In just five years the logistics industry has seen vast changes as the evolution of technology continues to push boundaries.“Aspects such as cloud computing, mobile devices, blockchain and the Internet of Things (which includes location and identification detection devices and a variety of different types of connected and integrated sensors), as well as so-called “big data” have arguably seen the largest surge in practical utilisation across the freight sector,” says J-L Koekemoer, general manager of freight software specialist Ship-Shape. “Reefer container monitoring, container identification and location, sophisticated vehicle f leet management, and open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for vessel and f light tracking have enabled a sector of the industry to become the poster child of process optimisation and innovative use of technology – namely the e-fulfilment and last-mile delivery sector.”Koekemoer says the Covid pandemic has demonstrated that the innovative use of technology is among the most prominent levers available to any organisation.“It is right up there with the more traditional “levers” such as good governance and fiscal discipline. This will be vital not to just remain competitive, but to survive in an increasingly competitive environment – an environment brought about by the fact that the smart use of technology will allow the proverbial Davids to compete on a virtually equal footing with the traditional Goliaths, punching high above their weight.”The new environment is certainly not without challenges. “I am no Luddite, but I do recognise the social impact of Industry 4.0,” says Koekemoer. “While many high-profile technology evangelists want us to believe otherwise, the impact on certain types of jobs cannot be ignored.”It’s difficult to predict the future – but one thing that will become increasingly important is training. “Upskilling in specific core skills required by a highly automated and digital work environment will be necessary.”According to Koekemoer, some early casualties of Industry 4.0 have already been seen in the form of privacy breaches. “This is where legal frameworks have to mature faster in order to regulate a rapidly changing landscape. We have seen our own local Popi act getting more attention for these reasons – and as most people know, some of the last sections of the act will finally become mandatory at the end of June this year.”Commenting on new company developments, Koekemoer says customers can now choose to make use of Ship-Shape’s full IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) offering – thereby allowing freight forwarders and clearing agents of any size to fully embrace a complete cloud environment in a very cost-effective manner. “It positions us as a true cloud-based SaaS offering with no investment in expensive on-premises servers and other infrastructure, together with the challenges of ongoing depreciation and maintenance costs.”Another key focus of the company is integration on all levels. “The world is becoming increasingly more connected and having comprehensive and robust integration capabilities, both horizontally with customers, suppliers, and government departments, but also vertically with other systems within an organisation, is absolutely critical to maintaining high levels of efficiency.”The smart use of technology will allow the proverbial Davids to compete on a virtually equal footing with the traditional Goliaths, punching high above their weight.– J-L Koekemoer