What’s in the Future for the Logistics Industry?

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Without a doubt,technology has significantly turned the world into an online village.With just one click of a button,it is possible to shop for anything online and have it delivered to your doorstep.

毫無疑問，科技在很大程度上已把世界變成了線上地球村。鼠標(biāo)一點(diǎn)，便能在網(wǎng)上買到任何東西，并且有人送貨上門。

2 While goods still need to be moved the same distance to reach a consumer,the logistics industry can benefti from adopting new-age logistics technology.From late to missed deliveries and even damaged goods on transit,numerous problems in the logistics industry continue to affect the delivery of goods negatively.

2 雖然貨物送達(dá)顧客的距離沒有變，但新時(shí)代物流科技的應(yīng)用對(duì)物流行業(yè)大有裨益。交付延遲、無人收貨甚至貨物于途中受損等諸多物流問題，一直影響著貨物交付。

3 With technology,it is possible to streamline the delivery of goods.Technology adaptation in logistics can guarantee faster delivery processes,better handling of goods on transit,and reduced cost of operations for logistics companies.

3 有了科技，貨運(yùn)就能簡單高效。物流科技有助于加快貨運(yùn)流程，提升運(yùn)輸品質(zhì)，并降低物流公司經(jīng)營成本。

Challenges facing the logistic industry that can be solved with technology

科技能解決的物流問題

Planning logistics.Whether local or international,shipping can be timeconsuming and comes with an increased risk of damage to goods.Many challenges affect the logistics industries.By analyzing these challenges,it is possible to determine which processes are worth automating.物流規(guī)劃。不論國內(nèi)還是國際貨運(yùn)，運(yùn)輸耗時(shí)長，貨物破損風(fēng)險(xiǎn)增大。物流行業(yè)面臨著許多挑戰(zhàn)。分析這些挑戰(zhàn)，就能確定哪些流程需要自動(dòng)化。

A shift in customer desires

客戶消費(fèi)欲望的變化

Every day,the demand for goods and services changes with top companies willing to pay top dollar for these numbers.Shifting customer desires influenced by reliable products recommendations affect the types of products on demand and the number of orders on these goods.Having this information can help companies reduce waste and dead stock.These changes can take place quickly,making it almost impossible to predict change in patterns.

Analytical technology can make it easier for a company to analyze trends and possible changes even before they happen.

產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)的需求每天都在變化，大公司愿意花大價(jià)錢獲取相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)。可靠的產(chǎn)品推薦改變客戶的消費(fèi)欲望，而消費(fèi)欲望的變化影響所需產(chǎn)品的類型以及訂單數(shù)量。掌握這些信息，企業(yè)就能減少浪費(fèi)和滯銷。消費(fèi)者需求變化迅速，幾乎無法預(yù)料消費(fèi)模式的變化。

分析技術(shù)可使企業(yè)更加輕松地分析趨勢和潛在變化，甚至是做出預(yù)判。

Timely deliveries

及時(shí)派送

One of the most significant problems for logistics companies is ensuring they meet customer delivery expectations.Natural factors,as well as management issues,influence how fast goods get to a consumer.Timelines are essential,especially for time-sensitive goods like perishable products.Technology can make it easier to speed up delivery queueing,thus ensuring timely deliveries for all orders based on time of ordering.

確保滿足客戶的派送預(yù)期，是物流公司最重要的問題之一。自然因素和管理方面的問題，都會(huì)影響貨物送達(dá)客戶的速度。配送進(jìn)程很關(guān)鍵，對(duì)時(shí)效性強(qiáng)的商品，如易腐爛的產(chǎn)品更是如此。科技有助于縮短等待配送時(shí)長，從而確保所有訂單根據(jù)下單時(shí)間及時(shí)派送。

Security

安全

While on transit,the safety of goods and products has always been a great source of concern for the logistics industry.However,security issues in warehousing can also have a negative impact on delivery.Loss or damage of goods leads to lost sales or higher refund rates.With adaptations of logistics technology,goods tracking while on transit and in the warehouse can significantly enhance security and reduce revenue loss.

貨物和產(chǎn)品在運(yùn)輸過程中的安全性，向來是物流行業(yè)關(guān)注的重要問題，但倉庫儲(chǔ)存安全問題也會(huì)影響派送。貨物丟失或破損會(huì)導(dǎo)致銷售損失或退款增加。應(yīng)用物流科技，追蹤運(yùn)輸和倉庫儲(chǔ)存中的貨物信息，可以顯著提升安全性，減少收益損失。

Poor infrastructure

基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施落后

While it is easy for logistics companies to invest in bigger shipping containers,ensuring the goods get to the recipient in good shape is still a tall order,especially in developing nations where suitable infrastructure is not always available.

