September 05, 2018

Ways to think about the Supply Chain of the Future: Artificial Intelligence

September 05, 2018/ john mabe

The fact that supply chains and logistics companies already have a vast amount of data and processes that could be turned into actionable insights rather quickly, just means that there is potential for AI to take supply chains on a journey from very good to perfect.

Artificial intelligence techniques allow for vast amounts of data to be analyzed, categorized, and then turned into actionable insights with reduced or no human input. As an example,

April 22, 2018

Long-Haul Trucking: The First and Best Use Case for Level 5 Self-Driving Vehicles

April 22, 2018/ john mabe

Transportation has been the source of some of the greatest innovations in human history from the invention of the wheel to automobiles, ships , trains, planes, and rockets. These innovations have profoundly impacted how we move around, how we trade, and how quickly and cost effectively this all happens. Autonomous vehicles may very well be the next great innovation in transportation but the journey will likely be a long one.

March 12, 2018

Disrupting Logistics: 4 Innovative Blockchain Startups to Watch in 2018

March 12, 2018/ john mabe

The global logistics market is predicted to reach US 15.5 trillion in 2023. The world runs on trade and traditionally the industry has been plagued by inefficient processes, middlemen, and archaic technology. As a result, venture capital has poured into logistics startups over the last few years in an attempt to digitize the supply chain.

June 17, 2017

Onfleet and a Last Mile Delivery Platform

June 17, 2017/ john mabe

The local last mile delivery market is a fragmented one with about 7,500 courier and parcel delivery companies in the U.S. alone. Within this crowded delivery market are logistics providers that range from giants like Fedex, UPS, and DHL, to retailers like Amazon, technology companies like Uber and Postmates, and many small-and medium-size operations in between. Technology is rapidly changing how consumers interact with businesses and this has led to on-demand delivery business models that enable local businesses to reach more local customers.

June 04, 2017

The Amazonification of Logistics

June 04, 2017/ john mabe

The evolution of eCommerce has had a dramatic impact on both retail and logistics. Much of the changes have been spearheaded by Amazon who are largely responsible for shaping customer behavior and driving customer expectations around delivery. Many customers now want their packages next-day, same-day, or even within one hour and as a result logistics networks have evolved to reflect these changing customer preferences. Amazon has had such a major impact on eCommerce...

May 27, 2017

Last Mile Delivery - Is it time to Share?

May 27, 2017/ john mabe

There's a growing market in the last mile for same-day and next-day delivery fuelled by increasingly demanding customer expectations. Non-traditional delivery providers, like Uber and Amazon, are building innovative solutions and could be well positioned to be market disrupters in the battle for the last mile. Uber has a first mover advantage via their existing ride-sharing platform; a deep and re-purposable delivery fleet with optimised routing algorithms combined with the ability to raise enormous capital. And then you have Amazon,

May 16, 2017

Flexe, the Airbnb of Warehouses, a threat to Amazon?

May 16, 2017/ john mabe

Flexe, the Airbnb for warehouse space, announced a new next-day delivery service, which the company said would give brands the ability to reach 98 percent of U.S. customers faster than Amazon Prime two-day shipping. This was a natural next step for Flexe as they began offering fulfilment services last year.

January 11, 2017

Surging Package Volume Explains Why Drones Make Sense

January 11, 2017/ john mabe

The continued rise of eCommerce coupled with the growth of urban populations has put increased strain on last mile delivery in cities. Added to this, is the fact that a growing number of people in large cities expect to get their orders quickly - next day, same-day, or within an hour or two. And, by the way, delivery should be cheap too!

January 03, 2017

Logistics Technology Trends That Will Dominate 2017

January 03, 2017/ john mabe

Making predictions in technology, even just one year out, are generally an exercise in futility, so this really isn't a forecast for 2017, but more a list of trends that I am interested in and keeping my eye on. Technology is rarely released according to plan and surprises can come from many directions. However, it makes sense to keep tabs on what’s coming and it's also great fun to think about what’s coming next. Here's what I will be looking out for in 2017:

December 22, 2016

The 2016 Techgistics Year in Review

December 22, 2016/ john mabe

2016 was an incredible year for tech in logistics as companies both large and small are working on some transformational technologies not just for logistics, but for society as a whole. Here’s a few interesting tech advancements in 2016 that were important for the year, but could also point to what’s to come in the near and long-term future.

December 19, 2016

Who will Own Same Day Delivery: The Case for Uber

December 19, 2016/ john mabe

In the previous post I highlighted a handful of the emerging on-demand same day delivery startups and the complexities inherent in building a 3-sided marketplace. In addition to these startups, I wanted to do a deeper dive on two non-traditional logistics companies that are approaching same-day delivery from different angles and could be well-positioned to be market disruptors for same-day delivery. They are of course Uber and Amazon; Uber has a first mover advantage via their existing ride-sharing platform. a deep and re-purposable delivery fleet with optimised routing algorithms combined with the ability to raise enormous capital. And then you have Amazon...

October 27, 2016

Ways to think about Last Mile Delivery

October 27, 2016/ john mabe

Last mile delivery is going to change significantly over the next few decades. A sea-change is upon the Logistics industry and as is often the case when an industry is about to be turned upside-down, there are a number of converging factors, both societal and technological, that are accelerating the pace of change.

September 28, 2016

The Future of Last Mile Deliveries: Mercedes Vision Van makes Logistics Look Cool

September 28, 2016/ john mabe

Mercedes Benz and Matternet, a drone technology start-up, have partnered to create an integrated vision of the future for urban deliveries. Mercedes showcased the concept cargo van at the IAA Commercial vehicle show in Hannover, Germany last week. The future, not all that surprisingly, is an electric vehicle with a range of 270 KMs (168 miles) combined with drones that make package deliveries.

September 19, 2016

Amazon, FedEx and Adjacent Innovation

September 19, 2016/ john mabe

Bloomberg Businessweek recently released a report by Devin Leonard, entitled “Will Amazon Kill FedEx?”. Fred Smith, CEO FedEx from the report:

Concerns about industry disruption continue to be fueled by fantastical -- and I chose this word carefully -- articles and reports,” Smith said on a conference call with analysts and investors. “In all likelihood, the primary deliverers of e-commerce shipments for the foreseeable future will be UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx.

Reading these words, my mind can't help but track back to to this statement by Research in Motion Co-CEO Jim Balsillie in 2007 following the release of the first iPhone:

September 03, 2016

Compelling Use Cases for Drones in Today’s Supply Chain

September 03, 2016/ john mabe

Although the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recently announced new rules for commercial drones, there is still not a clear short-term path for mass deliveries of packages via drone. From From a regulatory perspective, the most important remaining barriers for autonomous package delivery are:

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