Richard Howells is VP of SAP Extended Supply Chain Management recently wrote an article about customer-centric supply chains, in the article he explains why adapting your logistics operation to offer omni-channel fulfilment is vital to meet the demands of the modern consumer.
“When a customer has the ability to place orders through any channel in real-time, they also expect the order to be fulfilled in (near) real-time. We are seeing this so called “Uber-effect” across logistics processes.
Companies such as Amazon are offering same day (or even same hour) delivery. Walmart is enabling consumers to buy online and pick up at the nearest store. And Google and Uber Rush are offering inner city pick up and delivery to your doorstep. We are seeing retailers, such as Burberry, bringing the online experience to the store and the store experience to online sales, changing their logistics processes to be able to ship orders from anywhere, with the store, warehouse and DC all being fulfillment hubs to minimize inventory and maximize customer service.
As same day delivery scenarios become the norm, we need to re-think our distribution networks. Amazon and other companies are already levering telematics and IoT signals from trucks to optimize and speed up the transportation process. This is only possible by combining transportation and warehouse processes and by building smart yard management processes that make sure that all loading and unloading runs smoothly and without delays. There is no point in bringing a truck to the loading dock if the products are not ready to be loaded, and transversely, if a bay is not available there is no point in directing a truck to unload.”
A recent documentary takes a detailed look at the role of technology in modern logistics. Bringing the industry to life to help us understand how the expectations of modern consumers are driving the need for constant change, evolvement and improvement of logistics operations within businesses of all shapes and sizes.
With that many systems required now in a modern supply chain, it would be impossible to list them all. If you are interested in learning more, the Intelligence 4.0 range of learning from IoSCM provides expert insight into the technological advancements that have shaped the modern industry.