Adding automation and the Internet of Things-model (IoT) to existing solutions is clearly the direction ports and terminals around the world are heading. While some applications and concepts have been clear winners in this nascent journey, others have not. This paper addresses why this is the case.
In the household goods sector, for instance, we can now re-order groceries through IoT-enabled refrigerators that use service providers such as Mastercard and Samsung. While this is a state of the art concept, people who use this service will readily admit it is more about the “Wow- Factor” than anything else. They still visit the brick-and-mortar store the same amount as before, especially in households with children. Interestingly, in the automotive sector, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that his California factory had ‘too much automation’. This in turn slowed down production of the Model 3, with Musk saying that a ‘crazy, complex network of conveyor belts’ were to blame. Realizing this, he had…
