The prevalence of mobile connectivity in logistics facilities, such as warehouses and distribution centres, is expected to increase as traceability and control become automated and integral functions of supply chains, says information and communication technology company Ruckus Networks sub-Saharan Africa sales director Riaan Graham.

“Logistics and distribution chains and warehouses are becoming more automated and seamless with less human intervention. WiFi and radio-frequency tags fit well into the growing need for mobility and ease of connectivity to provide visibility and facilitate data exchange throughout a distribution centre.”

He adds that logistics and warehousing companies recognise the need to adopt new technologies without restricting their ability to adopt additional technologies or change processes.

Automation enables the systems to operate continuously and helps to streamline processes so that many of them can function independently. This has a knock-on effect on many processes and helps to improve efficiencies. A company’s policies form the automation framework and help to drive the effectiveness of the automated systems, he says.

“Automation is at the forefront of agile manufacturing and highly specialised industrial environments. It is used to reduce or remove human error and [will be] a core focus of logistics and supply chain industry over the next five to ten years to get the system to such an advanced state that it can run by itself,” says Graham.

The move to automation is also part of the broader transition in the industry to ensure control and visibility, as well as the responsiveness and agility of supply chains. One of the technologies being used widely for traceability in supply chain is blockchain.

“Blockchain is part of the next big transition and will provide a robust and secure system that underpins checks and balances. As blockchain technology matures, business applications and other systems can be driven through the blockchain in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” says Graham.

, documents can be secured on a blockchain to enable the relevant supply chain companies to amend and edit these digital documents on the go, while also having the most recent and accurate version, as well as full traceability.

Similarly, Internet of Things (IoT) systems are becoming more commonplace in logistics industries, such as a soft drink distribution supply chain that uses IoT to provide real-time information from manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers. This serves as an accurate reflection of the physical movement of goods and enables supply chain partners to optimise the process.

Efficient infrastructure designs that use WiFi and fibre optics to backhaul large volumes of data, as well as data sharing and integration with partners, will support improvements and automation.

Better visibility throughout the supply chain environment and more data sources will also allow for more accurate prediction and, hence, planning. The predictive models will use not only seasonal and historical data but also many other real-time data feeds to determine the impact on demand as accurately as possible.