Host and moderator of the Future of Logistics conference Lars Jensen, asked if automation technologies were mature enough to be deployed in current transport and logistics operations and did the industry have the trained manpower in place to deploy these technologies to the fullest?
Retired Aviation and Air Cargo Executive Ram Menen said the technology was ready today. Speaking about the current skill sets of industry personnel, Mr Menen underlined the importance of AI and data analytics to enhance current skills and capabilities.
Autonomous trucks are already being tested and 5G is going to be critical in their initial deployment and the advent of 6G will allow the technology to realise its full potential by 2030.
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Mr Menen added that he was involved in a project that was creating an autonomous commercial airplane that would likely be in service by 2025. Turning to the use of sustainable fuels in aviation he felt that hydrogen was the future and saw it coming into use by 2035-40.
Mr Menen concluded by reiterating that there was a lot of fruitful research going on in the fields of AI and data analytics. These technologies are going to propel the industry into the future by taking a lot of the “cumbersome operations” out and making the supply chain more efficient.
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