Technology in the Supply Chain.
There is a lot of excitement about logistics industry innovations that creative folks are working on bringing to life. Autonomous vehicles, drones, robotics, blockchain, etc. It all sounds wonderful. It’s the future. And it will be amazing.
But are you ready for it?
In public, you might be enthusiastic and fully supportive of these new developments. But in private, you are a little more hesitant. You know that your logistics business still runs on an antiquated “green screen” backend system. What would happen if you tried to feed your green screen data into a system that can run autonomous trucks?
The problem is that your old system works. It may not be using the most advanced technology, but it works. There is a risk that any migration could prove catastrophic if certain pieces of the chain were broken.
Some companies have tried to update their tech by building new, homegrown systems… whoops. Others have tried to force behemoth ERP systems to comprehend the complexities of running a logistics company…. Whoops. Bridging old tech with more modern tech without fidelity loss is a monumental challenge.
Many freight companies are growing through acquisition, meaning that in addition to their main outdated systems, they may have remnants of multiple green-screen backend systems managing their freight every day.
When bridging old and new tech, the most important element, the first thing that should be considered is the flow of money. How do you ensure complete, accurate invoices today? How do you ensure that invoices are paid in full? If the money continues to flow, then all other challenges can be overcome. But if the money stops flowing, it’s all over.
Invoices from multiple systems, multiple countries, and multiple business units should all be mapped out via a process flow, and then ensure that the new tech is able to reproduce the current flow without fidelity loss.
Perhaps the answer isn’t a massive build out of your own system, or a multi-year implementation. Using integrated platforms that have the ability to extract data from your old systems, consolidate it, update it, and then prepare it for a more modern use can be much faster and much less expensive.
Some leading edge companies are building software that allows you to “be you,” while still giving you access to modern tech. They are effectively adding an intelligent layer that bridges old tech with new tech, allowing companies with antiquated systems still use modern applications without having to do a major overhaul.
With Keystroke, you don’t need to throw away your green screens. You can eventually. But in the mean time, you can quickly take advantage of new technology while maintaining older, reliable data warehouses. The Keystroke Platform ensures that all invoices are paid on-time and in-full, regardless of the current, or future tech.
