The Industry 4.0 initiatives in the logistics service industry have increased in value post-pandemic. In quintessence, the pandemic has driven up the inherent importance of modern technology in logistics, says McKinsey.
Logistics service today has left behind the unstructured, scattered nature of operations of booking a shipment and waiting for deliveries. The advent of technology and convenience has raised consumer and client expectations; industries are striving toward being more customer-centric – and the logistics delivery industry is answering the call with tech-powered operations.
For a sector that wasn’t formally introduced as a full-fledged “industry” until a few years ago, logistics service has traveled a long way through adopting the fruits of Industry 4.0. The modern logistics service is a tech-enabled, interconnected, streamlined, and highly cohesive ecosystem of supply chain management, emerging as the modern-day solution to the woes of this industry.
Logistics Service Powered by New Age Tech from End to End:
Porter, an online logistics service marketplace, has demonstrated how the power of digital technology can be used to centralize an unorganized industry (like Indian logistics).
The company, upon observing the wide divide between delivery vehicles and the end customer, decided to use digital platforms to bridge this gap.
By implementing an automated, AI-powered algorithm engine in the backend of its website and applications, Porter created an online platform that could directly connect and coordinate the delivery driver and the customer in real-time.
This side of the technology was run by Porter’s order management system, handling the business logic for order collection, vehicle allocation, and fare bidding. Further, the tracking system took over with its GPS functionality to move the supply chain forward.
The Porter algorithm engine accounted for the customer’s location, time of request, type of vehicle requested, and the closest match available to display options of shipment fulfillment.
Porter’s technological solution had an extremely simple interface on the driver-side, the customers were able to get closed-loop information about availability and booking, and the integration of CRM software ensured that there were no gaps between orders and service.
All of Porter’s registered drivers were tech-literate and screened to ensure they understood how the system works to avoid hassles, delays, and discrepancies.
The result: an end-to-end tech stack that was fully automated. Customers who needed deliveries done could simply log in to the Porter app, find a truck/delivery vehicle, book it, and voila.Porter’s digital logistics delivery system not only brought delivery efficiency for the customer but also contractual transparency to the owner-drivers. Moreover, the platform caters to both B2B and B2C segments, whether for small deliveries or big.
Reinforcing Existing Logistic Delivery Resources With Technology:
India is a country that relies heavily on road transport for its logistics – a mode peppered heavily with reliance on truck-based transport. The NITI Ayog has planted its focus on improving the overall freight scene of the nation, with particular attention to truck-based freight efficiency and intermodal transport.
The LEEP – Logistics Efficiency Enhancement Program – is a policy that focuses on building infrastructural, technological, and digital solutions for the trucking ecosystem of the nation.
Porter is leveraging the gifts of Industry 4.0 and government support in the best possible way. The company has become the largest aggregator of light trucks in the country and, in doing so, has finally tied together a scattered, decentralized industry effectively.
Porter’s logistics service includes:
- Last-mile, middle mile, and first-mile deliveries
- On-demand logistics through prompt bookings on the Porter app
- Supply chain management powered by CRM, order management, and GPS tracking
- Real-time visibility
- Real-time booking of Porter vehicles through smart algorithms
- Packing and moving
- Enterprise logistics on a variable engagement basis
Such exhaustive use of technology also translates to generating more data. Moreover, Porter’s services are completely cloud-based and scalable.
Big Data and Analytics in Logistic Services:
The logistics service industry involves many moving parts; thus, it is to be expected that a lot of efficiencies will be lost to friction. However, with Big Data and the power of analytical technology, these lost efficiencies can be reincorporated by improving the way these moving parts operate.
Porter deploys its fleet with insights derived by pushing the collected data through its data science and predictive analysis engines for better positioning its resources according to the market demand.
The company assesses real-time transportation data gathered through sensors attached to fleet assets, enabling Porter to improve:
- Vehicle load matching
- Resource deployment
- Turnaround times
- Efficient utilization of warehousing assets
- Performance monitoring
- Scheduling fleet maintenance
- Asset lifecycle assessment
Catalyzers in Logistic Delivery:
Technology remains the largest catalyzer of growth in the country’s logistics service sector. However, adding to the growth are a few other factors that are poised to give logistics delivery the necessary push it needs to achieve high growth.
The National Logistics Policy speaks of working toward reducing the logistics costs in India from 14% annually to 10% and increasing the sector’s trade competitiveness.
Bringing transparency into the picture, digital marketplaces for logistics today hold promise for equitable growth in the logistics ecosphere, from the organization to the owner-drivers.
Furthermore, real-time monitoring through connected apps and software allows for better management of the entire supply chain sphere while expediting processes with the best possible resource use.
Summing Up
The logistics delivery industry today has become impressively tech-savvy and is perched on the cusp of irreversible evolution towards better efficiencies, integrated operations, automated-coordinated value chains, and real-time information.
Porter is a prime example of technology-enabled, collaborative online logistics commerce, where carrier companies and clients can get in touch directly. Real-time bookings make it possible for customers/clients to expedite their logistics requirements through an automated, transparent, on-demand booking system.
From a company that began as an incepted seedling, today, Porter successfully delivers exemplary logistics experiences to big names like ITC and Amazon. Digital technology has made it possible for Porter to address the inefficiencies and revenue slippage of the logistics service industry in a transparent manner. Get to know more interesting details about Porter
