We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • CSCMP EDGE 2022 Startup Alley
    • Upload your video
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • Reflections
      • SCQ Forum
    • Mobile Apps
Home » Get ready for the next revolution
Afterword

Get ready for the next revolution

November 7, 2014
Peter Bradley
No Comments

Every industry periodically goes through times of disruption, when new technologies, processes, or business models shake up the status quo. Logistics and supply chain management is no exception. Back in the 1980s, for example, when I first started writing about those subjects, the United States' freight transportation system, particularly the motor carrier industry, was undergoing such an upheaval. In 1980, Congress had eliminated most of the economic regulation that had governed trucking operations since the 1930s, and the industry was undergoing a sea change in the way it did business.

We saw a sort of business Darwinism at work. A sudden change in the regulatory environment put many of the established giants at risk as they struggled to adapt. At the time, I had a list of the 50 largest truckers in 1980 pinned above my desk. Each time one of them shut its doors I crossed it off the list. Few remained by the time I changed offices some years later and the list disappeared.

In the meantime, an aggressive group of entrepreneurs set out to take advantage of what had become true market-based competition, and they transformed the freight transportation and logistics industries. Eventually, the changes they wrought served shippers well. The innovative carriers worked hard to reduce costs, deliver top-notch service, and develop new programs. But change did not come without a cost, of course. Jobs were lost, and litigation over negotiated rates dragged on for years.

I think about this now because I am persuaded that we are on the brink of another major upheaval in the logistics and supply chain sphere. Instead of deregulation and economic policy, however, this time it will be technological developments that spur a revolution.

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing, ubiquitous connectivity, and the coming of driverless vehicles are just some of the technologies that are likely to profoundly impact logistics and supply chain practices and strategies. We can only guess at where all this will lead. As Jeremy Rifkin, a provocative economic thinker, says in an interview on the "Big Think" website, "We are just beginning to see the first glimpse of an automated transport and logistics Internet." He describes a vision of businesses large and small forming a massive, collaborative supply chain designed to eliminate many of the inefficiencies inherent in today's logistics networks.

This revolution will be different than the one we experienced in the 1980s. While deregulation in the United States eventually influenced logistics and transportation markets in other countries, the impact of the technological changes we are facing now will be felt around the world.

I don't expect to see radical change immediately. But some of the developments mentioned here—widespread use of 3-D printing and the availability of driverless vehicles, for instance—are not very far off. It's the sort of change that could be exciting and transformative. You don't want to be caught by surprise or left behind.

  • Related Articles

    What's the ROI for infrastructure?

    A champion for supply chains: interview with Kevin Smith

Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

Revisiting the TPP

Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

A champion for supply chains: interview with Kevin Smith

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: most Americans unaware that truckers face shortage of parking spaces

  • Best practices in logistics sustainability

  • Supply chain executives not yet seeing expected results from technology investments

  • Postal Service plans to seize items mailed with fake stamps

  • Inflation drops again as interest rate hikes hit home, NRF says

Featured Video

20221107korber large vs

Enhancing Customer Experience with Your Supply Chain Strategy

Viewer Contributed
With the rise of e-commerce, many businesses have had to transform their warehouses to handle online orders in addition to regularly scheduled inventory shipments. This means warehouses need more information than ever before to ensure they can meet customers' needs. As a result, companies need to select warehouse...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Guide to Pallet Rack Safety

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • A shipper's guide to navigating post-pandemic holiday freight

  • THE NEW WAY TO WAREHOUSE: 4 Innovations in Automation & Robotics to Boost Warehouse Productivity

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing