Adam Yaron, Fast Technologies CEO and Smart Ports and Supply Chain Technologies Conference (#SPSC18) speaker talks to Port Technology about what he plans to discuss at the conference.
He also goes into detail about what effects new technologies will have on the global supply chain, as well as what executives have to do in order to meet future challenges.
PTI: What key topic of conversation are you going to bring to the Smart Ports and Supply Chain Technologies conference?
AY: The main thing I would like to discuss is the digitization of businesses in the 21st century.
This includes the end customer needs; how small and medium-sized businesses and even the enterprise businesses need to check their own business processes from the point of view of the ‘new customer’, which are the millennials who are now entering the workforce.
The second thing, from the point of view of the supply chain, is how we give the importers and exports a comprehensive view of the entire supply chain through technology.
I would also like to discuss the potential use case of blockchain in logistic transportation and how it connects different technologies.
PTI: How do you see factories of the future changing logistics? What will key stakeholders have to do to keep up?
AY: The first thing that factories are asking from us, especially manufactories in China, for example, is to monitor their inventories in other warehouses around the world and notify them about how much product they need to put in the inventory in the next two or three weeks.
In the next few years, as more e-commerce players enter the retail business, we will see more and more pressure on manufacturers to keep inventory in the right time and place and never to have too much inside factories, only bringing in the amount they need at any one time.
PTI: What are the key areas of collaboration that supply chain executives need to be aware of to streamline trade flows?
AY: The key areas of collaboration in supply roles are between logistic experts in the supply chain, such as the freight forwarders, the customs operator and the carriers.
If we want to keep a free flow of data between them then we must implement APIs [application programming interfaces] for better tracking, sending bookings online, or getting shipment rates online.
The less obvious areas of collaboration are those between logistic experts and the customer.
The only way we can streamline data is to collaborate with the manufacturer and the importer and understand what they need and what their inventories are because if the manufacturer does not give me an API key for his inventory, I cannot tell him when he has to ship the next shipment.
Read more about how blockchain is changing the sector with a Port Technology technical paper
PTI: What do you predict will happen to the supply chain in ten years’ time?
AY: As we see now, technology centers on the customer, so what we will see is more control by the end-user at the supply chain.
The second thing we will see is the integration of smart technologies, such as AI [artificial intelligence], in logistics forecasting.
In order to forecast the rate fluctuation and better calculate the best time to send your goods, in ten years’ time we will mainly use an AI that will tell the customer exactly when they need to order their next round of goods.
The final thing will be the integration of smart technologies with the human logistics expert, with the entire warehouse running on augmented reality.
Of course, all the orders for deliveries will take place through augmented reality.
Another thing will be the ‘Uber Courier’ – an Uber-like service for small packages.
We don’t yet know which company will control this area.
Read another #SPSC18 Q&A with Gerald Hirt, Managing Director of Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center
PTI: What is the role of humans in the digital supply chain?
AY: You cannot commoditize the logistics expertise of human resources today; it is the single factor can make a company more successful than another.
In the future, we will all have the same technology and the only thing that will change for the customer is the expertise.
PTI: How can technology help foster collaboration?
AY: The first thing we have to do is address the issue of big data, because we have so much data, and we have to analyze customer and supply chain behaviour in order to create better processes.
This is the first thing that technology can help us with today.
When we understand what to do with all the data, and I think technology will help us with this, we will become much smarter and help us bring our customers what they really want.
For example, when a customer looks at a website, he or she is looking to seamlessly do what he or she needs to do without clicking too much.
People don’t need to know how the algorithm of Facebook works, so technology will help foster collaboration through big data and professional networking.
Technology can also help pioneer shared workspace.
There is a company called Blue Square that can project a virtual office. We believe that in the future people who are working remotely will be able to sit together in a virtual office.
PTI: How can the modern supply chain achieve or maintain a competitive edge?
AY: First, they must implement and study advanced technologies, especially in their supply chain.
If a company in the supply chain has $1 billion in revenue and they don’t have a digital innovation strategy, they will not last five years.
They have to understand what the future holds and understand the potential benefits of advanced technologies.
The second thing is understanding how advanced technologies can help them achieve better connections with their supplier and customers.
Adam Yaron
CEO and Co-Founder of FAST Applications, Adam Yaron has over 13 years of proven experience in logistics and supply chain management, sales, entrepreneurship, IT and cutting-edge technologies.
He is also the CTO of MBO-Consulting, an IT Service company which aims to achieve excellence and become a leader in the world of SAP services by exploiting its extensive, worldwide contacts and exposure, service capacity, and vertical competencies.
Yaron spent three years as the Head of Commercial Development at Delta Novel, one of Italy’s leading forwarding companies based in Ravenna.
Yaron established his first start-up at the end of 2012 and made his first exit in 2014, before reaching the age of 30.
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