Technology has often helped industries and businesses to get the job done at a fast pace and in an efficient manner. The impact of technology is now highly visible in the logistic industry that is seeing a huge boom along with the growth of different eCommerce activities. Nowadays, customers expect fast delivery, good packages and an ability to track their shipment and therefore engaging technology in the logistics industry is indispensable. Here is how technology is shaping the present and future of the logistics industry.
1. Fleet Management Systems
For any courier company, packaging plays a huge role. With the world going environment-conscious, many people prefer sustainable packaging without compromising on the quality. To meet the needs of the consumer’s top courier companies like TCS uses advanced fleet management systems to monitor the packaging of the shipment. This technology informs the receiver if the shipment went through vigorous shaking during the transit along with the information about the temperature range of the packages. This brings security to the customers.
2. Drones
Usage of robots and drones is no longer a futuristic idea for many logistic companies. Big companies like Amazon and UPS are trying and experimenting with drones to get the products delivered. When used on a commercial scale, drone technology can cut a huge expense for the logistics companies in many ways but cutting the cost of fuel used in transportations, drivers and delivery personnel.
3. Tracking
Tracking is important both for the business owners and the customer. People prefer to track their shipments with real-time updates. GPS tracking system is used by many courier companies like Pakistan Post for tracking information like vehicle monitoring and route tracking. On the other hand, the customers can use this technology for tracking their shipments. This helps the business owners to gain the trust of the customers.
4. Route Planners
Technology is used in the logistic industry for saving both time and money. The route planner technology is commonly used by logistic companies to identify the route that is most time-efficient for them. This is especially helpful when a vehicle needs to visit multiple destinations for fulfilling the orders. Route planning apps optimize the route in a manner that saves fuel by picking the shortest route while ensuring that the package is delivered in the fastest way possible.
5. Wide Variety Of Payment Options
Gone are the days when an individual had to pay a visit to the courier company to make the payment. With different payment solutions available in the form of software and apps, making the payment just involves a few clicks. Customers have the option of paying through credit card, debit card, UPI and many other methods without bothering to visit an office. In addition to that, these software and apps can also be used for giving feedback.
6. Robots
Large warehouses of Amazon use robots to do packaging and management of the shipment easily. The company has purchased Kiva robots which are powerful enough to fulfil click orders efficiently within a time span of 15 minutes. Manually doing that work would require one hour and many human resources.
7. Barcode Scanners
Barcode scanners are used by the logistics company to record information about the shipment easily. This makes it easy for them to track the status of the shipment at different stages of the transit phase. This process is especially helpful when it comes to improving the efficiency of package management.
8. Radio Frequency
Radiofrequency is another interesting technology that reduces labour expenses by allowing the employees of the logistic company to transmit information from one point to another. These are handheld devices that make communication easier.
9. Warehouse Management System
This software is used to improve the customer experience of the courier companies by providing accurate and timely information regarding the shipment. Further, it is used to increase the efficiency of inventory management and increase visibility and maximize space utility. In addition to that, it highly reduces the labour cost of the warehouse.
10. Automate Vehicles
This technology is still in its experimental phase but has been used by logistic companies for delivering the products. The automated vehicles till now have managed to provide remarkable performance by delivering the products safely and well within time. With further improvement in automated vehicle technology, the vehicles would be able to deliver the products in no time.
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