Logistics management requires monitoring multiple activities at once — supply chain, warehousing, and so on. There are dozens of factors that can influence the process itself and cause delays. To streamline processes and increase customer satisfaction, logistics managers should embrace innovations that IoT has to offer.

Logistics is a complex sector, which can profit with the help of Internet-of-Things technologies. With IoT devices, the process of storage at the warehouse and shipping from port to manufacturer and end customer will be more organized and cost-effective. Internet of Things in logistics vertical has evolved the industry with its advanced telemetry capabilities and monitoring solutions.

How can transportation and logistics be improved with IoT

The introduction of IoT has left no stones unturned. Moving a product from one location to another was the only aim of the logistics and transportation companies then. But, due to high competition and customer demands the industry is forced to focus more on faster delivery, smart fleet management, warehouse management, etc. to ensure and deliver a flawless customer service and experience.

IoT is a perfect choice for these companies to achieve the aforementioned goals as the smart devices are often known for their accuracy, precision through real-time data collection. The smart devices play a huge role in the transformation of logistics and transportation companies and growing number of IoT implementations across the companies ensures this.

Benefits of IoT in logistics and transportation

•End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility
•Managing the Storehouse
•Fleet Management
•Location management
•Inventory tracking
•Supply chain management monitoring
•Improved traffic management
•Reduced energy use for transportation
•Increasing driver safety
•Freight Management App
•Increased safety
•Reduced energy use and congestion
•Better operational performance
•Security
•Onboarding

The future of IoT in the logistics industry

There’s still more to come! An IoT-based digital supply chain can generate an enormous amount of data that manufacturers have only begun to understand. In the coming years, Internet of Things tools will become more spread out. More data will become available, enabling companies to leverage advanced predictive analytics tools to make use of these datasets. It can help managers look for patterns in data that already exist. Moreover, it will help also to go a step further by predicting problems in the future based on historical data.

Applications of IoT in Logistics

• Fleet Management: Real-time monitoring of fleet enables businesses to make quick and smart decisions for consignment delivery. Logistics companies are accepting and regularly updating themselves with technologies that can help them with fleet management and monitoring. IoT technology allows transportation and logistics companies to improve operational efficiency, manage cost, fuel consumption, increase response time to unexpected scenarios, etc.

•Inventory Tracking: With IoT technologies, you can create a smart warehouse with the ability to remotely control inventory assets. These capabilities help prevent under- or overloading, monitor the fuel level and the condition of goods, and can easily locate the goods on their way to the warehouse, port, or end customer.

•Delivery management: There are a handful of ways the Internet of Things facilitates delivery management. RFID tags and connected GPS sensors help business managers track shipping all the way to its final stage. Also, thanks to connected sensors, logistics managers can get real-time location data to ensure the weather or other environmental changes will not jeopardize the delivery.

•Location and Route Management: Trucks are the lifeline of any logistics company. In the US alone, more than 70% of all the goods are transported by trucks. Logistics and fleet companies hence require systems that can help them manage their truck operations.

The location and route management solution of IoT for logistics industry is hence quite popular. This solution enables a logistics manager to monitor the location of their trucks in real-time. By using GPS tracking systems and geofencing techniques, the route taken by the trucks can also be monitored from remote locations. This further helps the logistics companies to track driver activities and ensure timely cargo delivery.

•Drone-based delivery: Drones are now actively working in different sectors, and logistics is no exception. The drones come with the involvement of the GPS Navigator that functions in locations with real-time coordinates. The role of such a Drone is to independently pick up the cargo right from the lockers and deliver it to the location. The sensors on the Drone make the service more effective.

In Conclusion

The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the logistics industry. By connecting nearly everything from parcels to people, the IoT is enabling supply chain and logistics companies to track and trace freight in real time, make data-driven decisions that improve operational efficiency, perform predictive maintenance on assets and infrastructure, and much more.

Indeed the future is bright for the logistics industry with IoT. The technology promises to streamline supply chain management and improve on productivity. With logistic businesses that are embracing the technology expected to grow at a supersonic. And the benefits are not to the companies alone but the customers too.

If you are looking for a team of IOT software developers to help you build a custom logistics management system contact Agilis World Inc.

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