“Now is the time for companies to envision and embrace their future in a global, touchless network,” says Deloitte in a new paper.
Acknowledging that this is still years away the report shows that the foundations are actively forming today. Automation is maturing across the value chain. Different sectors of the supply chain are investing in types of autonomous transportation and robotics. For example, 50% of large integrated players are investing in autonomous and robotic solutions, but this number drops to 32% for last-mile providers.
Logistics providers are primarily investing in warehouse robotics, warehouse drones, and port robotics. And warehouse robotics is leading in adoption by those actively investing in autonomous solutions while there are far fewer last-mile delivery droids.
“Capturing the touchless network’s full potential could take years,” the report concludes. “It will likely require significant investments in logistics and changes to how the industry works (e.g., new infrastructure, wider network connectivity, and jurisdictional decisions).”
