New technological trends are emerging in the logistics market that would be a game changer for the industry. Warehouse, transportation and last-mile delivery are seeing rapid robotic invasion. This is the most interesting and intriguing turning point in logistics history.
Robotics is entering the warehouse market in a major way. Fully automated warehouses are popping up where robots pick up and move goods from warehouse floors and shelves. There are even robots being designed by a French company that can climb warehouse racks. Autonomous transportation is being seriously looked into though it may be some time till such vehicles rule the roost. Many new technologies are being tried and tested for last-mile delivery efficiency.
How does the freight business fare amid all these developments?
The access to top-end technology is no longer restricted to large freight companies. Today even the smallest freight company can get the best of the technology for their business. Cloud solutions have considerably reduced the barriers to technology adoption with its low hardware and software costs. They have blurred the line between large and small freight companies bringing new technologies and innovations within reach of every company irrespective of their size.
End-to-end ERP solution which was once used only by large companies is now being used by even smaller companies because of the level playing field such platforms offer. The end-to-end ERP solutions have opened the door for freight companies of any size to enhance their competitiveness and derive invaluable benefits from them.
ERP solutions have the flexibility to fulfill requirements of any type of organization. They integrate the processes that were not connected earlier under a single platform automating company operations and allowing the freedom of scaling the software as per business needs. That translates into huge cost saving as you need not buy the application modules for operations that you are currently not undertaking, i.e. you only pay for what you need.
Since ERP solutions are constantly upgraded with newer functionality and features you have the advantage of keeping abreast of technological advancements using the same application and that too at very nominal costs. Say if your software vendor launches a mobile app to help you with business mobility, the same can be availed by you with no additional high investments.
A better choice would be ERP applications designed especially for freight business as they are designed with a better understanding of the business processes and taking into consideration its specific needs. Technology is the bridge that spans the gap between large freight companies and smaller ones and with the lines blurring even small companies stand a fighting chance to make it big.