購置大型貨運(yùn)集裝箱對(duì)物流公司來說不難，但要確保貨物完好無損地送達(dá)客戶仍存在困難，特別是在配套基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施尚有欠缺的發(fā)展中國家。

Future trends in the logistics industry

As the logistics industry continues to grapple with the issues above,the only way to overcome them is by focusing on adapting to trends set to shape the industry in the future.Adaptation of technology is the only way to address the issues affecting the industry by automating most of the processes for better service delivery.

Some of the trends expected to take place in the logistics industry include:

物流行業(yè)的發(fā)展趨勢

以上這些問題持續(xù)阻礙著物流行業(yè)的發(fā)展，注重順應(yīng)行業(yè)潮流是突破困境的唯一選擇。應(yīng)用科技，實(shí)現(xiàn)大部分物流程序的自動(dòng)化，以優(yōu)化配送服務(wù)，是解決物流問題的唯一出路。

物流行業(yè)未來的一些發(fā)展趨勢包括：

Increased adoption of transportation management system (TMS)

運(yùn)輸管理系統(tǒng)（TMS）廣泛應(yīng)用

While transport management systems are not new in the logistics industry,they are used mainly by big logistics companies because of the high cost of setting up.However,with the wider availability of cloud-based management solutions,TMS and SaaS applications are slowly becoming more common even in small- and medium-size logistics companies.This way,they even the playing field so that small companies can compete for a larger market share.

運(yùn)輸管理系統(tǒng)在物流行業(yè)不算新鮮事物，但由于安裝成本昂貴，主要應(yīng)用于大型物流公司。然而，隨著云平臺(tái)管理方案的推廣，即便是中小型物流公司也逐漸廣泛使用TMS和SaaS（軟件即服務(wù)）。如此一來，競爭環(huán)境變得公平，小公司也能爭奪更大的市場份額。

Availability of autonomous vehicles and drones

自動(dòng)駕駛汽車和無人機(jī)投入使用

Tens of logistics companies hope to be the first to use technologically advanced delivery systems.

Autonomous vehicle and drone technology will streamline the delivery process while minimizing human contact with products.The use of self-driven vehicles is expected to help in cutting fuel costs while reducing labor.

眾多物流公司希望率先使用高科技配送系統(tǒng)。

自動(dòng)駕駛汽車和無人機(jī)技術(shù)將精簡配送程序，最大程度減少人力介入。無人駕駛汽車有望減少燃料成本，同時(shí)減少勞動(dòng)力。

Growth in the adaptation of Internet of Things (IoT)

物聯(lián)網(wǎng)應(yīng)用增多

The Internet of Things can make warehouse management and stock management more manageable.With the Internet of Things,it is easier for a company to know when they are running low on stock and the best time to replenish.

IoT can also be used to track goods on transit without necessarily having to be there during the loading process.It also makes it possible to know when the goods reach the consumer in real-time.

物聯(lián)網(wǎng)能讓倉庫管理和庫存管理更加便利。有了物聯(lián)網(wǎng)，物流公司更易知道庫存何時(shí)不足以及補(bǔ)充貨源的最佳時(shí)機(jī)。

物聯(lián)網(wǎng)也可以用于追蹤配送中的貨物，無須親臨裝載現(xiàn)場。貨物送達(dá)客戶的時(shí)間也可以實(shí)時(shí)掌握。

Tracking using E-logging gadgets

使用電子記錄裝置進(jìn)行追蹤

While drone technology may change how goods are delivered,not everything can be delivered using a drone.Therefore,there will still be a need for truck delivery vehicles.The use of E-logging gadgets can improve accuracy of shipping time while improving security by logging the delivery routes.

雖然無人機(jī)技術(shù)可以改變貨物配送方式，但不是所有貨物都能通過無人機(jī)配送。所以，仍有必要用卡車派送。使用電子記錄裝置，貨運(yùn)時(shí)間記錄更精準(zhǔn)，而且通過追蹤貨運(yùn)路線，安全更有保障。

Conclusion

結(jié)語

Advancements in technology will undoubtedly change how logistics companies operate while giving room for better competition,even for smaller companies.While it may affect the human component of the business,the improved accuracy,faster delivery and better handling of goods will be an added benefit to the consumer and the industry.■

科技的進(jìn)步必將改變物流公司的運(yùn)營方式，創(chuàng)造更良好的競爭環(huán)境，即使小公司也將受益。雖然人工崗位可能受到擠壓，但更加精準(zhǔn)、快速、優(yōu)質(zhì)的貨運(yùn)，將給消費(fèi)者和行業(yè)帶來額外益處。 □