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How to learn the basics of sales and freight transportation

Three years ago I posted a blog entitled ‘Tips for the New Transportation Sales Rep‘. In that blog I consolidated a number of ideas generated in a LinkedIn Sales Management group and added a few thoughts of my own. To my amazement, it has received over 38,000 hits since it was posted.

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OCASA

With over 30 years of experience in logistical solutions, OCASA has a large network of branches in the main cities of Latin America, the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania; we also boast a network of qualified agents located in strategic locations worldwide. Our global network employs more than 3,000 people, making us a major integrated logistics company, with experience at a global level.

Enhancing Supply Chain Optimization with Emerging Technologies

Article | June 27, 2023

Leveraging technology and resources within a network is key to supply chain optimization. While supply chains are inherently complex, this complexity can lead to significant technological benefits. Contents 1 Overview and Importance of Emerging Technologies in Optimizing Supply Chain 2 Advantages of Incorporating Emerging Technologies in Enhancing Optimization 2.1 Autonomous Delivery 2.2 Cognitive Automation 2.3 Blockchain-enabled Traceability 2.4 Predictive Maintenance 3 Key Challenges in Adopting Emerging Technologies 3.1 Cost and Budget Constraints 3.2 Skills Gap in Talent 3.3 Privacy and Data Security Concerns 4 Overcoming Challenges 4.1 Adopting Technologies for Managing Budget and Cost 4.2 Developing Talent Pipeline 4.3 Implementing a Zero Trust Security Model 5 Future Outlook Supply chain optimization involves maximizing the utilization of technology and resources within a supply network. Although supply chains are inherently complex, this complexity can yield significant technological advantages, particularly when leveraging the combination of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. 1 Overview and Importance of Emerging Technologies in Optimizing Supply Chain Emerging technologies have transformed the supply chain industry and revolutionized business operations. AI, IoT, blockchain, and robotics are getting prominence with the ability to streamline supply chain processes, reduce costs, increase efficiency, and ultimately boost customer satisfaction. Implementing these technologies can give businesses real-time supply chain visibility, reducing waste and enhancing inventory management. Understanding the potential benefits of these emerging digital supply chain technologies and how they can be implemented within the supply chain is essential for any business that intends to stay in a competitive and rapidly evolving market. 2 Advantages of Incorporating Emerging Technologies in Enhancing Optimization Blending operations with emerging supply chain technologies can significantly improve the speed and accuracy of information flow, minimize manual intervention, and reduce lead times. Additionally, these technologies can provide enhanced visibility into supply chain operations, enable effective risk management, and facilitate proactive decision-making. 2.1 Autonomous Delivery Incorporating autonomous delivery that comes with self-driving vehicles benefits businesses beyond faster delivery times, lowers costs and reduces human error. It offers increased safety, greater flexibility, and improved resource management. It benefits industries like e-commerce and logistics, where quick and efficient delivery is crucial. 2.2 Cognitive Automation Businesses face significant challenges due to unpredictable fluctuations in supply and demand, which can strain their existing technology. To mitigate these risks, executives have increased their investments in risk management. Cognitive automation offers three key benefits in supply chain management: identifying challenges and opportunities, gathering demand signals, and utilizing data for decision-making. Cognitive automation makes balancing supply and demands more efficient and effective, allowing businesses to act faster. 2.3 Blockchain-enabled Traceability Blockchain technology, a distributed ledger system, enables secure, transparent, and traceable record-keeping across a supply chain network. By providing a tamper-proof record of product movement and quality, blockchain technology can enable businesses to verify the authenticity and integrity of their products at each stage of the supply chain. In addition, blockchain technology allows businesses to quickly trace product origins and identify affected batches during recalls. 2.4 Predictive Maintenance Predictive maintenance is a technology that uses machine learning algorithms and Internet of Things sensors to predict impending equipment failures. By analyzing equipment performance data, predictive analytics enables businesses to reduce equipment downtime, lower maintenance costs, and increase reliability. With predictive maintenance, businesses can transition from reactive to proactive maintenance, preventing equipment failures and extending equipment lifecycles. 3 3 Key Challenges in Adopting Emerging Technologies 3.1 Cost and Budget Constraints The executives in the supply chain industry face a significant challenge when adopting emerging supply chain technologies due to the associated costs and budget constraints. While these smart supply chain technologies offer long-term benefits, the upfront investment can deter businesses. Businesses need to consider the total cost of ownership, including implementation, training, ongoing maintenance costs, and the potential return on investment. 3.2 Skills Gap in Talent Incorporating emerging technologies and trends in supply chain operations management is a complex and costly investment that demands a highly skilled workforce to implement and operate such supply chain technologies successfully. A significant skills gap while adopting technology in the supply chain industry poses a challenge for businesses in finding and training competent personnel with technical, analytical, and business skills required to handle emerging technologies. 3.3 Privacy and Data Security Concerns As supply chain operations adopt cutting-edge technologies, companies must address privacy and data security issues. The use of technology requires the collection and dissemination of sensitive data across multiple parties, which raises security and privacy concerns that can be exploited by cybercriminals or unauthorized personnel. Failure to adequately address these issues may result in reputational harm, legal and financial penalties, and a loss of customer confidence. 4 Overcoming the Challenges 4.1 Adopting Technologies for Managing Budget and Cost To overcome the challenge of budget and cost constraints in adopting technology in the supply chain, businesses can leverage innovative tools, such as cost management software and advanced analytics tools, which can provide real-time visibility into cost drivers and enable better decision-making to optimize resource utilization. With the top three technologies in supply chain such as AI, IoT and blockchain, businesses can reduce costs, boost supply chain performance, and maintain market competitiveness. AI predicts demand, maximizes inventory and improves transportation; RPA automates manual tasks, reduces labor costs, and cloud computing provides a flexible and scalable IT infrastructure with reduced upfront investments. 4.2 Developing Talent Pipeline Businesses must invest in building a talent pipeline to ensure a steady supply of skilled employees to narrow the skills gap in the supply chain industry. Collaboration with educational institutions, in-house training programs, and managed service providers from the technology industry can all be part of the answer. The organization's competitiveness and success can be increased by creating a talent pipeline to fill the skills gap between the current workforce and the needs of emerging technologies. Businesses can keep their workforce current and ready to adopt new technologies in supply chain by investing in a talent pipeline. 4.3 Implementing a Zero Trust Security Model As businesses adopt emerging technologies for supply chain operations, privacy, and data security, concerns have become a formidable obstacle. The implementation of a zero-trust security model can aid in addressing this difficulty. Before gaining access to any data or system, all users and devices in this model must be authenticated as potential threats, per this model. This strategy protects data and systems from unauthorized access and enables businesses to comply with regulations such as the GDPR and CCPA. In addition, it can provide supply chain visibility and control over data access in real-time, making it more effortless to detect and respond to security threats. 5 Future Outlook Supply chain leaders view emerging supply chain technology as a competitive advantage and as a means to address digital transformation. In addition, there is a focus on supply chain technologies that improve human decision-making and manage assets at the edge. Organizations should unify their technology portfolio and update legacy systems for greater efficiency. As supply chain complexity increases, we can expect even more advanced technology solutions leveraging big data, machine learning, and robotics to create agile, flexible, and sustainable supply chains.