, position in the warehouse or truck, destination, and more). Overall, it allows the logistics company to pinpoint with maximum accuracy the location and conditions of a specific shipment.
In addition, this also comes in handy for warehouse managers who can use smart systems to locate and retrieve specific items using robots and reducing labor costs (just like Amazon does).
Drone Delivery
While this is not yet common practice, large logistics companies take steps closer to drone delivery. Moreover, so does the legislative and regulatory system, so it’s time more managers take this seriously.
Drone delivery is already being used by Amazon and other similar companies, but it’s considered a project that’s still in test. There are a few hurdles to overcome such as coordination between devices, package security, autonomy, and so on.
However, as the use of IoT tech gets more common, we should expect to see major advances in this area as well. Therefore, it won’t be far in the future when we’ll get our groceries delivered by drone.
Wrap Up
While IoT also comes with a wide range of cybersecurity risks that businesses must prepare for, the technology brings so many advantages that it makes it worth investing in security and research. Moreover, big tech companies don’t plan on stopping here as many are already working hard to create self-driving vehicles that may help reduce the risk of accidents and speed up delivery by limiting the involvement of the human factor.
Overall, the trends are clear: automation and smart devices are the answer to most of the problems logistics companies today face.