For each of our markets we have considered the business imperatives, business trends and the impact that emerging technologies and solutions may have in addressing these.
Imperatives
Ongoing Concern About Safety and Security Incidents
In recent times, security incidents have been observed across all areas of transportation. And, because of the guerrilla nature of many of these incidents, security measures have changed their focus away from Logistics hubs, for example, to parking places near highways. More safety and security legislation is likely. The answer could be the development of ‘green lanes’ where inspected and approved freight can be transported without further delay or queuing for additional inspections.
Cost of Operation
Organizations are investing in technologies with immediate return on investment, primarily ones that reduce costs through increasing efficiency and reducing waste. At the same time, investment is needed to meet the ever-increasing capacity and safety demands, which may not show a return on investment for a number of years.
Authorized Economic Operator is on its Way But Certification Does Not Match Expectations
European customs legislation concerning horizontal inspection of freight at import and export points has intensified from January 1 2008 with the Authorized Economic Operator concept. Better co-operation between private and public parties in the cargo supply chain should be established but EU studies show that, even though Logistics parties are starting with self-assessments and certification processes, the number of certified parties are fewer than expected because of a lack of incentive and a competitive need to do so.
Logistics Sector Faces a Lack of Interest in Future Labor
Forecasts show that within the next few years the Logistics sector will need additional employees. Investigations show that the image of the Logistics sector in terms of employability is weak amongst the labor force of the future.
Business trends
Asset monitoring enables maintenance to be both preventative and reactive. Assets include both mobile and fixed assets, as well as workers needing to be kept safe and well. Monitoring will ensure assets last longer, are able to cope with higher demands, and have a lower environmental impact. Monitoring needs to be in real-time and be cost-effective.
Market confidence demands transport suppliers demonstrate a commitment to safety measures for incident prevention and to combat threats from terrorism. This is as much about raising awareness as it is about investment.
Capacity planning is vital with this growing demand. Since it is likely
that the flow of goods from Asia to Europe will grow extensively, more
and more attention is paid to multiple modes of land transport where
both capacity and support of technology must be developed hand-in-hand.
Congestion on the roads is increasing and it needs to be managed. It is
not clear where initiatives such as congestion charging are going.
The increase in air traffic requires new airport infrastructures to be
built (Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle), the ability to host larger
cargo carriers (A380), as well as enhanced efficiency in air traffic
control operations.
Controlling the impact of transport on the environment will become more
important as it will dictate public funding allocation, which mode of
transport a customer may choose, as well as an operator’s image and
sustainability. However, increasing oil prices is still seen as the
major business driver for exploring smarter modes of transport (for
example, City Cargo), alternative energy sources, and new technology
for aircraft and lorry engines.
Sustainable solutions for carbon-neutral air and road transportation,
both passenger and cargo, are under investigation. Private and public
organizations have vision statements regarding sustainability and are
considering directions for further research.
The potential cost savings are the main driver behind any green
initiatives, but this may change if and when tougher legislation on
carbon emissions and waste, with their associated penalties, are
brought in.
Consolidation is driving a lot of M&A activities with many
consolidated companies looking to become the leading European transport
supplier. Indeed, countries such as the Netherlands are seeing local
companies being acquired and below-average organic growth rates in
local transport firms. With the number of home carriers declining,
there is a focus on smart freight handling.
Impact technologies
RFID seems to be at a point of breakthrough. The number of applications within the supply chain for sea and air freight is growing. Technologies, such as Sensors and Mesh Networks, will give a real-time view of congestion. Tying these in with GPS and intelligent agents will enable intelligent re-routing in the future.
Remote workers and customers will benefit greatly from the new mobile applications, giving them vital remote access to information from anywhere and on any mobile device. These can also streamline ticketing and enhance the traveler’s experience throughout their journey. There may be initial resistance to mobile application downloads as users are nervous about installing them on their phones. As confidence grows, so will uptake.
The agile business will require real-time access to content information from any location through Enterprise Content Management (ECM). This can ensure faster design review by engineers to meet strict deadlines, enhanced safety through ensuring controlled documents are read, and minimized downtime through ensuring correct versions of design documents are used when ordering spare parts.
As our climate changes, asset maintenance schedules will need to be remodeled to take into account new extremes. Climate Change Modeling will be key to giving organizations the necessary foresight to prepare for change.
Anti-terror and anti-sabotage initiatives will require Identity and Access Management, which can be achieved through role management and information risk dashboards. Biometrics will pay a key part in this.
Wireless technologies such as 3G and WiMAX will operate in parallel to bring data to remote workers. Technology selection at any location is likely to be based first on availability and value.
Integrating Geographic Information Systems with other tools such as Business Intelligence or ECM will enable users to quickly find locationbased knowledge, content, or intelligence. In addition, Geolocalization systems would enable assets to be tracked and located—essential for fleet management.
Remote workers will use Wearable Computing devices to enable them to access information without the device impeding their work.
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