Just a few years back, if you wanted something, you had to drive a few miles to get to the store, select the product and make a purchase. In a little over few years, the scenario has changed and now you can browse products from the comfort of your chair, and the company will deliver it to your doorstep, and sometimes within a day. Innovations in logistics and logistics practices have made the process more efficient by reducing the overall transportation and packaging costs, time costs, and managing deliveries on a tighter schedule. However, such innovations in the logistics industry have not stopped. Companies are continually coming up with new materials, new ideas, and new practices, which are increasing the efficiency of logistics at a rapid rate. One such approach revolutionizing the supply chain of the companies is smart logistics. Logistics companies are looking for various application areas of smart logistics in
order to make the operations more efficient and thereby increase customer experience. So what aspects of smart logistics are redefining the practices of logistics management?
Smart Pallet
Logistics companies are discarding the conventional pallets in favor of smart pallet, which is made from a revolutionary composite called Advanced Fiber Reinforcement. The material is twice as strong, 26% lighter, and costs 30% less compared to wood pallets. This heavy-duty GMA 48×40 pallet can easily carry double the Grocery Manufacturers Association edge-racked load standard of 2,800 pounds. The material was designed to handle the toughest environments posed by material handling facilities.
Eco-friendly Solutions
Whenever there are talks about logistics, freight, and warehousing, the picture of big fuel guzzling trucks, driving thousands of miles and releasing tons of harmful emissions comes to mind. Added to that the vast energy expense of maintaining a warehouse, the transportation and logistics industry seem to be negatively impacting the environment. To address such issues, companies are looking at eco-friendly solutions to not only reduce the environmental impact but also save on fuel and power costs. For instance, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, BREYTNER took the initiative to create world’s first zero emission trucking company to contribute to smart logistics movement. Taking electricity as input, the truck has a single full charge driving range of 200kms, making them perfect for city distribution.
Use of Big Data Analytics
Trucking and logistics companies are using existing technologies and systems such as GPS, telematics systems, geopolitical risk analysis systems, logistics portal, smart sensors, and port management software to interchange massive amount of data between various stakeholders. Having so much data in hand enables companies to optimize their end-to-end logistics in addition to increasing flows of reduce truck downtimes, goods more efficiently, and prevent traffic congestion. Vast data sets can allow companies to perform predictive maintenance, optimize travel routes, and enable autonomous driving.
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