Can you imagine running a supply chain without phones, faxes or email? One where you were dependent upon the mail for orders and information? In this information age, that is truly a business nightmare. But, the time is rapidly approaching when we will not be able to run supply chain and logistics operations without Internet services.

The Internet, with its AAA (anyone, anywhere, anytime) facilitating of real time information, has had a major impact on many businesses and their activities. Logistics operations – always a conservative area of business – have been slow to endorse and embrace the Web. However, Logistics Cloud Computing has now passed the early adopters stage and logistics operators are potentially amongst the biggest beneficiaries in this new web based information world – and British software providers are leading the world.

It is only in the last few years that we have seen a change in the way that the web can be used to provide software services, as opposed to a technology for exchanging information for on-premises software. Most supply chain professionals would agree that key to supply chain integration and efficiency are collaboration and visibility. Essential to these goals is real time information, available to companies, customers, suppliers and their logistics service providers on a ‘need to know’ basis. Attempts to integrate supply chains, instead of creating “best-of-breed” solutions, have in fact usually created “the best which we can cobble together” solutions. Supply chains typically have multiple technologies which cannot talk to each other, and have separate IT support, including CRM, WMS, TMS, In-cab/telematics and handhelds. Here comes the Cloud – there goes the Heat Robinson approach.