Technology Issue: No more excuses

For more than 10 years we’ve used the May issue of Logistics Management to put on a full-court press for the adoption of technology, devoting the majority of the issue’s features to updating where we are and where we should be in terms of putting the many available technology tools to work.

I’m happy to report that a common theme across this year’s offerings proves that the past couple years—while tumultuous—have actually done vendors, as well as logistics and supply chain managers, a great service. The “great acceleration” has helped to level the playing field, as vendors have innovated to meet every new reality.

And when rolled up in aggregate, it’s safe to say that our pool of esteemed technology analysts agree that the software and automation tools that shippers need to meet today’s challenges are right in front of us—all we need to do is pick them up and put them to work.

“You can just about say that the democratization of supply chain technology is complete,” says contributing editor Bridget McCrea. “Once a distant vision that few organizations could attain, the digital supply chain is now fully available across all industries. Shippers of all sizes can now adopt pretty much any technology they need, allowing them to re-imagine their processes and embrace the changes necessary to orchestrate an end-to-end digital supply chain.”

Starting on page 18, McCrea does a terrific job of kicking off our 2022 Technology Issue with a top-level view of how far the logistics market has come along its digital transformation. In fact, her reporting celebrates the collaboration between shippers and the vendor community, pointing out that both sides have come to the table with a common purpose—meeting extraordinary customer delivery demands and facilitating faster growth.

“We can certainly credit the recent supply chain disruptions and the associated challenges with driving the latest progress on the digital front,” adds McCrea. “In response, advancements in technology, customer requirements and vendor ingenuity have all come together to birth a host of new solutions and software that address shippers’ most pressing problems.”

And this sentiment certainly rings forth in our 2022 Technology Roundtable that starts on page 28. As in years past, I had the honor of conducting this event with four of the supply chain market’s leading analysts to get their unique takes on the current state of TMS, WMS, warehouse/DC automation, and robotics. Across the board, their message was clear: No more excuses.

“Today there’s a TMS for every type of company out there, and cost is no longer an inhibitor or excuse for not using a TMS,” says Bart De Muynck, formerly of Gartner. “We see the same trend with transportation visibility platforms, which are needed by all companies—large and small, complex or simple—and it’s a transactional pricing structure that’s within the grasp of everyone.”

On the WMS front, Howard Turner of supply chain consulting firm St. Onge Co., says there’s no longer the need to “hard sell” the solution. Today, he says companies are either looking to replace or upgrade an existing WMS, or they’re evaluating how to best utilize their existing WMS to support their operations.

“Companies looking to replace, upgrade or better utilize their WMS understand the value of the software,” says Turner. “So, there’s no need to explain the WMS benefits or even calculate expected return on investment.”

Indeed, the technologies with all of the capabilities that we need are right in front of us—and more affordable than ever. No more excuses.