Keep up with the pace in logistics

Logistics is a particularly fast-paced context. Being at the base of many other businesses, customers expect from their Logistics Service Providers (LSP) speed, customization and agility to cope with their own, many times also, VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environments. The last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have amplified this reality: from day to night companies saw their supply chain disrupted and many had also to rethink their channels and even their business models. Again, many relied on their LSPs to help them change at lightning speed. My thoughts and for sure the thoughts of many digital and tech leaders in the sector, were and still are currently, on how can the logistics players enable their own digital transformation, because there is no doubt that technology is at the heart of the solution. The first conclusion and lesson learned is that digital transformation cannot be an IT lonely mission: a truly digital and agile organization thinks technology globally, where everyone has an adequate level of awareness and understand how can technology help and of course have a high level of respect for it, by understanding the cost of not having a proper IT governance. 

IT leaders in the organizations must put on top of their priorities spreading a digital culture, creating digital champions and give the space to other stakeholders to present their own thoughts on how to turn the business more digital.

IT itself must transform if it wants to be the enabler of change, and adopting the proper technologies is a critical step of the path. As there is nota “one size fits all” solution and at the end it is up to each organization to find its own way, I’ll share some of the solutions at Rangel Logistics Solutions,were adopting low code and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) was a key figure. Low-code or even no-code not only speeds up the development lifecycle of products and applications but can help dealing with the specialized resources widely shortage. Software development will always be an activity that requires specialized skills and competences, but low-code puts you a step further on being able to bring to your teams talented people from different academic backgrounds, more suited to focus on business and innovation and thus bringing some new to an old place. Additionally, can help you to motivate business stakeholders to participate and contribute directly to the solution development on activities such as process modelling and prototyping as an example. Low-code platforms can also act as innovation accelerators, as they can (more) easily bring you to mobile and cross-platform solution, AI/ML, bots and others.

“Agility is a mindset and culture. If you are agile, you will get feedback sooner. And if get feedback sooner you will fail fast and cheaper”

RPAs is also helping Rangel Logistics Solutions achieving agility by enabling system integrations that otherwise using traditional approaches would not be viable, for many reasons such legacy systems with no APIs or lack of knowledge on how to use them or high costs. Robots can also be a suitable solution to tackle fast a problem, as a temporary solution. Creating a robot to quickly automate a task while you design or find the budget to a more final and wide solution, allows you to not live a with a problem while you solve it. You just need to be open mind and creative.

Agility is a mindset and culture. If you are agile, you will get feedback sooner. And if get feedback sooner you will fail fast and cheaper. All that will be converted to value to your customers and community.