Soti research finds delays due to incorrect investment

As the effects of the pandemic continue to put pressure on supply chains, research has revealed that over 70% of Australian transportation and logistics (T&L) companies made investments in new technology for support during COVID-19. While these investments have been a lifeline to T&L companies, the research found almost all (98%) of the employees reported a loss of business-critical time spent dealing with system or device downtime.

The findings from the Mobilising the Delivery Workforce: State of Mobility in Transportation and Logistics 2021 Report, by mobile and IoT management solutions provider SOTI, also uncovered the significant impact these technology interruptions are having on operations. Over 44% of Australian T&L employees report that they lose at least three to four hours every week due to system downtime that consequently delays shipments.

The research found that 30% of Australian T&L employees stated that the main causes of downtime resulting in shipping delays is due to a lack of IT support to address mobile device downtime issues, as well as self-serve applications that allow drivers to diagnose and troubleshoot device issues independently while they are on the road. Updated information not being automatically shared across all systems (28%) plus systems not being upgraded frequently enough (40%) were also reported as top issues causing downtime.

Leveraging new technology needs to be a top priority for T&L organisations, but with 96% of Australian T&L companies stating that they plan to invest considerably in new technology in the next 18 months, it appears this is something that is already in the planning stages.

All respondents worked in companies with 50 or more global employees. The 550 interviews were split across eight markets: US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Sweden and Australia.

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