The Future of Logistics and Supply Chain Management - Richard van Hooijdonk

The Future of Logistics and Supply Chain Management. What does logistics look like in the world of automatic traffic flows? How do algorithms and the Internet of Things ensure a fully automated supply chain? And what is the impact of new production technologies like 3D printing? The future of logistics and transport offers solutions to many of the challenges we face today. Technology causes acceleration in transport and logistics. In the future, self-driving systems will drive through the city like 'trains', drones will control transport from the airport and we will all have a self-driving car that effortlessly takes us from A to B. Logistics technology will have a significant impact on production chains and 3D printers will create unprecedented disruption in the supply chain. Logistics and transportation are ready for these changes. Are you? This lecture can be combined with ‘Company of the future’. It can also be customised on request. Free download. Download our free e-book. Customers are asking for shorter lead times, lower prices, and more frequent, smaller deliveries. And the cost of mistakes, inefficiencies, and missed deadlines is growing as competition increases. How are logistics and SCM adapting? Topics that will be covered during the lecture. Energy revolution. Imagine a future in which you are able to get wherever you want to go in an urban environment where transport is efficient, quiet and free from harmful emissions. Smart transportation systems, powered by renewable energy, are critically important to that future. It’s an ambitious and exciting goal for which an energy and transport revolution are required. Internet of Things. The IoT plays a critical part in the transformation of logistics. Sensors in parcels and transportation containers enable GPS tracking – improving routing and delivery. Information can be collected from sensors in vehicles, such as real time operating values, vibration, acceleration, fluid levels, wear factors, tolerances etc, enabling organisations to monitor and optimise the efficiency of their fleet and reduce maintenance and operational costs. Artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and big data are at the heart of future transportation. Collected from various sources and fed into algorithms, data about an individual’s behaviour can be used to make predictions and formulate a course of action. Think autonomous vehicles but also ships, airplanes and other moving objects arriving unsummoned to take us around or virtual assistants informing our business partner we’re on our way. Smart transportation will lead to decreased car ownership and professional driver redundancy. Robotics is playing a role in each and every part of the supply chain, from raw materials extraction all the way to ‘the last mile’ – the delivery to the customer. Self-learning stock-picking robots, fitted with cameras and scanners that autonomously move individual boxes or pallets around their warehouses, are fast becoming reality in logistics, significantly reducing the potential for human error. Drones can be assigned to stock picking, pallet moving, maintenance, security and small parcel delivery. We’ll not only hear them buzzing overhead, we’ll see them on our pavements as well. Ground-based drones require less energy and will be able to transport much heavier cargo than their flying counterparts. In the not too distant future, we may be seeing quite a few of these on sidewalks the world over. Self-driving systems. The integration of self-driving systems and wearable computing into coordinated systems will result in revolutionary changes in the supply chain industry. Self-driving trucks and unmanned cargo ships are fast becoming reality, significantly reducing the potential for human error. Industry experts claim that we can expect to see fully autonomous trucks on our roads within the next ten years. Blockchain. Blockchain offers a decentralised, real-time ledger that is open to anyone involved in a transaction. In logistics and transportation, Blockchain might include manufacturers, shipping companies, government regulators and drivers and could be used to officially hand off goods to the next stakeholder in the supply chain. Vehicle inspection and maintenance could also be automated and monitored via Blockchain. Company of the future. The company of the future is hyper connected. It closely monitors new developments and collaborates with startups, scientists and universities. It uses smart algorithms to analyse the world and employs a flexible workforce capable of rapidly developing new products, services or processes and offering support on complex issues. The company of the future requires accessible leaders who inspire, have new visions and are prepared to veer off the beaten track.