The Futuristic Journey of Logistics - From Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0

Before we leap into the logistics journey from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, let us go back to the industrial revolution that helped transform and bring in a method to logistics.

Industry 1.0: Logistics

The first industrial revolution was called as Industry 1.0. It started as a result of machining transportation, where the industry changed from manual production to machining when steam engines were discovered during the second half of the 17th Century.

1.     The term “Logistics” comes from the French term “Logis,” which means the accommodation of the troops.

2.     Early in the 19th Century, the military introduced and defined logistics as the planning and movement of troops.

3.     In the year 1964, Logistics was first introduced as a business process and was called business logistics which was concentrated only on the physical movement of goods.

4.     Back then, Logistics was only confined to 3 P’s. i.e., Place (Location & Destination), Period & Pace and thirdly Pattern (Type of orders)

Industry 2.0: Logistics

During the 1960s, Industry 2.0 recognized the importance of mass production and required automation to handle cargo efficiently. This automation was considered an evolution in logistics & was called Logistics.2.0. In the 1980s, large manufacturing companies started to deal with each other to manage and coordinate the flow of goods within and outside the organization. Therefore the term Supply Chain Management rose. The fourth “P” was introduced during this period, termed “Process Coordination.”

Industry 3.0: Logistics

The third Industrial revolution started in 1968 when the first industrial Robot was manufactured. On the logistics side, the third revolution, i.e., Logistics 3.0, came into existence due to “Systems of Logistics Management,” during which the companies defined Product Development, Operations (Supply Chain Management) and were supported by Finance, Legal, Marketing, Human Resources, etc. The 5th “P” in Supply Chain Management was introduced, which was termed “Plient Flow” (Pliancy or Agility). The Plient Flow process considered all workflows at administrative levels of each organization, cash flow, the flow of decisions and ideas, and everything that created value for the customers.

Industry 4.0: Logistics

Industry 4.0 defines the fourth industrial revolution. This involved an intelligent, connected industry where we are currently experiencing digital technologies, including Business Intelligence, ERP, IoT, Big Data, Cloud Computing, and Managing data extraction in real-time. Logistics and supply chains within Industry 4.0 can be defined as collaborative cyber-physical systems.  Logistics as an industry pops-out in Industry 4.0, which is key to the optimization of supply chains for factories and small organizations. The impact of Industry 4.0 on Logistics 4.0 led to introducing new scope within supply chains that essentially could track the movement of freight and products. This happened due to the digital technological advances giving transparency to all involved parties, starting from dispatch until the end of the product’s life cycle.

Industry 5.0: Logistics

If Logistics 4.0 includes the revolutionary IoT, Big Data, BI & Cloud Computing, then Logistics 5.0 will emphasize reconciling the human & machine, which will further enable the industries to improve the means and efficiency of production. Logistics 4.0 will be complemented by Logistics 5.0 through three pillars of Industry 5.0, i.e., Human Centric, Resilient & Sustainability. Logistics 5.0 will consider the highly automated, connected & intelligent digital ecosystem to thrive along with a human touch.

Human intelligence collaborates with cognitive computing and innovative automation abilities to propel hyper-personalization.

Machine Learning and Automated Robotic Processes can aid front-line employees elevate proficiency and output superior value to customers in a faster manner. For example, an senior team member can configure a complex order management while a  junior employee can take care of  standard cases individually and request for assistance only in complex scenarios.

Redlogik, a pioneer in transforming the conventional methodology of Logistics into a completely Digitized Logistics ecosystem in Qatar, is continuously thriving to innovate new products, keeping in mind the company vision that empowers and impacts people, society & the environment.

Our in-house team develops path-breaking products that envisage a powerful tomorrow by ensuring that collaborating businesses have the unique advantage of supportive operations through an increased presence in the market, improved organizational visibility, and reduced overall costs in your logistics services.

Our Products:

RNTL - Collaborative truck and equipment rental. Anytime, anywhere. We offer you the ultimate user experience through our easy-to-use mobile application, with integrated 360-degree insights on booking, tracking, and payments.

GWAY - Redefining the roads of international trucking. We are revolutionizing cross-border land transport through a people-powered ecosystem, providing real-time control, accurate information, and complete visibility in one easy application.

Our Future Products - Co-creating a simplified tomorrow with innovative solutions harnessing technology and innovation to drive sustainable supply chains, reduce cost, and enhance global logistics services delivery through our well-grounded predictive models.

Every day is progressive for us at Redlogik. Be it logistics, technology, community

Reference – Mohammad Amr (Researcher & Project Manager)

Reference - Gary Nights is Senior Director, Product Management at Elemica.

‍