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In recent years, the coronavirus pandemic has affected all sectors of the global economy. Logistics companies have to change their strategies to be more innovative to reduce losses and meet the new demands of the economy in the face of restrictions. There is an urgent need to respond in a timely manner to the rapidly changing trends in logistics in 2023.

The main ones include the following:

Digitalization and artificial intelligence

The pandemic contributed to a shift in the vector of business development, which also affected the digitalization process. Companies now face the challenge of integrating human capabilities and artificial intelligence. Investments in the development of information technology are considered one of the best ways to reduce the costs of companies. Severe quarantine restrictions have underlined the clear need for such innovations. Logistics companies are increasingly introducing new systems for managing warehouse and transport operations, new IT solutions to optimize logistics solutions, and also improve existing ones.

Elastic logistics

The market is governed by the law of supply and demand, the ratio of which is sometimes unpredictable. In this aspect, thanks to elastic logistics, it is possible to increase and decrease capacities in the supply chain, and quickly adapt to changing realities. The "flexibility" of logistics helps to reduce costs and not lose potential profits.

Focus on online commerce

The global Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the market structure and growth of online shopping and helped remove barriers to taking advantage of e-commerce. Electronic alternatives to offline offerings have been launched to meet dynamic consumer demands. The conservatism of some companies in this matter has led to forced closures or significant losses.

Green logistics

Global warming and human impact on the environment are no longer considered abstract concepts, but the specific problem, which is being addressed in all spheres of life. The logistics industry is also no exception. Green Logistics - a new concept in this area, aimed at reducing the industry's impact on the environment. There are many ways to prevent pollution by green logistics companies - optimizing loading, optimizing the route, choosing a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation, etc. In the future, this trend is only expected to further strengthen.

Last Mile in logistics

This is the last stage in the delivery of goods to the buyer. At this stage of the supply chain, there are some difficulties, the main of which is the speed of delivery. In order to compensate for delays in global transportation, courier services are trying to make the most of the efficiency on the last mile. Only in this case, they will be able to manage the situation, meet the requirements of the market and strengthen their position in the business.

Most areas of the industry, including logistics, have been transformed by the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Autonomous vehicles, warehouse automation, predictive analytics, and smart roads are examples of technologies that are becoming the norm today.

Companies are beginning to realize the value of machine learning and the benefits of leveraging the expertise of AI vendors to improve manufacturing and delivery.

We decided to analyze and share useful information about the advantages of applying artificial intelligence in the logistics industry.

In fact, building an artificial intelligence system is a painstaking process of transferring human qualities and abilities to machines and harnessing their superior computing capabilities in order to exceed their capabilities.

What is the role of artificial intelligence in the transformation of the field of logistics? And what are the positive aspects of these changes? Sufficient grounds can be presented to prove the exceptional impact of artificial intelligence on logistics.

1. Artificial intelligence reveals the potential of Big Data in logistics

By taking advantage of the possibilities of Big Data, logistics companies can increase the efficiency of their operations based on accurate forecasts. Moreover, it is possible not only to improve a specific business process but to get the general picture and solve several issues at the same time.

2. Due to logistics, robotization becomes more relevant

Artificial intelligence has a positive impact on warehouse operations management. Robots can identify, move, sort, and track goods, empowering today's workforce. By reducing the negative impact of the human factor, using robots in warehouse operations can increase the productivity of the company, the level of security in the field of logistics, and reduce operational costs.

3. Better demand forecasting

Forecasting future needs for consumables is critical to a successful business. If your company cannot make accurate forecasts and the number of goods available does not meet high demand, the possibility of running out of stock and losing revenue increases. Surely, every entrepreneur tries to avoid this, because otherwise he simply could not meet the needs of his customers.

4. Real-time route optimization

Through the implementation of autonomous delivery systems that use real-time route optimization technologies without human intervention, artificial intelligence can improve delivery efficiency and reduce transportation costs.

5. Warehouse automation

"Computer vision" is widely used in automated warehouses. This technology enables the identification and systematization of products and will help manage quality control without human intervention in the future. Furthermore, if the supply chain includes multiple warehouses, AI can connect them to determine the best way to move goods. With the help of computer vision technology, artificial intelligence also recognizes damaged objects and assesses the type and depth of damage, which allows it to prevent future damage and takes certain measures.

6. Back-office automation

Invoicing, email processing, scheduling, HR management, and other office operations can be accelerated and automated with the help of artificial intelligence, saving significant time.

In conclusion, the world of logistics is being completely transformed by the use of new technologies, especially AI. The application of artificial intelligence is one of the main factors for the progress of this industry. Artificial intelligence increases not only the efficiency but also the accuracy of logistics processes, which further increases profitability.

Oversized cargo is cargo which dimensions exceed the standards established during transportation. For this reason, the transportation of such goods is a complex task, which can only be solved by an integrated approach of specialists.

