Te c h n o l o g y 8 Technology March 2022Partnering for successAt the Forte Group, collaboration is more than just a buzzword. The software delivery solutions company believes that partnerships create value for customers, and to this end, it is continuously expanding its offering. Recently, it joined forces with Nimbus Solutions in a partnership that will pool the extensive industry knowledge of both companies and along with that, the ability to design, configure, customise, deploy and support software solutions to the market. Freight News features editor Liesl Venter speaks to Ilodi Ras, operations director at Forte Transport Solutions, and Mark Lilje, director at Nimbus Solutions, to find out more.Why are partnerships like this important? Partnerships allow for the expansion of our pool of skills and resources to develop solutions that serve market needs. They also enable these solutions to evolve in order to keep up with the constant changes in technology and in the operational landscape. We ensure that companies choose the right software so that contingency plans can be set in motion long before the occurrence of the problem. So, when you choose the right software provider, you are also choosing experts in the market. Technology has come to the fore these past few years, but it means different things to different people. Where are we at present when it comes to the logistics and transport industry locally? Technology or solutions must be implemented to achieve the intended outcome. If clearly articulated, these will ensure a return on investment as the design of the solution will be fit for purpose. My perception at the moment is that a lot of solution implementations either fail or take too long to deploy and deliver on the intended benefits. Technology within the logistics environment, such as transport management systems, has set the bar high for how many companies conduct their day-to-day services. The efficiency of all factors within the management of logistics is what’s determining its success or failure. Companies that have the right logistics management software are finding the period we’re currently in to be smoother than companies that don’t have the software. Is technology being implemented fast enough across the industry? The intention is to deploy solutions, but decisions are made based on current path dependencies such as internal development resources and the perception of uniqueness. What are the biggest challenges in the technology landscape? Projects that have failed or run late and over-budget because of the need for custom development for each project. It’s important to know that platforms have been developed to enable the rapid configuration of functionality and workf low processes, and these require limited software developer involvement. Covid-19 has forced more organisations to depend on technology, but some of the key role players in the industry still rely on legacy systems. This hinders the ability of their organisation to move to more up-to-date, cloud-based software solutions, and it results in them being less agile and innovative – because technology enables companies to scale appropriately while maintaining a competitive edge against other players. This hesitancy to adopt technology is due to many logistics companies being fearful of the cold “rip and replace” method of modernising legacy systems. What do you think are the top five technology trends impacting the industry?1.Access to huge amounts of data;2.Switching to cloud-based software for better visibility, planning, execution and response;3.Going for API (application programming interface) integrations between systems to work together more efficiently and faster;4.Working remotely and having access to day-to-day task information while not being at the office; and 5.Using central dashboards and business intelligence as solutions to address business problems rather than technology implementation. How is Industry 4.0 (or 4IR) affecting the freight sector at large? It is certainly having an impact. In the past few years, the world has come under extensive geopolitical uncertainty. In response, organisations need to continuously improve their processes by monitoring the changes in systems and seeing what requires technical maintenance. What opportunities do technology and 4IR bring to the freight sector? Optimisation and the faster resolution of issues through the early (near real-time) identification of deviations. Technology should allow organisations to eliminate duplicate and redundant processes by automating as much as possible. In the freight sector, it means more electronic links with customers, suppliers and distributions for real-time statuses on orders. Adopting up-to-date technologies allows for a better customer experience and faster co-ordination between all parties in the supply chain. What is your outlook for technology in the freight sector? The application of technology is the one opportunity to drive real optimisation through the identification of inefficiencies that are inherent in any environment where humans interact with complex processes. Technology and appropriate solutions allow for data acquisition and analysis to leverage the information gained and, in so doing, improve one’s processes on a continuous basis. Software providers are enhancing their applications in several areas such as tracking of orders, data integrations between systems, better alerts on any disruptions, mapping, and shipment visibility. Data accuracy and visibility are becoming more critical within the supply chain.