Have you noticed how, without even realizing it, company logistics have changed in recent years? In an almost imperceptible way, marketplaces such as Amazon have caused a shift in the value added that applies to all links in the supply chain.
And on top of that, we have become accustomed to receiving our orders at home almost immediately after making the purchase; or to being informed at all times of where our packages are and when they will be delivered.
But is this way of working applicable to industrial logistics? Will industrial transport companies like BDtrans be able to offer similar services to our B2B customers in the future? Are trends in the transportation of chemicals – or dangerous goods – heading down the same path blazed by Amazon?
In this article we will reflect on all these questions, which are becoming increasingly common in our industry.
Changes in logistics due to innovation in the supply chain
We have more and more tools and better technologies to make processes more efficient. But it should also be borne in mind that not all the strategies that are being implemented – or will be implemented in the future – are viable in any sector.
It is even possible that they may not be sufficiently in demand or that customers do not value them fairly.
With these considerations in mind. let’s take a look at the most innovative trends for the future.
Innovation in management techniques
At the management level, new trends indicate that:
- Service will be more important than the product: consumers will not be satisfied with just receiving a new product, but will be more demanding of value-added services both pre-sale and post-sale. A quality product can lead to great dissatisfaction due to, for example, delays in product delivery.
- Knowledge professionals will become more important in the supply chain: today this type of worker already accounts for 40% of the working hours in logistics. And the trend is that they will become more and more important because tasks such as analyzing, optimizing, solving problems, managing purchases or executing services will become more and more vital.
- Corporate social responsibility and sustainability will be central to logistics: the entire supply chain must demonstrate its commitment to CSR. Moreover, all processes – from manufacturing to delivery – must be carried out in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
- Increased weight of specific training in logistics and distribution: managing the supply chain will require qualified, flexible and constantly updated professionals. Therefore, in the future there will be a great demand for bachelor’s, master’s and specialized studies in these subjects.
Technological innovation
The other pillar on which the supply chain of the future will be built is undoubtedly technology, which will make it possible to offer better services to customers.
These are some of the elements to pay attention to in the near future:
- Social networks will be essential to obtain feedback feedback Customers are using social networks more frequently than ever as a channel to express their complaints or dissatisfaction. For this reason, logistics organizations must have an active presence in all channels and have professionals capable of handling these types of complaints.
- Artificial intelligence will bring much more value to the entire supply chainIn the future, the use of artificial intelligence tools or the implementation of the Internet of Things will facilitate all logistics processes, making them more efficient (which will result in better customer service).
- Customer micro-segmentation will be the best technological tool for managementby grouping customers into small segments based on the information obtained by the detailed analysis of their behavior – facilitated by artificial intelligence and Big Data– can be given an almost individualized treatment to the different needs of each one of them. This will create a multitude of small customer segments united by common characteristics, and whose needs will be served by automation applications.
BDtrans and the future of logistics
When we talk about the future of logistics, everyone thinks about the widespread use of technological elements for the transport of packages such as drones or driverless trucks.
However, in the transport of industrial goods, it is difficult for this type of technology to be implemented in the future. Mostly because moving a chemical product from point A to point B has a number of complexities that are hardly or not at all compatible with the use of drones or driverless trucks.
Assuming that we have to comply with strict safety standards in all the shipments we handle at BDtrans -both in stowage and in movement-, the future is likely to be slightly different in our sector. This is not to say that we will do without automation systems. In fact, in our industry, technological advances in automation are likely to be reserved for less vital processes where safety is not compromised.
In any case, at BDtrans we know that in the future we will have to face the following challenges, for which we are already preparing ourselves:
- Improved communication with the customer: industrial customers demand a constant line of communication, so that they know almost in real time if there is any incident. At BDtrans we are continuously working and improving our communication channels with our customers, so that they are informed at all times of what is happening with their goods from the moment we pick them up until we deliver them.
- Reduction of complaints: this is another of the challenges that most motivates us to improve, as it represents an exponential increase in customer satisfaction. We are therefore working even harder to design new policies aimed at reducing the volume of complaints and incidents.
- Real-time geolocation: the industrial customer who contracts a transport company such as BDtrans wants to have the best possible information. And one of the data that helps them the most to make a delivery forecast is the geolocation of their goods in real time. BDtrans’ goal is that in the future all the trucks we use in our transports will be geolocated.
- Use of web applications: one of the advances that have greatly improved logistics management are applications that allow customers to monitor the status of their order in real time. In fact, at BDtrans we already have a computer application that is currently being implemented so that in the future customers will be able to see what is happening with their merchandise from their computer.
If you would like to know more about how BDtrans faces all the challenges mentioned in this article, you can contact us by filling out this contact form.
