Industry 4.0 is gradually revolutionising the logistics and transport sector, introducing much-needed change.According to Renko Bergh, CEO of Forte Data Solutions, the industry can be divided into two groups when it comes to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), depicting the general thinking and trends that currently exist.“On the one hand you have those who firmly see digitisation, and specifically the implementation of software, as a cost driver and are reducing implementation to show savings,” he told Freight News. “In the second group the thinking is that without digitisation and software implementation there is no way to achieve a competitive edge or the ability to make decisions to take the business forward.”Without a doubt, says Bergh, more and more companies are opting for this approach. “We are seeing more and more companies realising the value of digitisation and embracing the change it brings – especially against a background of fuel cost pressures and unrest.”While certain industries have applied artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) fairly quickly, the logistics and warehousing sector has adopted technology and innovation at a much slower rate.“For the most part industry has taken a phased approach when it comes to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR),” explains Bergh. Phase 1, he says, is full uptake in the implementation of operational transport and warehouse software solutions, replacing manual methods and traditional Excel-based sheets.“In Phase 2, operators that have fully implemented operational tools embrace full user adoption and are now at the stage where multiple application integration – and most importantly visualisation of the data – is required,” he says. “The third phase is typically where integrated solutions which are already visible want to move their visual reporting from reactive to more proactive and future scenario planning, using past data reporting to make predictive analytics and create predictive trends with reference to a 'digital twin'. The twin represents the different future scenarios, if different decisions were taken at each crossroad.”According to Bergh, integration and visualisation are critical components for 4IR, but remain pipe dreams if no user adoption and system utilisations are driven as a culture and future way of doing business.“At Forte Data Solutions our north star is to turn data into value for our clients in terms of decision-making in all facets of operations. The goal is to help digitise our clients’ operations and get their 4IR journey on track through our various platforms. Ultimately, it is about breaking down the silo data environments by deploying integration between each and any application used to consolidate the integrated data to one single point of visibility.”