In this article we will talk about the top 5 most difficult to transport oversized cargo.

5. Residential houses and historical buildings

Transportation in this category is required for many reasons. It can be a natural disaster, moving to a new place, or preserving an architectural monument. Transportation of finished structures is carried out as a whole or disassembled by trawl. For some countries, take, for example, the United States, the transportation of houses is a common thing, for which its own mechanism has already been worked out, and this is a rather profitable business. Transportation of historical buildings is also not uncommon. One recent case is the relocation of the lighthouse Rubjerg Knude (1899) in Denmark, which was threatened with collapse due to soil erosion.

4. Equipment for the oil and gas industry

When transporting oil and gas equipment, it is necessary to take into account not only the oversized cargo and heavy weight. Often this kind of equipment contains fragile parts such as electronic devices, sensors, monitors, and other built-in mechanisms. Improper transportation can cause damage to these parts, which will eventually lead to the failure of the entire equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly control both the transport vehicle itself and the roadbed along the route, cargo securing, and even the professional qualities of the driver himself. In the international experience of deliveries of oil and gas equipment, a successful example is the transportation of reactors for the Achinsk refinery by the carrier Spetstyazhavtotrans in 2013. The parties to the order were nominated for the Guinness Book of Records: the Book's editor-in-chief set a record for the heaviest cargo (1,306 tons) transported by road over the longest distance on land (203 km).

3. Heavy industrial equipment for refineries and steel mills

Heavy industrial equipment is a special case in logistics, since neither the weight, sometimes reaching hundreds of tons, nor the size and constitution meet the standards. These loads cannot be handled by an ordinary trailer truck. In such "oversized" cases, specialists use multi-support platforms - small multi-wheel modules on solid tires. By docking with each other, these elements can form a special trailer of any width and length (in theory). Of course, with such a load, transport will not be able to go fast: in some sections of the route, the speed does not exceed walking speed. To prevent overheating, such designs provide for the presence of a powerful cooling system in the transmission.

2. Transportation of rockets

The most complex maintenance equipment of huge dimensions was necessary for the Scalpel rockets: the weight of the special container in which it was transported (25 tons) was added to the dead weight of the rocket (104 tons) to maintain the desired microclimate. In addition to everything else, it was necessary to comply with difficult safety conditions, because the rocket was transported in a refueled state in a special isothermal car made to fit its dimensions.

1. Super tractors

The first place in our rating is occupied by unique transportation, which took place in the summer of 1996. A certain commercial company purchased a 40-meter pleasure boat weighing 88 tons, from which they planned to make a floating restaurant on Naroch. But here's the bad luck: the boat is on the Berezina, and it does not connect with Lake Naroch in any way. Future restaurateurs managed to agree on the implementation of the transportation of this boat by tractor-transporters MAZ-7907, although initially they were supposed to transport intercontinental missiles. The speed of the conveyor was approximately 5-10 km/h. The journey of 200 km covered almost five days. We added this transportation to the top list due to the uniqueness of the idea: at that time there was no such equipment anywhere in the world, and the creativity of engineers and non-standard thinking together led to such an unusual solution.

As Alliance Logistics, we have extensive experience in the transportation of oversized cargo and provide reliable services in this field.

The world-famous Guinness Book of Records captures the most unusual facts from different spheres of life. Logistics is no exception, especially considering the scale of logistics transportation today.

Heaviest load

The Norwegian gas production platform with the symbolic name "Troll-A" is the largest and heaviest object on the planet, created by humans, officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The total height of Troll-A is 472 meters, weight with ballast is 1.2 million tons. The platform stands on four support legs, and the total height of each is 369 meters, which exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower. By the way, for movement in the support legs, there is an elevator, the rise of which takes as much as 9 minutes.

Largest Tractor Truck

The honorary title of the largest tractor truck, recognized as such by the Guinness Book of Records, was awarded to the car of the French concern Nicolas Tractomas TR 10X10 D100. The gross weight with ballast is 71 tons. Nicolas can pull a road train weighing up to 700 tons. The price for such an acquisition is also appropriate - the cost of one such tractor is 800,000 euros. A total of 5 units of this equipment were produced.

Largest container ship

Ever Alot, the largest container ship is the first of its kind with a capacity of 24,000 TEU, designed in Shanghai by China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group. The length of the vessel is 399.9 m, its width is 61.5 m, and the deck area is 24 thousand square meters, about three and a half football fields. The vessel is intended for service on the Far East-Europe route.

Largest Port

The Shanghai port tops the list of the world's busiest ports, having inherited the title of the world's largest in 2019 from its Singaporean counterpart. Located in the People's Republic of China, in the city of Shanghai, this port also has the fastest growing economy with a cargo turnover of 43 million TEU. The favorable geographical position of the port allows for receiving both deep sea and river vessels. Basically, it handles bulk shipments of coal, metal ores, petroleum and its derivatives, steel, machinery, and construction equipment.