Consider this partial checklist of what a freight forwarder must master daily:
Cost. Competition. Speed. Accuracy. Communication. Change. Quality. Weather. Equipment. Reliability. Bureaucracy. Efficiency. Disruption. Corruption. Safety. Security. Time. Space. Distance…
It’s more than is humanly possible. And that’s the point. The list demonstrates why automation in all its forms is essential for successful logistics professionals.
From warehouse robots to Artificial Intelligence to self-driven vehicles, fast-changing technology and the digital revolution are forcing even the most sophisticated freight forwarders to learn to use new tools.
Like other big opportunities, automation holds the promise of big results. The challenge for logistics professionals is to sift through an array of automation options, determine the costs, advantages and drawbacks, put the best alternatives to work, then measure and refine the performance.
