Logistics Made Perfect

Painting the corners of supply chain

When I hear the term perfect logistics, I think of a pitcher throwing a perfect game. In our business, so many factors contribute to success, and with supply chains that have grown longer and more complex, perfection is often difficult to achieve – much like the elusive perfect game in baseball. Unlike baseball, perfect logistics is becoming more of a reality thanks in part to advances in technological visibility. We are already seeing elements in play today, with RFID chips able to pinpoint the location of goods as they travel through the supply chain to deliveries being tracked in real-time, and analytics of that which identify any time a driver appears like he or she will miss the schedule appointment time even by a few minutes, re-routing drivers as conditions change, and more.

So will logistics become perfect? Tremendous advances are being made, but with all of the touch points and interfaces along the supply chain, I don’t foresee a time in the near future where shipments will manage themselves. What is occurring will allow for services providers to be more proactive in responding when things do go awry.