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BIFAlink


Guest Column


www.bifa.org


the world and in different time zones. When we do finally venture back to the office


we are likely to find a changed environment. As long as there are any lingering fears of virus contamination, expect much more social distancing and frequent cleaning down, especially in communal areas. The office of the future will probably be a quieter, more thinly populated place. It is not yet clear though how many of us will


opt for the comfort and convenience of working from home permanently. Some of us miss the camaraderie of the physical workplace and cannot wait to get away from Zoom meetings on fuzzy laptop screens; not all of us have the luxury of a spare room that can be turned into a quiet office. Others will have been driven frantic by screaming children, grandchildren or grandparents. For those at the sharp end of freight, working


from home has never been an option of course, but again technology can come to the rescue. It is now possible to control handling equipment remotely and electronics can replace paper documents, increasing efficiency as well as hygiene in the warehouse.


The Day of the Robots


In the first of a series of occasional articles by leading freight sector journalists, Chris Lewis, editor of Freight Business Journal, examines how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped accelerate the digital transformation of freight forwarding


Years, decades even, before anyone had heard of COVID-19, the freight industry was going through a digital transformation. Freight people are well used to logging on and treating station waiting rooms, airport lounges, hotels and even park benches as an extension of their head office. Companies around the world had realised the


savings in cost, time and convenience that could be made by investing in technology that made it possible to carry out routine tasks from any location, anywhere in the world. All this remote working expertise has been put


to very good use during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been an important factor in not only keeping the freight industry working but also ensuring that the country as a whole has not


16


ground to a halt. Early teething problems aside, most freight forwarders have reported few problems in running remote operations during the pandemic; indeed, many people have so enjoyed the experience that they have continued to work from home even after the easing of restrictions made it theoretically possible to return to the office.


Remote operations During the first lockdown, workers in the logistics industry did much more than hold occasional Zoom meetings; they remotely managed the logistics of complex freight operations and customs clearances, obtained up-to-the-minute status and tracking information, and liaised with colleagues around


Pace of automation And having shown what technology can do, the pace of automation may prove to be unstoppable. In the slightly longer term, autonomous trucks may become a possibility, which would help cut costs and eliminate driver shortages in many parts of the world. However, it must be recognised that there are many safety and regulatory issues that would need to be addressed before automatically driven trucks become an everyday sight on our roads. Robotically controlled small delivery trucks


may also one day replace the traditional man and van delivery, although again there are safety and security issues to consider. The boffins still have not fully convinced us


how they would deal with potholes, stray dogs or wandering children. One day, even pilotless cargo planes may take


to the air, whilst captainless ships sail the seas. Experiments have already taken place with light aircraft and the express parcels industry and online retailers will doubtless be following developments with great interest. Clearly, automation is here to stay as a


beneficial tool that helps those employed in the management of supply chains to work more efficiently. Of course, where they work in the future may change, as will the ways in which they leverage technology to handle freight movements, regardless of who or what is at the wheel of the truck, ship, aircraft, van, or forklift.


December 2020


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