English
After experiencing the initial run and barbaric development, logistics, a traditional and grounded industry, is beginning to rush to tear off the label of labour-intensive and low technological content, and with the surging waves of 5G, artificial intelligence and AIoT, the entire logistics industry is undergoing profound changes.
On September 20, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Logistics China Chief Scientist Fang Tingjun said at the 2019 Logistics Industry Innovation Summit that logistics is a horizontal service throughout the entire industrial process, and the realization of Industry 4.0 should first realize the digitization of the entire process, and digitization is a prerequisite.
However, in an interview with the ‘Daily Economic News’ reporter, Fang Tingjun also frankly admitted that China's traditional enterprises are generally heavy technology, light process, and even technology for the technology, in the process of logistics technology industry progression, we must pay attention to the whole process of the opening and synergy, the whole process of digitisation and the construction of intelligence, rather than a certain part of the cutting-edge technology of the isolated use.
‘AI + logistics’ commercialisation still takes 5-10 years
In the industry's view, 2018 is a year of ‘visible’ logistics technology, and in 2019, the wind direction of the logistics industry turned to the ‘invisible’ higher level of big data and supply chain stage. With the continuous injection of science and technology, enterprises have gradually realised that big data and supply chain has become the core of the logistics industry to reduce costs and increase efficiency, improve customer experience, and have accelerated into the track.
Fang Tingjun said that artificial intelligence technology has entered a very hot link, but this does not mean that artificial intelligence technology in the field of logistics to mature field. ‘Now it is we hype up this field, but to the commercial application of at least 5 to 10 years to experience.’
At the same time, he also pointed out that the correlation between logistics and technology lies in the fact that for every step that technology improves, logistics moves forward week after week, and it is a spiral development. In this development process, logistics technology will experience from ‘creative’ to “hype”, and then to ‘practical’ process.
In accordance with the thinking of the room, the current logistics technology industry, unmanned creativity has just entered the ‘hype’ period, the group of intelligent robots have been fired to a very high position, while the digital twin and deep learning technology has been fired to the highest point, blockchain, industry 4.0, virtual reality and other technologies have slipped into a disappointing trough; accordingly, virtual reality and narrow-band Internet of Things (IoT). Virtual reality and narrowband IoT have moved out of the trough of disappointment and into the high ground of practicality.
‘Logistics digitalisation’ listed companies will continue to emerge
It is worth noting that, in the logistics field ushered in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and other cutting-edge ‘black science and technology’ intensive layout, the traditional logistics companies have also begun to increase the layout of science and technology.
Wang Congjun, chairman of the board of directors of Aneng Logistics, expressed his agreement with the viewpoints of Fang Tingjun at the above summit, and he believed that the digitalisation of logistics is a long way to go, and it is not simple to replace it with drones and robots in two or three years. It can only rely on the accumulation of droplets, continuous transformation, and finally invest five cents or two cents in the operational difference, in order to have a fundamental difference and decisive role in the industry pattern.
"2019 is a time of great change, the bubble of investment has passed, the future is to see whether it can actually transform logistics digitalisation into operational efficiency. Only those who can transform it into operational efficiency can survive and live inside the cold winter ahead." Wang Congjun said.
For the future development trend of logistics technology, Fang Tingjun believes that the next listed companies in the field of logistics digitisation and intelligence will continue to emerge, on the one hand, Chinese companies have an advantage in this field, on the other hand, the Chinese market itself is very large, and the logistics technology market can go global.
In his view, China's 5G technology in the world in a leading position, these are again the development of logistics is a very important foundation, based on this for the development of deep logistics technology applications towards intelligence, the future will have great potential.
