(Panama City-ANPanama) Important changes will take place in the logistics sector and some 29 trends have been identified as part of that impact, where artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing will be protagonists.
In the fifth edition of the Logistics Trends Radar, DHL revealed 29 key trends that will impact the logistics sector in the coming years. The report is the result of a comprehensive analysis of macro and micro trends, as well as findings from a wide network of partners, including research institutes, technology players, startups and customers.
“For us as logistics experts, it is important to foresee future challenges and consider possible solutions in order to provide the best advice to our customers. The megatrends that will continue to occupy us in the future are not entirely unfamiliar: new technologies, the rise of e-commerce and sustainability,” says Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer, DHL. “But some areas will evolve faster than others, so we need to understand the underlying trends and their impact on logistics, not least because of the effects of COVID-19 on global trade and on all workers. As a world leader in logistics, we have the knowledge and experience to assess the situation.”
“The new big challenge will be to prepare logistics workforces for the future through training and specialization in the context of increasingly sophisticated operations. This will dominate the strategic agendas of supply chain organizations in the coming years,” said Matthias Heutger, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Innovation & Commercial Development at DHL. “The Logistics Trend Radar acts as a seismograph of future trends. Based on data from the past seven years, we can make longer-term forecasts and thus support our partners and customers in establishing roadmaps for their businesses while helping to further structure and catalyze cutting-edge research and innovations. In this edition, we already see that the impact of COVID-19 is accelerating already existing trends: big data analytics, robotics and automation as well as IoT; all underpinned by a steady advancement of artificial intelligence,” he said.
The fifth edition of the Logistics Trends Radar indicates that we are experiencing a generalized stabilization of the trends of the past four years. However, in the face of the current global pandemic, transformation processes in the logistics sector have accelerated. COVID-19 drove changes in the latest innovation in logistics, automation and digital work at a faster rate and marked a multi-year acceleration in the digitization of the industry. And by contrast, other trends initially considered disruptive for the logistics sector have yet to demonstrate that disruptive potential. Self-driving vehicles and drones continue to be held back by legislative and technical obstacles as well as low social acceptance. Logistics markets are stabilizing on the basis of a few dominant platforms, and established carriers are coming on board with their own digital offerings, backed by robust logistics networks. From cloud computing to collaborative robotics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, logistics professionals are confronted with a vast marketplace of novel technologies. The new imperative for long-term success is to modernize all touch points in supply chains across the entire last-mile execution, transportation and delivery process. Those who incorporate and replicate new technologies at scale and are the fastest to upgrade the skills of their workforces will gain a comparative advantage in the marketplace.
E-commerce continues to grow rapidly, although it still represents a small share of overall retail consumer spending. B2B e-commerce is expected to follow suit and eclipse that market with three times the volume. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated both e-commerce growth and supply chain innovation. But in addition, key steps to scale and incorporate new technologies such as intelligent physical automation, IoT-driven visibility tools and predictive AI capabilities will determine the ability to meet increased customer demand and secure industry leadership positions in the future.
Source: ANPanamá
