The theme at the Transport Management Virtual Summit in January was “The Digitalisation of Logistics and Supply Chain Operations in 2020”.
Today I want to shed some light on some of the key trends highlighted during this event and demonstrate how ATC is continuing to be at the forefront of this technological revolution with our award winning systems.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
These terms are not new to us. Some may be wary of AI and ML when, in fact, they are necessary for the new age of logistics and supply chain management. We have always had a significant amount of data related to each job we do. However, with AI and ML combined, considerable amounts of data can be analysed to identify trends and help our transport planners and drivers make decisions in real-time.
Sergio Alex Caballero, Ph.D., research scientist at MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics, says “AI is helping companies to predict what is going to happen in their supply chain”.
This intelligence is allowing companies like ours to be proactive in our approach as opposed to reactive. By incorporating a wide variety of data sources like shipping report, weather forecasts, traffic conditions and many others, we have the data to predict problems and mitigate them, while also ensuring our customers have full visibility in their supply chain.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Again this is a term that is familiar to many of us. IoT in mobile technology is enabling us to have a birds-eye view into every link of the supply chain from warehouse to final mile.
Mobile devices and their software not only gives us visibility of our complete supply chain but also provides our clients with peace of mind that their shipment is safe and on time – every time.
David Krebs, VDC Research’s Executive Vice President, commented: “mobility is not new, it’s been around for years in different variations and helps companies to improve productivity, collaboration, supply chain visibility and real-time decision making”.
At ATC, we believe that a robust supply chain that has complete visibility right the way through is a must for a positive customer experience. By combining white glove and final mile, we are better positioned to meet these demands. From a technological perspective, we continue to invest in the latest GPS tracking software and communication systems, for all of our trucks, to allow our customers keep track of their shipment and stay in touch with their driver directly.
In addition, our drivers use electronic logs which reduce paper consumption and enables them to complete their required documentation speedily, under the full supervision of the management team – no matter where they are in Europe.
Sustainability
We have written about our passion for safeguarding the environment before, and we continue to stay true to this commitment.
Final Mile delivery consumes a tremendous amount of time and energy which is why much of the discussion in leading articles on this area centres around the latest technologies that are available in vehicles to reduce emissions to make for “Green Logistics”.
At ATC, we have invested in the latest technologies to ensure that our trucks are equipped with the most up to date Euro Low Emission Engines. Just recently, we announced the arrival of our new Mercedes Actros Trucks.
Autonomous Robotics
Many assume that the introduction of robots will mean that their jobs will no longer be available. This assumption is understandable, but not the case. Their jobs will evolve into digital roles as automation and robotics will still rely on human intervention.
A 2019 Global Customer Report states that there has been an “18% year over year increase in the testing of warehouse robotics”. These robots are being trained to carry out physical tasks of; unloading trucks, building pallets, moving boxes which can again further help to improve efficiency and speed.
We are excited to see what 2020 brings in the area of digital transformation in our industry. Thanks for reading and stay in touch for more updates from us soon.
Keith Young
Managing Director
