Introduction
In recent years, there have been rapid changes in the transportation and logistics sector due to globalization and technological advances. As a result, numerous emerging concepts surfaced in this field over the past 1 to 2 years, which has been seen as the pivotal years for the transportation and logistics companies. To determine the facts, this paper will delve at discussing two concepts that has emerged in the transportation and logistics field; Three-Dimensional printing (3D) and the use of self-driven cars and drones.
3D Printing
3D printing refers to the process of creating objects or products from a 3D digital model. 3D printing appears to hold enormous promise for transportation and logistics management (TLM). This technology has the potential to revolutionize production techniques, causing automation of manufacturing and removing reliance on large and costly workforces. 3D printing is likely to have a significant impact on logistics and especially the design of supply chains. This is because companies will start to create a vast range of product in entirely new ways. Instead of ink, the technology uses many materials like food ceramics and plastics to create 3D objects, layer by layer (Ventola, 2014). However, the process is time-consuming, but further innovation in the field of 3D printing is expected to reduce the time required for fabrication.
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The Use of Self-Driven Cars and Drones
Self-driven cars are autonomous or ‘driverless’ cars while a drone refers to an unpiloted aircraft. In the last few years, the use of self-driven cars and drone in product delivery has become common. Silicon Valley, car manufacturers and several other companies such as Amazon are developing vehicles that will deliver products and even people to desired locations (PYMNTS, 2018). Amazon has already started making prime trials in using drones to deliver products. This concept will have a significant impact on the transportation and logistics industry as it will shorten delivery times and costs. Currently, trials are taking place, and out-of-sight drone operations are expected to begin in 2019 or 2020 (Kerr, 2018).
References
Kerr, C. (2018). Logistics Digital Disruption: Drones and Self-Driving Vehicles. [Online]. Available at: https://balloonone.com/drones-self-driving-delivery-vehicles/ . Accessed 12 th May 2019.
PYMNTS. (2018). The Future of Retail Deliveries with Autonomous Vehicles. [Online]. Available at: https://www.pymnts.com/news/delivery/2018/kroger-nuro-autonomous-vehicles/ . Accessed 12 th May 2019.
Ventola, C. (2014). Medical Application for 3D Printing: Current and Projected Uses. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4189697/ . Accessed 12 th May 2019.
