What is friction? It’s a state of opposition that slows things down so they don’t move forward very quickly. What is frictionless? We know it’s a new buzzword that describes a forward-looking view of where technology is going, technology that simply works and doesn’t hold back business.
In the 21st century, the technology we use in our personal life offers 24/7 Internet access that is fast and easy-to-use so the information we desire is seamlessly at our fingertips. But has B2B technology kept up? I don’t think so. Let’s first consider where global shipping technology is today and then look at where we need to go — and then get onboard.
Today, supply chain participants recognize that they need technology to service customers, increase efficiency, improve data accuracy, and boost time and cost savings. The good news is technology adoption has accelerated in recent years and we’re seeing an uptick in systematization of freight data to improve data management, as well as use of that data for reporting and more strategic decision-making. What’s clear is that users see a need for Web-based systems to talk to each other to improve the speed of data transfer.
No system does it all; system integration to connect and communicate global logistics data points in real-time, online is needed. Technology networks will grow and become more interconnected to facilitate a more comprehensive view of global logistics. Interacting with trading partners will be faster and hassle free. This will become the expectation, to have data fed to you to facilitate decision-making. We anticipate a day when full containerload and less-than-containerload ocean freight rate complexity will be a thing of the past. All these rates will be frictionless in the Cloud in real-time from carriers and NVOs to bring the entire ocean transportation industry into the 21st century.
Neil Barni, President, CargoSphere