Companies in logistics have high expectations of data-driven operations. This should lead to faster, more efficient and sustainable logistics, is the trend. Yet data sharing is disappointing in practice. Because no single party has an overview of the entire chain, inefficient processes remain invisible.
So writes ABN Amro in its report 'Logistics gains with data sharing'. The bank foresees that data-driven chains in logistics are going to make the difference. "Cheaper sensors are generating more and more data, and the emergence of 5G networks is making it possible to share huge amounts of data quickly," says Albert Jan Swart, Sector Economist Transport and Logistics at ABN AMRO. "This will make more and more information available that companies can use to improve their logistics processes."
Companies recognise importance of data
Industry companies also have high expectations. The bank's research shows that almost all logistics companies (97 per cent) have realised the importance of more data-driven logistics. For instance, the Dutch transport sector expects that load factors could increase by ten per cent if logistics service providers and shippers shared all information. CO2 emissions from trucks will then also go down. The bank anticipates a saving of 500,000 tonnes of CO2. That is equivalent to flying from Amsterdam to Paris 3.5 million times.
Practice unruly
Yet practice is recalcitrant, notes ABN Amro. Logistics chains nowadays consist of many links and hardly any link has an overview of the entire chain. As a result, inefficient processes remain invisible and the available capacity is by no means always used. A missed opportunity, says the bank. Swart: "As soon as several parties are involved in the logistics process - such as transporters acting as subcontractors - things get complicated. It is therefore important to work together with clients, because sharing data throughout the chain will lead to a strong improvement of the logistics operation."
