23 April 2019
The Maritime Industry Embraces The Steady Growth Of Digital Logistics

Over the past few years, the shipping scenario has been constantly imbibing and adapting to newer concepts and groundbreaking innovations, which are gradually altering the face of the industry. This undeniable growth has led to the shipping companies and port-driven industries to undergo a massive makeover due to the overwhelming changes brought forth by digital inventions and a flourishing, global market. The impact of this huge change has influenced the visibility of the supply chain to a great extent, much more than we can gauge from the alterations on the surface of it. Nowadays, the supply chain has extended its network of resources across the globe, with the essential data being shared between multinationals and crossing all barriers.
As we know, the smooth flow of a supply chain makes sure that the movement of a particular asset is carefully tracked from its source to its predetermined destination through the evaluation of necessary data that can be accessed by all stakeholders. With each passing day, the shift towards digital logistics has led to the formation of several online-based logistics providers, most of which now have a strong presence.
In fact, this path-breaking concept can improve the present condition of trade via container tracking with the simultaneous support provided by the intelligent, internet-of-things (IoT) technology. Breaking down the operational silos, the rising trend of digital logistics tends to boost the growth by offering custom-made processes that are essentially focused on the clients. Not only this, but the use of digital logistics can also reduce the cost and increase the cycle.
For a supply chain to work smoothly without any hindrances, all the resources need to properly be linked and be completely visible to all the stakeholders. This will further allow them to collaborate and share the important information between themselves, thus constructing a solid, stakeholder hub in the process.
In an answer to the countless difficulties obstructing the visibility of the supply chain, a multiple of technological innovations has come to the rescue! We have to thank the surge in e-commerce and the boom in global trade due to the heightened usage of mobile technology and globalization, for questioning the conventional ways and paving the path for newfangled ideas.
As a direct consequence, the 3PL market has experienced tremendous growth to supervise the flow of goods between the nations. Currently, the 3PLs have welcomed the new, digital logistics solutions that work on an online platform. For example, the initiative like Uber Freight and Cargomatic are well-established, online platforms that offer real-time, budget-friendly container visibility to the customers.
However, we cannot overlook the fact that the growth of digital logistics and worldwide connectivity has drastically increased customer demand (and, expectations) and has put considerable pressure on shippers and ports. So, it is no wonder that the logistics industry is now heaped into a disorderly mess and existing in a fragmented, scattered manner. A recent report by the Transparency Market Research has predicted the fact that logistics market will experience an enhanced growth by an annual rate of 17.5% for the coming six years. The most prominent organizations (like Price Waterhouse Cooper) believes that new, avant-garde concepts and hi-tech innovations will go a long way in clearing the disruption present within the supply chain.
In spite of the revolutionary wave of digital logistics , we can still find the use of manual labour when the stakeholders and carriers employ a group of people to perform certain tasks like writing reports and answering the customer queries. But, this also means a time-consuming process of obtaining data from multiple parties and can trigger an inefficient flow of information.
If we focus on the prominent factors that have brought about the immense pressure on the supply chain, the e-commerce boom grabs our attention with the creation of new manufacturing hubs in Asia and South America (during the 1900s and 2000s). This has stimulated the need for asset-tracking smart technologies (like the blockchain technology and IoT sensors) to be adopted by the shipping organizations.
Though the pressure felt within the supply chain had risen to an alarming level, we cannot deny the fact that the introduction of streamlined processes has been successful in enhancing the visibility to a great extent. The growing need of adapting to modern technologies like automated vehicles (such as driverless trucks) has been much appreciated.
The increased visibility can ease the tension of the stakeholders as they can now evaluate and analyze the areas that are lacking in performance within a supply chain. The trace and track technology as implemented by IoT is extremely helpful in assembling all the significant data to track the movement of containers. We are hopeful about the fact that the advent of digital logistics will usher in a more efficient, safer and better future for the supply chain.

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