The world of supply chains and deliveries has developed significantly in recent years and now we see companies offering logistics services to all four corners of the globe, to a huge audience of consumers. One of the main reasons for such development has been down to the impacts different technologies have made.

In this post is a selection of such tech and further detail about their respective effects.

Supply Chain Management Software

As computer systems have become more sophisticated ‘supply chain management’ processes have become more and more digitalised. Now even basic SCM software can handle everything from inventory levels, to distribution requirements, order numbers and much more.

EDIs

In a similar vein to this, we now see widespread use of EDIs or ‘Electronic Data Interchanges’. These are now used – often by businesses – to communicate digitally rather than by antiquated methods such as mailing lists and paper orders. Again, these can help people to get through more orders and get goods shipped out faster.

Barcodes

Warehouses and stock rooms have also been made more efficient with barcode and scanning systems. Whether these are handheld devices operated by staff, or are automatically done by machines, these scanning processes have made managing stock levels far easier. Plus, they are also great for collecting data to inform everything from supply and demand requirements to warehouse proficiency and performance.

Tracking Tools

The abovementioned popularity of recording items is mirrored in the use of tracking tools. You’ll invariably find that the majority of delivery providers have some form of parcel tracking available to give consumers a real-time view of the status of their goods. In addition to this though, tracking tools are also useful for providers to help them keep a record of their performance.

Online Services

Having a website that offers consumers everything from booking tools to location services like these from InXpress for example, is essential for today’s markets. Ultimately, if a logistics company is failing to provide these then they can be missing out on a large audience of modern consumers who are tech-savvy and prefer to use ecommerce over other channels.

Final Thoughts

If we look for a common theme from the above tech, it seems that the focus has been on making orders easier to management and making supply chains and deliveries faster and easier for businesses and consumers combined. It does beg the question of the what the future might bring but based on this pattern it would seem we could assume the tech might become even faster and easier to use.