Logistics companies worldwide are moving towards the use of technology to perfect the way businesses are run. The demand to perform logistics tasks quickly is becoming even more evident. Businesses are having to keep up with changing technological times, too. A DHL Trend report says visual Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will become a standard practice in five years. The computer vision market is taking center stage in many aspects of logistics.
Computer vision, a field part of AI, enables computers to extract information. This information can be extracted from images and videos. The AI-driven system can then make recommendations from the visual data using algorithms. In essence, computer vision systems will understand their environment – just like humans.
DHL’s chief commercial officer Katja Busch says, “Computer vision has seen rapid developments, and all indications show that it is becoming an industry-shaping technology with promise along the entire supply chain – for our customers, employees, partners, and certainly the environment.”
Computers, a valuable part of logistics
The logistics company puts computer vision in four main areas in the industry. These are health and safety, operations, asset management, and shipment processing. The benefits of computer vision include saving time and reducing costs.
Vice Klaus Dohrmann, Vice president, head of innovation and Trend Research, at DHL CSI, adds: “In the logistics industry, we are seeing the first use cases that demonstrate the value of computers, including various health and safety applications as well as shipments dimensioning. As computer vision evolves thanks to technology advances in depth perception, 3D reconstruction, and interpretation of dark and blurred images, it will soon unlock many more opportunities and bring additional benefits to logistics companies.”
The use of computer vision in logistics proves useful. Before a shipment is dispatched, computer vision technology can assess the integrity of goods transported and ensure quality is maintained throughout the supply chain process. Computer vision systems are even being used to monitor logistics equipment. For example, conveyor belts can be inspected using this technology instead of a manual inspection – a logistics provider could get much-needed maintenance information speedily. This could even help avoid lengthy downtime when something goes wrong.
Computer vision market set to soar
Allied Market Research reports the computer vision market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 16% between 2020 and 2030. The global computer vision market has dominated the food and packaging, textiles, and machinery industries.
Another AI technology gaining momentum in AI is ‘Affective Computing’. This allows machines to analyze nonverbal signs from humans to assess their emotional state.
About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
