The COVID-19 pandemic put immense pressure on the already strained supply chain and logistics industry globally. The supply chain industry has had to weather manufacturing shortages, huge backlogs of orders, rising costs of transportation and increased consumer demand. The good news is that all these challenges have generated growth, resilience, and adaptability. There are many thrilling predictions for the future of the logistics and supply chain world, and in this blog, we will have a look at a few.
The first exciting trend is that the logistics industry has realised the importance of keeping accurate data. This revelation has led to businesses sharing data with each other and ultimately leading to improved accountability and transparency among all stake holders. Accurate data allows logistics managers to properly plan for challenges, as well as to assist government officials with figures for cargo delays and port health among other statistics.
The implementation of automation technology is predicted to explode in the next few years as more and more companies invest in things like robotic process automation – wherein the mundane tasks like packaging and labelling will be handled by automated machines. AI – or artificial intelligence – is predicted to be the next step in automation, and it will be used for complex applications like demand planning, among others.
Turning to local companies for logistic services is set to become the norm too, as these organisations are less likely to have their operations hindered should we see another global lockdown. Using local companies comes with a host of other benefits, such as quicker turnaround time, reduced carbon emissions and a boost for the local economy.
There is clearly a lot of innovation and growth in the supply chain and logistics industry, however possibly one of the biggest challenges the industry is facing is a labour shortage. There is a worldwide shortage for supply chain management skills, and South Africa is no exception! A career in supply chain and logistics can be beneficial financially as well as personally, with the industry offering opportunities for continued career advancement.
Contact Yvette for all Supply Chain roles ~ yvette@dixierecruitment.co.za
