Dr Perez-Franco says companies that are better at e-business and managing their supply chains will be the ones that remain. Good supply chain management will be vital for businesses. The idea is that decisions can be better when made with the whole chain in mind.’ It’s about orchestrating the operation of the whole chain of entities that are involved with moving goods from source to consumer. And this has to do with supply chain management. ‘Considered almost certain by our participants was the importance of visibility and traceability of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. ‘Ubiquitous online retailing and direct delivery to consumers was seen by the experts that participated in our exercise almost as a given.’ Part of that work is an exercise in scenario planning with a panel of experts. ‘Australia needs a nationwide freight and supply chain strategy, and the government has initiated work on that,’ Dr Perez-Franco says.
What does the future look like for supply chain management in Australia? Deakin’s Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics recently examined this question for the Federal Government’s Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Robotic delivery is just one piece of tomorrow’s supply chain puzzle.
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His prediction conjures up a pretty futuristic image: ‘Think of a large platform on wheels, that parks near a city, full of parcels that are then delivered by an army of flying and rolling autonomous delivery critters, which go to homes and back to the platform – where they reload and recharge.’ Future of supply chains Drones and squirrels will coexist, is my guess, probably operating out of moving distribution centres.’ ‘If I had to bet, I would say that the future of parcel delivery will be a mix of technologies, including both land-based and aerial unmanned delivery vehicles. He suggests drones won’t be the only solution for parcel delivery. ‘Rolling on wheels on the ground, albeit slower, is more energy efficient than flying an octocopter.’ For those, I think a ground-based autonomous delivery vehicle (which I call a ‘squirrel’) is a more likely candidate.’Īustralia Post is currently testing a ‘squirrel’ in the Brisbane suburb of Newfarm, and Dr Perez-Franco sees it as a step in the right direction. ‘Very heavy or large objects are unlikely to be moved via drone at all. The biggest limitation for drones is weight and size, explains Dr Perez-Franco. ‘The rules concerning flying drones around urban areas for delivery are not in place yet,’ Dr Perez-Franco says. There are hurdles that need to be addressed first, such as the state of Australian regulations. There is a level of safety and economy that needs to be reached for drone delivery to become more common.’ ‘The ‘when’ will depend – obviously – on the speed of maturation of the technology. There are many people investing in this technology, and new patents are filed all the time by the likes of Amazon and Google,’ Dr Perez-Franco says. ‘I have no doubt that drones will be used for delivery in Australia and around the world. There is a tendency to overestimate these new technologies in the short term, and to underestimate them in the long term.’ĭrone delivery is a real possibility in Australia, it’s just the when and what that we don’t know yet. ‘Even in places where Amazon reigns supreme, like the US, drone delivery is not the norm. ‘I think we are many years away from seeing drone delivery becoming the norm for Amazon or any other retailer anywhere,’ Dr Perez-Franco says. We could be in for quite a wait, warns Dr Perez-Franco. There is however a pretty exciting future for chain logistics in Australia, and we can relax knowing that drone delivery is inevitable, eventually. Sadly, drone delivery won’t be here by Christmas, according to Deakin Senior Research Fellow with the Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics, Dr Roberto Perez-Franco. With Christmas around the corner, and Amazon arriving on our shores, will kids be watching the sky for drones rather than reindeer this Christmas Eve? It’s the stuff of 80s sci-fi movies, the future we imagined we’d have. Delivery by drone is an irresistible idea.
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