Digitisation is growing the gap between small and large logistics service providers. Many small transport companies would see no reason to digitise their processes.
This is according to German research by Herzig Marketing, the Verband Verkehrswirtschaft & Logistik Nordrhein-Westfalen (VVWL) and Instafreight. "Opportunities, risks and even the need for digitalisation are assessed completely differently in logistics, depending on the size of the company," said Marcus Hover, deputy managing director of VVWL.
Terughoudend digitalisering
More than half (54 per cent) of companies with up to 10 employees have so far not implemented a digitisation project. Among logistics companies with more than 100 employees, the percentage was only eight per cent. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of the transport companies that currently do not carry out digitisation projects also do not see a need to do so. Especially many small companies (81 per cent) see no reason to digitise their processes. One reason for this strong reluctance is the high costs and previously failed projects.
Track & trace and other digital requests
Yet even these logistics service providers are increasingly faced with customer requests that require digitisation. These range from track & trace, expected delivery time and automated invoicing processes to an electric receipt.
Standardisation
According to VVWL, the solution lies with standardised solutions. "Standardised solutions can save a lot of stress for these parties while increasing the efficiency of the entire transport sector," says Hover. He argues that software companies and consultants have a duty to "provide more information, help and, above all, practical standard solutions".
