Logistics: digital, the key element to face the near future.

The logistics sector during the pandemic suffered several repercussions; in fact, in light of the new social and economic scenario, it will have to reorganize itself in the immediate future. In several cases, emergency was necessary to uncover the huge technological shortcomings reported over the years, which undoubtedly cannot be a fault, considering the difficulties the industry has gone through in recent decades and which has perforce focused more on tangible day-to-day operations than on evolution.

In this scenario, history teaches that in crisis situations such as the one we are currently experiencing, companies that have best adapted to change, through adaptability and flexibility, gain share and emerge within the competitive arena and markets.

While in the not too distant past for many companies digital was a superfluous topic, today it is considered the key element not only in normal operations but for actual survival.

Indeed, it has become more crucial than ever to understand how to optimize business procedures in light of the “digital transformation,” a theme that is now evident and essential to the future and the economy in general.

Over the course of the emergence from Covid 19, companies described as “digital champions” or “pioneers” were able to adapt better to changes and difficulties precisely because of their technological capabilities.

As of today, barely 50 percent use artificial intelligence and data analytics in at least one area of the “supply chain,” and reducing the further innovation gap in a reasonably short time means getting in line with the times but more importantly equipping ourselves with an effective weapon to deal with the long wave of the crisis.

The ‘ reactive approach to change, becomes necessary in the short term, managing the active and tangible risks that a transformation never seen let alone imagined entails.

And just in the context of digital as a key ingredient to overcome the difficulties of the moment, the importance of the action of an agile strategy looms large, linked to an increase in decision-making speed, in which choices must be increasingly data driven and dynamic.

It is not too obvious to say that cloud software technologies facilitate remote access to information systems and promote efficiency and increased “visibility” along all supply chains regardless of market niches.

Fortunately, the logistics sector during this period, despite the shocks also experienced by the trucking industry, has never stopped ensuring the survival of the Italian system. The inability to move from home due to quarantine has caused demand to soar, particularly of online shipping services. But this very increase is calling for greater modernization and sustainability in light of new national and regional directives and in general with respect to a
near future however uncertain.

In this sense, it is not enough just to focus on in-house technologies, from warehouses to vehicle management, but so much more should be taken care of, from theroute optimization with “vehicular rerouting” techniques such as the intelligent programming of routes or shifts, to the enhancement of “crossdocking” systems, to physical interactions shifted to cloud such as signatures and documents, to smart delivery alert alerts, to vehicle telediagnosis, methodologies that despite being applied by some already require timely refinement and better application in the field.

The logistics sector certainly needs a further breakthrough, an innovative bridge between supply and demand to improve competitiveness, productivity and safety.