Why The Future of Logistics is Dynamic – And Huge!

Nov 7 2016, 1:23 AM5 min read

The market value of the logistics industry is on the rise. But in order to maximise this value, organisations need more dynamic strategies.

Logistics has not been immune to the global changes and shake-ups during 2016. However, in spite of this volatility, the importance, and size, of the Logistics industry has continued to grow. In the era of on-demand everything, organisations need to ensure logistics strategies are able to keep up with customer requirements.

As with any other market or industry, the changes being seen bring risk and reward in equal measure. New technology, new entrants into the market, and demand can boost the agile, and bring down the inflexible. As we have seen in the shipping industry, there’s no guarantees to be had from size and longevity if you can’t meet demand.

And with the global Logistics and Transportation Industry expected to reach a market value of $15.5 trillion in the next decade, the rewards for staying on track are obvious.

Growing Global Value

The estimated increasing value was highlighted in a new study from Transparency Market Research, released last week. The current market value of the industry is estimated at $8.1 trillion, with an estimated 54.6 billion tonnes of goods handled in 2015.

From their research TMR expect this value to nearly double in the next 8 years, to $15.5 trillion, with global logistics companies handling over 90 billion tonnes of goods.

What is key to note is that the industry is not dominated by one or more major player. This makes for an attractive proposition for new players to get a slice of the pie. Currently, the big four companies – Deutsche Post DHL, Ceva Logistics, UPS, and FedEx – control less than 15 per cent of the market.

New entrants tend to enter the market with newer technologies, use of data analytics, or, for companies like Deliveroo, solve the problem of, and meet customer demand for, the so-called “last mile” logistics.

Some retailers are even choosing to move their logistics back in house thanks to new strategies available to them (more on that shortly!). There is also increasing collaboration, with larger organisations working more closely with smaller, newer companies, whose service complements their own.

Apart from being a great way of sharing best practice, it also serves as a lesson to other industries, procurement included.

Disruption on the Way

One thought that seems to be pertinent for the logistics industry is, “If you’re not disrupting, then you are being disrupted”. Companies need to be adapting to changing markets, or they face obsolescence.

PwC recently published “Shifting Patterns: The Future of the Logistics Industry“, outlining just this issue. They see four main areas for disruption in logistics: customer expectations; technology; new entrants; redefining collaboration.

The whitepaper covers what a possible future in the Logistics industry will look like. They share interesting trends across each possible future. However, one key takeaway is the Logistics could be in line for an Uber-type disruption in the near future.

Could Dynamic Strategies Be the Key?

It’s getting to that time of year again. In a little over 3 weeks it’s Thanksgiving, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday following hot on its heels. And although you might not want to think about it, Christmas is peeping over the horizon.

All of this isn’t news for the supply chain and logistics organisations (or at least, we would hope not). However, with increasing, yet still uncertain, demand at this time of year, many are looking to different strategies for their warehousing.

Dynamic, on-demand warehousing is proving to be a viable alternative for many organisations, particularly those retailers looking to change their logistics strategies.

Dynamic solutions can be particularly helping for e-commerce, as it allows companies to quickly adapt to changing demand and costs. With the growth of e-commerce, consumer wants are changing. At the top of that list is fast delivery, something that traditional warehousing solutions can hinder.

At times of peak demand, like the holiday season, organisations can increase their capacity and their coverage across a region, without a major capital outlay.

The dynamic warehousing strategy also pays dividends for warehouse owners. They can offer capacity to a number of companies at once, and are less likely to end up with spare, or unused space, which costs them money.

2016 hasn’t been the best year for Logistics and Supply Chain, but with more flexible and dynamic strategies in place, the coming 12 months, and beyond, could see a significantly more rosy picture.

Have you used dynamic warehousing for your business? How does it work from a procurement point of view? Share your story below.

e-Commerce has reminded us about our Christmas shopping. While we do that, you can look at the latest headlines in the procurement world…

Impact of Hanjin Bankruptcy Not as Severe as Feared

ISM has released a ‘Report on Business Special Question’, asking its panel of U.S. supply management professionals if they have been impacted by the Hanjin bankruptcy.
Results reveal that while Hanjin’s situation has caused some impact in the U.S., disruption was not as wide-spread as expected.
51.9 per cent reported “no impacts”, 29.7 per cent reported “small, but not material” impacts.
13.4 per cent have said they have experienced a “material, but management impact”, while only 0.8 per cent reported a “large material impact”. 4.2 per cent said they were unsure if they have been impacted or not.

Paris Climate Agreement Comes into Force

The Paris Agreement came into force on Friday 4^th November, formally replacing the Kyoto Protocol.
The agreement aims to hold the global average temperature increase to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
According to Sydney barrister Noel Hutley it is “conceivable that directors who fail to consider climate change risks now could be found liable for breaching their duty of care and diligence in the future.”
As of the 3rd of November 2016, 97 of the 193 parties who signed in Paris have ratified the agreement.

Read more at the Australian Financial Review

Philippines Government Looking for Alternative Firearms Supplier

The Philippines Government is looking for alternative suppliers of firearms after the U.S. blocked the sale of 26,000 weapons.
The U.S. State Department halted the sale due to concerns about human rights violations carried out as part of Duterte’s “war on drugs”, which has seen more than 2,300 people killed by police and vigilantes.
Ironically, Philippine Government procurement laws disqualify local gun makers from selling weapons at this scale domestically.
However, both Russia and China have offered to sell arms to the Philippines in the US’ stead.

IBM Trials Blockchain for Dispute Resolution

IBM has announced that it will be using blockchain technology to help resolve supply chain disputes.
A number of companies in finance are looking at permissioned ledgers connecting companies that know and (within limits) trust each other.
The blockchain could allow companies to transact, resolve disputes and settle more efficiently than current practices.
During IBM’s testing of the concept, it reduced resolution time, and markedly improved customer satisfaction.