Information dependence likely to increase

Information has in the past played and will continue to play a “key role” in the future of the industry says Macro 2000’s Anthea van Breemen. “As we get faster Internet connectivity, communication and updates to systems will get better. We are heading towards a true global WAN. Look at what Facebook, Twitter and the likes have achieved in a short space of time and we will see where this can lead. Mobile cell phones as communication devices together with GPS will become the norm.” To survive in tight economic times, she says, required greater dependence on good information systems to provide improved customer service. The competition was tough and the survivors were companies with solid systems in place. “Many new logistics companies opened up with a glut of business for everyone in the industry. Software systems like Macro 2000 were implemented for strict control over the operations side of the business.” Van Breeman explains that different software packages have had to integrate with each other to provide a seamless front end to the end user, leading to greater efficiency. “For example, pre-advice of goods on the water and what was expected per container via EDI made for fast easy receiving, track and trace via the internet each step of the way and customs clearance via EDI. “On the physical product side we see RFID taking off. This has been around for a while but there have been issues with global standards for recognition of the devices by readers. We see this changing. Together with the tags becoming more cost effective, the industry is moving toward RFID at a faster pace. We believe that within 10 years everything will have a unique ID for its life span.”