Drones, Supply Chain Education and MINT countries under the spotlight

eft CEO Chris Saynor takes a look at the possible directions that the logistics industry could take in 2014

It was interesting in the first few weeks of January to see all the 2014 supply chain prediction articles that are written every year.
 
I’m going to take a look at those in more detail in the coming weeks, but it was also good to see the guys at Logistics Viewpoints give their opinions on the conferences to attend in 2014. You can find Steve Banker’s list on Forbes website here.
 
 
Continual learning is vital for every supply chain executive. There are so many good ideas, and new ways of working which may only be discovered outside of one’s company. There are not that many opportunities to hear first-hand from an expert speaker in your field or be able to talk directly with your peers over a coffee about a supply chain issue and how they solved or improved it – conferences, and especially high-level niche events rather than massive trade shows, are one of the few places where you can gain this new knowledge. So why not make it a goal for 2014 that you attend an event that you have never been to before (even better if you make it an eyefortransport one ;0)) https://www.reutersevents.com/supplychain/events
 
I am still intrigued by the whole delivery drone story that Amazon pushed out. There is a really interesting new angle on how it could practically work which is worth a read here http://logisticsviewpoints.com/2014/01/06/amazon-drones-nuts-can-work/
 
Also, interesting to see that Rolls Royce have recently been talking about drone cargo ships as an idea that is now technologically possible.
 
Lastly this week, I want to highlight this report from the BBC on the MINT countries, as the new BRICS http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25548060. In my opinion there is no argument about Mexico or Turkey. Indonesia has been mentioned in the past due to its sheer size and young population, but I would not be completely confident that it will be one of the countries to watch, whilst Nigeria is both hugely exciting and hugely unpredictable, as is a lot of Africa. Personally I really hope the next 5-10 years is a watershed moment for the economic strength of the African continent; it has so much potential, such a young population and such an entrepreneurial spirit which deserve some massive economic gains and the associated benefits that brings not just to a few businessmen and politicians, but hopefully to the whole populace.
 
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