Thoughts for the Future

Technological advancements are growing at an ever accelerated rate so it is vital that businesses keep an eye on the future direction when developing business strategy.

The section that follows gives two alternate perspectives of the future. The first is a business view of ‘desires and aspirations’ of how technology can support logistics development and the second is the solution provider’s outlook of the likely direction of technological innovation.
 

Users Desires and Aspirations

The following companies provided insight into their 'thoughts for the future' for transport technology:

View a PowerPoint summary of the common themes identified here

The Technology Providers Perspective of the Future

There are a huge number of technology providers each offering a variety of systems solutions. There are however a number of common themes emerging in how they perceive the future developing:

• Technology will continue to change at an ever increasing rate, far faster than can be implemented within business.
   
• The implementation of technological advances will be simplified with the introduction of common standards across applications for end users.
   
• GPS Tracking will become ubiquitous and built into all commercial vehicles and routes managed using real time information.
   
• Suppliers and customers will expect to have access to real-time information on deliveries.
   
• Software as a “Service”, or Cloud Computing will become the alternative to stand-alone systems. Increased functionality will facilitate multifunction integrated clouds to solve common problems. For example, map data, company data and the mathematical algorithms required to make the necessary calculations may all be held in the cloud, and all the processing can be done there as well. This allows multiple problems to be solved simultaneously.
   
• The ability automatically to re-route vehicles in real time to avoid traffic jams will become standard functionality.
   
• Volatile fuel prices and increased road congestion will increase and become a strategic imperative.
   
• The need to increase vehicle fill and reduce empty running becomes an imperative.
   
• Ever increasing need for collaboration and integration, better planning, fewer constraints and increased efficiency.
   
• Customers will expect lower total cost of ownership of transport management systems, as well as expect more sophisticated reporting.
   
• Legislation, such as more congestion charging zones, pay-as-you-go road pricing and speed limiters even on smaller vehicles including cars will be implemented across the country.