When it comes to the Logistics industry, experts in this field are widely using expressions such as Logistics 4.0 or Supply chain 4.0 to underline the importance of Industry 4.0 implementations in its business procedures.
Logistics 4.0 maintains a crucial need for fast, scalable and easily deployable applications because it is a situation with an exceedingly competitive business environment.
Real-time access to information, mutual feedback between workers on the spot and decision-making management, which significantly accelerates information flow required for necessary processes, is something that RAD platforms bring to the table when the logistics industry is in question.
The Importance of Logistics Application
According to Convoy, an average fleet covers 33% of its kilometers with empty vehicles. This indicates that it only uses about 70% of its capacity. However, the figures would differ if businesses adopted software programs and applications in their freight operations.
To make your logistics business operate effectively without losing money, you must manage warehouses, guarantee maximum truckloads, track driver positions, and provide the utmost transparency across all sectors.
The solution that makes this possible is logistics app development.
The development of logistics software can significantly boost your company's performance. You can enhance your supply chain, guarantee transportation transparency and optimize warehouse administration with a top-notch custom software solution for transportation.
It eliminates paperwork. With a logistics application, you can easily access the database and avoid paper order forms.
It reduces delivery time and costs. You can schedule delivery and reduce driving with empty vehicles.
It provides control and vehicle tracking. An incorporated GPS tracking function to a driver's logistics app will help you achieve better-coordinated shipping and adequately forecast the time the vehicle will be dispatched.
Types of Logistics Applications
Fleet management
Effective operational fleet management calls on technological tools that streamline the coordination and tracking of fleet managers' tasks, from fuel management to route planning. Fleet operators have incorporated technologies such as extensive fleet tracking procedures, electronic information systems and cloud-based apps to complete fleet management activities.
Additionally, implementing wireless technologies across various businesses & sectors, including asset management & monitoring, vehicle & driver monitoring, two-way communication, customer relationship management, etc., propels fleet operators' operation. Thus, the management solution boosts operational proficiency and produces effective business judgments.
If your fleet is large, you must keep track of each vehicle's details and perform timely maintenance. Using a fleet management app, you can organize and save all the data regarding your vehicles.
Some transportation management systems also collect information on servicing charges to assist you in producing reports, sending maintenance reminders, and more. Consequently, you maintain your vehicle's efficiency and smooth operation.
On-demand applications
Vehicles do not usually travel completely loaded; therefore, if your drivers' vehicles have a spare room, they may take additional orders when making deliveries. Consider developing a mobile app for shipping on-demand if you want to boost the revenue of your logistics business.
Typically, this software includes an admin panel, a shipper app and a carrier app. It works in the following way:
1. The shipper makes the request.
2. The notice is received, the request is approved, and the closest driver with additional room in the vehicle picks up the freight.
3. The shipper follows the progress of the goods and receives updates regarding their location.
4. After the freight is delivered, the system notifies the shipper of an invoice.
Warehouse management applications
If your logistics company operates a warehouse, you must ensure that all goods arrive at their intended destination on time. It is nearly hard to track, manage and change the status of hundreds of shipments in real-time.
Most warehouse management apps come with barcode scanning technology to assist you in managing and monitoring several deliveries' progress. The finest products even interface with internal databases to make real-time changes, reducing the need for manual entry and, consequently, human error.
Case Study - How RAD platform FIYU saved 2 years in development of Warehouse Management System
We came in touch with Epilog, an international company that ensures orderly, efficient and reliable logistics through process digitalization and automatization. Thirty years ago, they invented a solution for automatizing internal WMS (Warehouse Management System) logistics processes. Today, they are a proud carrier of an extensive WMS system with more than 130 installations on five continents.
Their guiding light has always been quality, not speed. The market has recognized that quality, but modern technologies bring new players to the market, and these guys are focused on speed. Due to such market deviations, new challenges have arisen. Their solutions were becoming old fashion and too slow for the new market expectations. That is where we stepped in as a partner in their modernization.
Epilog wanted to optimize project organization in accordance with agile methodology. They wanted to optimize architecture design, take care of the database and create a flexible, scalable, cloud-native system with user-friendly UI/UX.
We created a complete infrastructure with all environments, preset modules, concrete modules and screens – our FIYU demo – to demonstrate the platform's speed and to explain to our client how it works and why they would profit if they opt for this solution.
We selected a few operational procedures and developed a demo for each. This demonstration was a scaled-down version of several aspects of their WMS system. The Client preferred to have their people working on the project, which was no issue as FIYU has no vendor lock-in.
Result
1 week: It took us a week to get a fully working initial platform and infrastructure setup
5 environments (AWS with Kubernetes)
CI/CD established on JIRA tool chain
Specification/documentation first principle
Scrum agile development introduction
Mixed development team
Development on FIYU
On track development
Development cycle reduced by 2 years
Epilog used our modules for users, organization notification, e-mail and product lifecycle management.
"With new requirements, challenges, opportunities, rapid technology development we looked for additional knowledge and experience outside, to complement and modernize our products & solutions in order to deliver best possible customer experience. We have found Serengeti, a team consisting of highly knowledgeable and reliable individuals always ready for any challenge at any time.”,
Matej Stipič, Head of Atlas Department at Epilog d.o.o.
What is FIYU?
FIYU is a RAD platform that provides clients with an all-round infrastructure for product development that comes with readymade modules and solutions. FIYU ensures shorter time to market and reduced costs via knowledge sharing methods and accelerated development. Product is an offspring of years of experience in software development for a myriad of clients.
We gathered best practices, enriched them with proven technologies and agile methodologies to achieve a high-quality software which can be resold and rebranded under client’s brand umbrella. There is no vendor lock-in, which allows our clients to maintain the platform independently or use our WARP stack, whichever they prefer.
