Modern transportation management technology is the key to your supply chain’s evolution.
Most excitingly, the technologies that have long-since been viewed as game-changers are merging into something new. They are becoming digital twins that are smarter, more informed, more proactive, more agile, and more apt to power a next-level of customer service and freight execution capabilities. Perhaps the most significant trend will be the advancement and swelling adoption of robotics process automation (RPA).
As reported by Kevin Casey of the Enterprises Project, “Gartner recently reported that spending on RPA software will top $1.5 billion this year and continue to grow by double-digit percentage terms for the foreseeable future. Deloitte has previously projected that RPA will hit nearly universal adoption in the business world at some point in 2023. There are lots of other lofty stats and anecdotal evidence that tell a similar story.”
But RPA adoption in transportation management is only the tip of the iceberg. It is up to today’s supply chain leaders to recognize the technology trends shaping the future and how they’ll power more effective transportation management in 2021 and beyond.
Automation in Logistics Sets the Standard for Transportation Management Technology in 2021
Automation in logistics is a gold standard for supply chain efficiency.
Through automation, warehouse managers can tighten labor resources, avoid excess carrying costs, and derive more value. The same applies to transportation management and technologies. Automation within dock scheduling, load execution, tendering, carrier invoicing, and freight settlement combine to create a superior shipment journey.
Machine Learning and AI for Analytics Will Uncover New Insights & Efficiencies
Machine learning and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) will empower freight managers with newfound insights and opportunities to reduce waste. Machine learning and AI are not just a static set of algorithms.
Instead, they continuously learn from the experiences and activities that combine to form day-to-day operational excellence. As more data pours into these features, their value grows exponentially. With the massive challenges on the forefront of the supply chain, including an unprecedented COVID-19 vaccine distribution, the use of these core functions, as well as the four types of analytics that resolve inefficiencies, will be paramount to success in 2021.
For reference, the four forms of freight analytics tell what happened (descriptive analytics), why it happened (diagnostic), what is likely to happen based on current conditions (predictive), and what is necessary to achieve the best result (prescriptive). Through the combined use of these analytics, machine learning and AI are on track to breathe new life into the supply chain.
Integration With Other Capabilities Will Empower Leaders With More Data and Savings
More data amounts to more value in the supply chain. However, raw data is useless when left in disparate systems and unable to be accurately interpreted.
Data normalization and integration with newfound technologies and capabilities, such as machine learning and the analytic quartet, will give supply chain leaders additional ways to unlock barriers and streamline operations. Additionally, the use of APIs is rapidly becoming a new gold standard for integration.
However, the continued use of EDI throughout the global supply chain requires additional integration functionalities that work across both old and new technologies. That’s a core value of the MercuryGate secure TMS.
Learning the value of a TMS isn't hard
International Functions Will Support Domestic Transportation Management Activities
Any process built for supply chain transportation management must also include a cohesive set of international functions and executions.
The global supply chain is more connected than ever, and relying solely on suppliers from one area will inevitably cause disruptions. That is a core lesson taught by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, some of the biggest 2021 transportation management technology trends will solve all those woes through international functions that fully support domestic transportation and vice versa.
Transportation Management Technology Will Augment People to Enable Strategic Collaboration
There is an overarching goal in supply chain transportation management trends: to do more with less.
That’s a phrase that gets tossed around a lot in the modern world.
In the purview of transportation management, it involves the augmentation of people to make strategic decisions. That includes increasing the carrier and supplier base, working with more third parties, establishing new brokerage agreements, moving assets around the globe, and tracking it all in real-time with the end-to-end visibility.
Why? The size and demands of the modern supply chain require seamless, perfect collaboration.
Reap the Rewards of Advanced Transport Management Technology
Advanced transportation management trends in 2021 are not merely projections. They are an authentic facet of supply chain efficiency and process improvement.
Enterprises of all sizes must embrace the future of transportation management with an adaptable, best-in-class transportation management solution.
MercuryGate has an established network and performance history that will align your brand to these trends.
