Data unifier and aggregator GateHouse Logistics A/S expects 2019 will be a fundamental, transformational year for the logistics industry. Freight data visibility and the continued building of ecosystems through industry partnerships will become key priorities, says the firm.
“The year 2019 will see the supply chain become much smarter and more efficient by embracing the freight data visibility era,” says Jesper Bennike, CEO of Denmark-based GateHouse Logistics. “Increasing the flow of supply chain data through automation between shippers and carriers will become the norm and this will help shorten time to visibility.”
Supply chain data has remained in information silos for too long. When data is not shared, the supply chain cannot access critical business information and remains inefficient. The supply chain is not optimised.
“A gamut of new Industry 4.0 technologies that interact, communicate and create lakes of vital freight information is now entering the supply chain and these will be instrumental in bringing about the smart supply chain,” stresses Bennike.
True visibility
The year 2019 will see the logistics industry move towards higher quality visibility solutions that provide true and complete data. In the past, many shippers experienced bad data quality when they bought visibility solutions not based on an established carrier network. As a result, they could not optimise their businesses. The supply chain will become more selective in 2019.
Smart supply chain evolution
The evolution of the smart supply chain can be traced back to 2016 when freight customers began to demand real-time visibility for their orders and shipments. At that time, companies could not understand why they could not track valuable truckloads and get more accurate and reliable transit and ETA information for their shipments. But the industry has moved on and 2019 will see droves of shippers adopting smart tools for live data visibility of loads and their condition from the moment they are picked up to delivery.
All data types
The year 2019 will see the supply chain demanding more intelligent types of data. Its focus will not only be on obtaining position and temperature data but other types of data, such as tire pressure, door sensor weight and the like and will extend to analytics and predictive maintenance as well. Combining and analysing telematics data in all kinds of ways will lead to new business models and new services.
Automation paves the way for the smart supply chain
Automating the onboarding process of new carriers onto data visibility systems enables transportation to enter the smart, real-time data visibility era and this trend will continue in 2019. GateHouse Logistics’ data visibility service ghTrack has speeded up the onboarding process threefold by using automated tools – a process which will become widespread in 2019.
Growing networks of partnerships and building ecosystems
The year 2019 will see data distribution companies grow their network of partnerships and have seamless interoperability. Data visibility platforms will begin to share data on decentralised ecosystems using blockchain technology. This will allow the collection and sharing of data per international regulations, such as GDPR in the correct legal way. Data in these ecosystems will be made available to agreed stakeholders (authorities, shippers, carriers, for example) on a need to know basis following agreed rules, format, and terms.
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