What’s in the Future for the Logistics Industry?

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Without a doubt,technology has significantly turned the world into an online village.With just one click of a button,it is possible to shop for anything online and have it delivered to your doorstep.

毫無疑問，科技在很大程度上已把世界變成了線上地球村。鼠標一點，便能在網上買到任何東西，并且有人送貨上門。

2 While goods still need to be moved the same distance to reach a consumer,the logistics industry can benefti from adopting new-age logistics technology.From late to missed deliveries and even damaged goods on transit,numerous problems in the logistics industry continue to affect the delivery of goods negatively.

2 雖然貨物送達顧客的距離沒有變，但新時代物流科技的應用對物流行業大有裨益。交付延遲、無人收貨甚至貨物于途中受損等諸多物流問題，一直影響著貨物交付。

3 With technology,it is possible to streamline the delivery of goods.Technology adaptation in logistics can guarantee faster delivery processes,better handling of goods on transit,and reduced cost of operations for logistics companies.

3 有了科技，貨運就能簡單高效。物流科技有助于加快貨運流程，提升運輸品質，并降低物流公司經營成本。

Challenges facing the logistic industry that can be solved with technology

科技能解決的物流問題

Planning logistics.Whether local or international,shipping can be timeconsuming and comes with an increased risk of damage to goods.Many challenges affect the logistics industries.By analyzing these challenges,it is possible to determine which processes are worth automating.物流規劃。不論國內還是國際貨運，運輸耗時長，貨物破損風險增大。物流行業面臨著許多挑戰。分析這些挑戰，就能確定哪些流程需要自動化。

A shift in customer desires

客戶消費欲望的變化

Every day,the demand for goods and services changes with top companies willing to pay top dollar for these numbers.Shifting customer desires influenced by reliable products recommendations affect the types of products on demand and the number of orders on these goods.Having this information can help companies reduce waste and dead stock.These changes can take place quickly,making it almost impossible to predict change in patterns.

Analytical technology can make it easier for a company to analyze trends and possible changes even before they happen.

產品和服務的需求每天都在變化，大公司愿意花大價錢獲取相關數據。可靠的產品推薦改變客戶的消費欲望，而消費欲望的變化影響所需產品的類型以及訂單數量。掌握這些信息，企業就能減少浪費和滯銷。消費者需求變化迅速，幾乎無法預料消費模式的變化。

分析技術可使企業更加輕松地分析趨勢和潛在變化，甚至是做出預判。

Timely deliveries

及時派送

One of the most significant problems for logistics companies is ensuring they meet customer delivery expectations.Natural factors,as well as management issues,influence how fast goods get to a consumer.Timelines are essential,especially for time-sensitive goods like perishable products.Technology can make it easier to speed up delivery queueing,thus ensuring timely deliveries for all orders based on time of ordering.

確保滿足客戶的派送預期，是物流公司最重要的問題之一。自然因素和管理方面的問題，都會影響貨物送達客戶的速度。配送進程很關鍵，對時效性強的商品，如易腐爛的產品更是如此。科技有助于縮短等待配送時長，從而確保所有訂單根據下單時間及時派送。

Security

安全

While on transit,the safety of goods and products has always been a great source of concern for the logistics industry.However,security issues in warehousing can also have a negative impact on delivery.Loss or damage of goods leads to lost sales or higher refund rates.With adaptations of logistics technology,goods tracking while on transit and in the warehouse can significantly enhance security and reduce revenue loss.

貨物和產品在運輸過程中的安全性，向來是物流行業關注的重要問題，但倉庫儲存安全問題也會影響派送。貨物丟失或破損會導致銷售損失或退款增加。應用物流科技，追蹤運輸和倉庫儲存中的貨物信息，可以顯著提升安全性，減少收益損失。

Poor infrastructure

基礎設施落后

While it is easy for logistics companies to invest in bigger shipping containers,ensuring the goods get to the recipient in good shape is still a tall order,especially in developing nations where suitable infrastructure is not always available.

購置大型貨運集裝箱對物流公司來說不難，但要確保貨物完好無損地送達客戶仍存在困難，特別是在配套基礎設施尚有欠缺的發展中國家。

Future trends in the logistics industry

As the logistics industry continues to grapple with the issues above,the only way to overcome them is by focusing on adapting to trends set to shape the industry in the future.Adaptation of technology is the only way to address the issues affecting the industry by automating most of the processes for better service delivery.

Some of the trends expected to take place in the logistics industry include:

物流行業的發展趨勢

以上這些問題持續阻礙著物流行業的發展，注重順應行業潮流是突破困境的唯一選擇。應用科技，實現大部分物流程序的自動化，以優化配送服務，是解決物流問題的唯一出路。

物流行業未來的一些發展趨勢包括：

Increased adoption of transportation management system (TMS)

運輸管理系統（TMS）廣泛應用

While transport management systems are not new in the logistics industry,they are used mainly by big logistics companies because of the high cost of setting up.However,with the wider availability of cloud-based management solutions,TMS and SaaS applications are slowly becoming more common even in small- and medium-size logistics companies.This way,they even the playing field so that small companies can compete for a larger market share.

運輸管理系統在物流行業不算新鮮事物，但由于安裝成本昂貴，主要應用于大型物流公司。然而，隨著云平臺管理方案的推廣，即便是中小型物流公司也逐漸廣泛使用TMS和SaaS（軟件即服務）。如此一來，競爭環境變得公平，小公司也能爭奪更大的市場份額。

Availability of autonomous vehicles and drones

自動駕駛汽車和無人機投入使用

Tens of logistics companies hope to be the first to use technologically advanced delivery systems.

Autonomous vehicle and drone technology will streamline the delivery process while minimizing human contact with products.The use of self-driven vehicles is expected to help in cutting fuel costs while reducing labor.

眾多物流公司希望率先使用高科技配送系統。

自動駕駛汽車和無人機技術將精簡配送程序，最大程度減少人力介入。無人駕駛汽車有望減少燃料成本，同時減少勞動力。

Growth in the adaptation of Internet of Things (IoT)

物聯網應用增多

The Internet of Things can make warehouse management and stock management more manageable.With the Internet of Things,it is easier for a company to know when they are running low on stock and the best time to replenish.

IoT can also be used to track goods on transit without necessarily having to be there during the loading process.It also makes it possible to know when the goods reach the consumer in real-time.

物聯網能讓倉庫管理和庫存管理更加便利。有了物聯網，物流公司更易知道庫存何時不足以及補充貨源的最佳時機。

物聯網也可以用于追蹤配送中的貨物，無須親臨裝載現場。貨物送達客戶的時間也可以實時掌握。

Tracking using E-logging gadgets

使用電子記錄裝置進行追蹤

While drone technology may change how goods are delivered,not everything can be delivered using a drone.Therefore,there will still be a need for truck delivery vehicles.The use of E-logging gadgets can improve accuracy of shipping time while improving security by logging the delivery routes.

雖然無人機技術可以改變貨物配送方式，但不是所有貨物都能通過無人機配送。所以，仍有必要用卡車派送。使用電子記錄裝置，貨運時間記錄更精準，而且通過追蹤貨運路線，安全更有保障。

Conclusion

結語

Advancements in technology will undoubtedly change how logistics companies operate while giving room for better competition,even for smaller companies.While it may affect the human component of the business,the improved accuracy,faster delivery and better handling of goods will be an added benefit to the consumer and the industry.■

科技的進步必將改變物流公司的運營方式，創造更良好的競爭環境，即使小公司也將受益。雖然人工崗位可能受到擠壓，但更加精準、快速、優質的貨運，將給消費者和行業帶來額外益處。 □