Everyday we humans are innovating various technologies which can help us streamline our efforts towards certain operations with ease. Each passing day provides us an opportunity to merge a new technology in our routine so that we can make the most out of it in a systematic manner. Today there are technologies which involves machines and devices for greater insight into our day-to-day activity so that we can improve our lifestyle by upgrading our processes. One such innovation is Internet of Things (IoT) which has changed the way data is collected by devices and processed quickly for faster decision making which minimizes the time taken to complete a certain process. IoT is driving almost every industry by revolutionizing their concepts and the way they approach a certain activity. Here we are going to talk about IoT in transportation because since the introduction of IoT, we have already seen multiple benefits of this technology.
Logistics in transportation is very important so that planning the entire process through exchange of data makes the transportation much efficient and cost effective. There has been continuous growth in the field of transportation over the past decade because of crucial role of logistics in transport through air, water or land. Managers or transportation heads that looks over the transport have started searching for ways to improve profits and logistics by minimizing the costs associated with the project. While managers work on profits and ways to improve the transportation process, corporates have started to look towards big data which is being generated in this field and can point towards ways to improve transportation.
IoT interpolates perfectly with transportation and there is a huge scope where the logistics can be modified to gather data on each step throughout the transportation process which will give the managers a clear idea of how transport can be further improved. Trucks or any other type of transport facility can now be connected through IoT which can provide the location of the vehicle, movement, speed and estimated time of delivery through exchange of data. This was not at all possible earlier but now it is due to the introduction of IoT in this field. Already a lot of benefits have been achieved since the implementation of IoT which are reduced overheads, increased productivity and timely deliveries.
Let’s one by one look at the areas and those processes in transportation which can be improved through IoT:
1.Warehouse Management
Warehouse is an important part of transportation and logistics. How efficiently the warehouse is operated and how competitive it is will impact the costs associated with the transportation business. IoT can track data related to inventory, equipment and vehicles for spot-on productivity. This will enable an individual to collect and share all the mission critical data to have the actual quantity of products at the right place along with right transportation. Asset tracking and location within the warehouse premises will save time and efforts of a personal hired specially to look after this particular process. Human intervention can be highly reduced by sharing information regarding the above discussed points.
2.Fleet Management
Managing fleet is important to understand the maintenance schedules, vehicles which are in use and routes used for transportation. To get maximum productivity, fleet downtime should be minimized. Through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), transport manager can get a clear picture of their assets and streamline their operations to get maximum efficiency. With real-time data, the moving assets can be easily tracked and the data can be sent back to the central database so that others can refer to that data too to track the use of vehicles and location of delivery.
3.Maintaining Vehicle Performance
By continuously monitoring the health of your vehicles, you can keep a track on their maintenance and servicing schedule so that they should not face problems while on the road which will harm the delivery in any way. Devices installed in these vehicles will measure the performance and distance travelled and can also track the vehicle itself.
4.Keep an eye on the traffic
You should monitor the traffic in order to keep your vehicles moving so that there is no delay in delivery. Devices installed on traffic signals helps in reducing traffic congestion through monitoring that time of the day when there is higher traffic on various routes. These devices let you know which route is suitable for you and which route you should avoid.
Conclusion
IoT can be implemented in almost every industry because it has great benefits and it eases each any every process by providing real-time insights into the data which can be referred to simply the operations.