I have been surrounded by logistics my whole life and I am proud to say that I have “BIO-diesel in my veins”.
When I was growing up it was fairly easy to describe what my family did – we handled transports from Eastern Europe. That was it, no more no less. A lot has happened since then, not least the logistics market itself has changed significantly. Somewhere along the way new players have entered the market who no longer focus on just transports from A to B. Buying and selling information has become the new logistics. Unfortunately, a focus on what really matters has not followed, i.e. the price is everything whereas sustainability comes second.
During my time at DHL a colleague of mine was asked what she thought was the single biggest change since she started in logistics. She answered, “when the container was introduced”! The consultant that asked the question was baffled as they probably expected something else along the lines of company strategy. I thought, however, that my colleague was so spot on then. Sometimes we forget what’s most obvious when we focus too much on the present.
In my opinion not a lot has changed in the years I’ve worked with logistics, to be quite honest. We are basically doing the same things as always, even though old manual tasks have been replaced by new digital ones. If you would today ask me the same question as my colleague was asked 12 years ago, I would say that the biggest change is still about to come – Automation.
The possibility to trade freight with a profit will become increasingly difficult and we will need to get back to a place where SUSTAINABILITY and QUALITY really do matter. Companies that offer quality products/services combined with automation and integration will be the winners.
In short, the future is soon – and it is automated!
/Oscar, CEO
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