Logistics and Transport
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Logistics and Transport Objectives
The primary business objectives or drivers for deploying a private wireless network in logistics and transport organizations are largely focused on core network connectivity improvements and common operational business benefits.
The most common objective (for 61% of logistics and transport respondents) is “enhanced network reliability and performance", followed by the objective to “enable / improve mission-critical communications”. Among those respondents seeking enhanced reliability, 86% have already achieved improvements of more than 10% (including 52% achieving improvements of more than 20%). “Enable / improve mission-critical communications” was chosen by more respondents (39%) than any other as providing the “greatest benefit so far”.
Improvements to business operations were also among the top objectives for logistics and transport organizations deploying a private wireless network. For example, 44% of respondents were looking for “increased process / production line productivity”, and 33% were prioritizing “enhanced product / service quality”. Among those looking to private wireless, in part, for this reason, 75% achieved at least a 10% improvement. Another operational objective, “reduced unplanned production downtime”, was prioritized by 30% of respondents, among whom 80% achieved at least a 10% improvement.
Top 10 primary business objectives for deploying private wireless
Enhanced network reliability and performance
Enable / improve mission-critical communications
Increased process / production line productivity
Improved cybersecurity
Enhanced product / service quality
Reduced unplanned production downtime
Increased employee satisfaction
Compliance with regulation
Improved worker safety
Improved, real-time data for better decision-making
Qualitative Insights
During in-depth qualitative interviews, logistics and transport decision makers cited objectives around network availability, security and control, and consistent coverage over a wide area. But these were discussed in the context of critical business operations.
Quantitative Insights
Top 10 desired benefits achieved
When asked in which areas they have achieved measurable benefits after deploying private wireless, 100% of logistics and transport organizations cited at least one.
When comparing desired benefits (as chosen by respondents as objectives / drivers for deploying private wireless), against measurable benefits achieved, the survey shows that measurable benefits from “manual task automation” were achieved by 92% of organizations that prioritized it.
Other areas in which desired benefits were measurably achieved include both general (e.g., “enable / improve mission-critical communications”), and logistics and transport-specific areas (e.g., “improved asset tracking and utilization”, “enhanced route and fleet optimization”).
Manual task automation
Enable / improve mission-critical communications
Operational efficiencies (e.g. automating complex tasks)
Improved cybersecurity
Compliance with regulation
Improved asset tracking and utilization
Enhanced route and fleet optimization
Improved real-time data for better decision-making
Energy savings
Enhanced product / service quality
Top 5 unexpected benefits
Logistics and transport organizations also achieved benefits in areas which they did not expect. This chart reflects the percentage of organizations that did NOT select each benefit as an objective / driver for private wireless which achieved that benefit, nonetheless.
For example, 60% were surprised by the “enhanced network reliability and performance” resulting from their deployment of private wireless, because it was not one of their stated objectives. Similarly, “increased employee satisfaction” and “improved worker safety” were unexpected benefits for 55% of organizations which had not initially prioritized them.
Enhanced network reliability and performance
Improved worker safety
Enable / improve mission-critical communications
Increased employee satisfaction
Increased process / production line productivity
Total benefits expected
Respondents were also asked about the extent of improvement they expect to achieve from each measurable benefit resulting from their private wireless deployment. This includes the level of improvement achieved so far, combined with further benefits expected, ranging from 1 to 5% total benefit improvement at the low end, to more than 30% at the high end.
Organizations which have benefited from “manual task automation” expect those benefits to be greater than any other: in this area, 67% of those that have achieved benefits expect the total benefit will result in improvement of more than 30%.
Note: the list of benefits is ranked by the number of respondents achieving each measurable benefit.
“Today our private wireless network is carrying the warehouse ‘basics’ — handheld scanners and terminals for picking and inventory — along with security systems like CCTV and access control, and we’re expanding into more automation such as drones and other robotics as the sites digitize.”
Logistics and Transport Use Cases: Deployed & Planned
Among logistics and transport organizations that have deployed private wireless, “industrial automation / robotics” is the use case most commonly deployed and / or planned for deployment (50% deployed, 42% planned within two years). “IoT sensors (for equipment and environment monitoring)” is the use case most deployed already (64%), while “industrial automation / robotics” and “Cameras for security / worker safety purposes” follow close behind at 50% and 48% respectively.
“Remote operations” is among the top two use cases planned for deployment within two years (58%), while “AR / VR” is next, with 48% of logistics and transport organizations with private wireless networks planning to deploy them.
