This report examines digital transformation (DX) in the Transportation and Storage sector, enabled by the key technology groups that are the focus of Transforma Insights’ research. It focuses on the use of DX in supply chains including inbound logistics, outbound logistics, and warehousing.
Ever higher demands are being placed on supply chains of all kinds, driven by the emerging dominance of e-commerce and consumer (and regulator) requirements for new kinds of provenance information. Meanwhile, significant cost savings can be achieved in supply chains by better managing warehousing and inventory levels and delivery networks.
These same cost savings often correspond to significant sustainability benefits, helping in decarbonising digital supply chains. Meanwhile, condition monitoring of goods in the supply chain can reduce wastage, also unlocking significant cost and sustainability benefits. The digital transformation of supply chains should be a priority focus area for all organisations, large and small.
Overall, we have identified seven key domains of change in the Transportation and Storage sector that are enabled by digital transformation. The seven key domains are summarised below:
Collectively, the activities listed above will bring significant changes to the Transportation and Storage industry.
The findings of this report were based on wide-ranging analysis of digital transformation in the Transportation & Storage sector, including analysis of sector Case Studies included in Transforma Insights’ Best Practice & Vendor Selection Database. This database includes over one-thousand case studies that collectively illustrate how new emerging technologies can impact enterprises in all sectors. At the time of writing, the database included 1,036 case studies in total, 136 of which are in the Transportation & Storage sector. The 136 case studies collectively provide 441 illustrations of Use Case deployments in the Transportation & Storage sector (since more than one Use Case can be associated with a single case study).
This report examines digital transformation in the Transportation and Storage sector as enabled by the key technology groups that are the focus of Transforma Insights’ research. These technology groups comprise:
Accordingly, the aim of this document is not to chart the future direction of the transportation and storage industry, but to highlight key areas of change enabled by new and emerging technologies. The bulk of this report is concerned with the discussion of these key areas of change, including an overview of each area, together with an analysis of the business impact, and associated with each area. We also identify key enabling technologies for each area (from the list above) and provide summary details of illustrative case studies that are available in Transforma Insights Best Practice & Vendor Selection database.
The purpose of the document is two-fold. Firstly, from the perspective of a practitioner working in the transportation and storage industry, the document highlights new and emerging changes that can be expected to impact the industry (particularly from the perspective of supply chain) in the next few years. Secondly, from the perspective of potential vendors for the transportation and storage industry, it highlights the key emerging areas of opportunity to sell new products, services, and solutions to the industry. Our analysis of the key technologies that enable each of the identified areas of digital transformation will help vendors of horizontal (technology-specific) capabilities to identify the contexts in which they may secure new business from the transportation and storage sector.
Specific exclusions from the scope of this report include integrated public transportation systems and digital solutions supporting smart mobility (both of which are separately covered in Digital Transformation (DX) in Smart Cities).
The analysis contained in this report draws significantly on Transforma Insights’ Best Practice & Vendor Selection Database and analysis of the transportation and storage sector Case Studies that are part of the database included in a section of the report.
If you have any questions about the content of this report or would like to speak with the author or any other analysts on any topic, you can make use of our Analyst Enquiries service by emailing enquiries@transforminsights.com.
