The advancement of civilisation has resulted in a continual chain of advancements that sometimes developed into whole new industries themselves. Shipping used to be a risky and complicated process. Marco Polo had to carry his discoveries back from China because the trade routes had not yet been established. The Romans must have had a good system worked out, they managed to get their supplies to the far edges of their empire with efficiency. Since they ruled the world for hundreds of years. The British began to perfect shipping; logistics companies like the East India Company and Hudson’s Bay became major players in world economics. The changes kept advancing through the industrial revolution and two world wars. But it was the digital age that had the biggest effect on logistics, putting elements of its control in the hands of anyone with a phone.
- Live Tracking: A big problem with shipping in the past was that you really had no idea where that package you sent was at, or if it would even arrive. At best, your tracking method was the hope of a telegram or a letter confirming the package had arrived. Tracking technology today is so sophisticated, customers are privy to all sorts of current information. So much that they are nearly along for the ride. Organisations like tecdisnetwork.com have made tracking tech, reliable enough to meet strict timelines and security requirements, meaning that on time delivery is essentially a certainty.
- Block Chain: Block chain is a complex distributed database program that was the basis of cryptocurrencies, but is now being tested in other data intensive industries. BlockKB-chain provides an even greater level of tracking and product information. Logistics companies will have to be careful that they are not left out of the loop. Basically, it is a built-in chain of custody for products that could make some of the middle players redundant.
- Drop Shipping: Shipping has become so accessible to the average person that it is now common for people to buy and sell products they do not own and ship them with vehicles that belong to someone else. All without ever leaving the house or risking any capital. Drop shipping has really come of age in the last few years and the competition is quite intense. This is good news for consumers as newcomers fight for clients. But it has been a wakeup call for traditional companies that spent years building reputations and customer bases. However, most companies have been paying attention and have become involved with the drop shipping too.
Another facet of the changing world of logistics is one that was a long time coming. The existence of smart warehouses. In these arrangements, the warehouse provider has digitally mapped warehouse space that can be rented out for durations from hours up to years. No longer will a warehouse need to be empty or specific to a certain company. In this situation, anybody could book space, have their product delivered and shipped, without ever needing to leave the couch. Shipping has come so far in the last few years that the troubles of the past are nearly inconceivable. And the future of moving goods should be bright for many years to come.