Logistics - The central nervous system

The business of logistics management is heavily reliant on structure and form. With thousands of valuable items traversing the globe at any given time, each weighing and measuring in at a variety of dimensions, it is difficult to imagine how they would arrive at their respective destinations without a strong sense of order or process.

Embracing technology

Like many industries that depend on procedure to achieve success, logistics has embraced technology to perform many tasks that would typically be subject to human error. These include a variety of functions, from order tracking to weight management and more.

In spite of an aggressive willingness to adopt new solutions the industry still relies heavily on human influence to get things done.

Machines might be efficient, but they are not widely acknowledged for their ability to make strategic decisions in the event of a global disaster, delayed aircraft or natural phenomenon. To solve these challenges businesses require the skills of qualified technicians, with open communication lines, who are experienced in dealing with unexpected challenges.

Based on this model, one might assume that the logistics management sector has embraced technology to improve communication and decisions that depend on human hands to reroute these structures in the event of an unforeseen occurrence.

Although this may be true of the majority, there are a few operators within this industry that have begun to use technology to better equip both humans and machines with the tools to deliver better results.

Central system

Digital communication or display installations within logistics control rooms often act as the central nervous system to these networks. By giving managers the capacity to view and cycle through many information sources at one time these platforms allow for swift and uninterrupted decision making, often occurring before an incident becomes a major challenge.

This kind of approach makes sense at a number of levels. Imagine being able to track and immediately communicate weather patterns, international and local news, travel delays, the packing floor and estimated arrival times via a central console at head office. A decade ago this kind of 'in the moment' insight was simply unachievable - today it is cost effective and easy to maintain.

Adoption of digital communication technology within logistics management structures is not an international trend that has yet to reach local shores. It has been implemented and is currently being used within a variety of South African control centres.

The possibilities are endless. Within an industry that is so open to technological adoption, one must ask why human input and advanced communication solutions have been adjoined so gingerly. The time is now.