By Srinivasan Iyer, Head – Supply Chain, Trangile Services
The logistics and supply chain business are dependent on timely information at the demand and supply end of the complete channel. To be able to do this on time you require data speed to transfer information between the different IT modules inside the warehouse.
5G promises higher bandwidth on-demand with the following benefits to logistics, supply chain, and warehousing entities
Faster speeds to make information flow between different IT modules in the warehouse
environment seamless
Warehouses will be equipped with sensors and actuators that will send small packets of data to private centralised data clouds in great quantity (volume), in massive variety and in great speeds (velocity). A network that will almost in real-time help use this data for better
processing and creating quick actions would become the need of the hour – 5G promises to be just that network
Complete Automation with exception reporting at different parts of the warehouse is truly a utopian requirement in the new age warehouses and with 5G coupled with IoT
(sensors and actuators) this would become a reality.
The new 5G network is being deployed in the UK and in many developed countries across the world, and soon in India, is seen to be the main enabler for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented/Virtual/Managed Reality (AR/VR/MR), 4K Video Conferencing, Holographic communications, Machine-2-Machine communications, use of Robots to serve the emerging needs of the industries from Utilities, Retail, Transportation & Logistics to Healthcare.
5G standards have 8 core requirements:
o Up to 20Gbps data access speeds.
o Data throughput latency of <1ms– this would mean the traditional edge networks
would disappear and the network becomes heavier at the last mile. 100’s and 1000’s
of pico cells closer to the moment of truth (point of consumption)
o The network should be able to support a high device density of >10,000 connected
devices per square kilometers
o Offer high bandwidth of 1000x per unit area
o Reduce energy usage by 90% from the current deployments
o Connect to low-powered devices for machine-to-machine communications with up
to 10 years of battery life
o Provide an ultra-reliable network – there will be a huge evolution that needs to
happen on cyber security and
o High available network
For instance, 5G in supply chain operations can help companies optimise their routes to avoid unnecessary trips and inefficiencies. Portable Internet-connected trackers that monitor in real-time the location and condition of goods throughout the entire supply chain can eliminate such information ‘black holes.’ Sophisticated Augmented Reality applications used in logistics, such as vision picking, will be significantly enhanced on a 5G network.
5G will be an essential driver of change as it holds the potential to transform the logistics sector in a big way. The amalgamation of AI, ML, Cloud, and 5G has the capability to optimise and enhance warehousing and fleet operations.
Data available faster to businesses with the advent of 5G will bring in higher efficiencies and a better bang for the buck. With 5G, cargo owners, freight solution buyers and other industry players will be able to minimise (and steadily eliminate) factors that earlier contributed to revenue leakage.
In-depth visibility in the supply chain is one of the prime factors that add up to this lost revenue-making opportunity. 5G will enable better visibility of the supply chain processes.
5G would play a transformational role for the industry by facilitating speed with an ability to interconnect multiple devices and enable massive data consumption accelerating the speed of the planning and processing in complex delivery operations.
It will help automate the industry further, creating cumulative economic impact across sectors. Considering that the industry has already achieved significant productivity through data analytics, robots, IoT devices and predictive algorithms enabling it to facilitate trade across the nation. 5G will propel the advancement of data and information systems that are fundamental for logistics, as they create a smart way for building efficient and robust operations. It will also impact Inventory management and fleet operations by making it easier to track and designate optimal storage spaces thereby improving productivity.
5G will enable a new level of connectivity with faster speeds and lower latency in transportation technology improving the delivery of data from sensors to dispatch and operations and, ultimately, back to the driver, resulting in productivity and performance improvements.
Logistics, Supply Chain, and Warehousing businesses will build their own private networks on the 5G backbone and with sensors and actuators at various touch points of consignment moving within the warehouse and areas of logistics and supply chain we will get almost real-time data to increase the efficiencies of the processes within the warehouse. Large Logistics companies, Supply Chain entities, and Warehouses will see a world of more data in real-time from a world of connected sensors and actuators, this will help in faster turnaround of processes, lower costs, and better efficiencies in all these businesses.