Internet of Things (IoT) and Nanotechnology: where will we go in Supply Chain Management?

Still inspired by Campus Party Brasil 2016, I started to wander and imagine possible ways to use technology in Supply Chain Management in the future. Obviously, the use of technology is already a reality in our area and the vast majority of companies would not be able to deal with the complexity of their operations without the use of technological tools. However, there are enough signs to believe that we are very close to a revolution brought about by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Nanotechnology.

In another post, I had already commented on the possible impacts of IoT in our area, presenting some existing initiatives. However, we can try to imagine an even more distant future with the tools already available, including nanotechnology, which promises to revolutionize packaging, postponement and monitoring and integration activities.

Packing

Packaging is extremely important for the movement of goods, ensuring protection and unitization. Furthermore, with the use of barcodes and rfid tags, you can control inventory levels and track products along the supply chain. However, the economic viability of this monitoring is only possible, nowadays, from a certain level of minimum grouping of products, from which the cost of packaging and tracking becomes feasible.

With nanotechnology, we begin to envision the possibility of creating “invisible shields”, formed by microscopic particles capable of protecting products in their unitary dimensions. These microparticles can also function as sensors capable of detecting and protecting cargo against variations in temperature and humidity, in addition to ensuring traceability throughout the supply chain, including at consumers' homes.

Video 1 presents a demonstration of the practical operation of nanotechnology. From there, we can imagine individually “wrapped” fruits and vegetables, protected from bacteria, humidity and heat, with shelf life much greater, reducing waste and costs in the food supply chain, for example.

Video 1 – A very dry demo

Source: Mark Shaw – TED Talk

postponement

Nanotechnology also promises to revolutionize postponement practices, so important for reducing inventories along the supply chain. Today, the postponement is limited to sectors where the delivery time for the customer allows the completion of the product after placing the order, as in the automobile industry. Also, in some rarer cases, the warehouses can function as packaging completion centers and preparation of promotional kits.

In a still distant future, nanoparticles will allow product customization, such as changing color and even flavor, even for food industries. fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). The finalization can take place during transport and, dreaming higher, in the consumer's own home.

Integrated with the advancement of IoT, we can imagine that robots replacing shelves (or even “smart and connected” shelves) will communicate with the supplier to inform that a certain powdered soap fragrance is being consumed at a higher speed, causing microparticles to are “activated” inside the soap powder boxes that have already left the distribution center.

Monitoring and Integration

Undoubtedly, it is in this theme that we can “travel” the most when we think about the future of Supply Chain Management. It is already possible to dream, based on the existing technology of IoT and Nanotechnology, with the intercommunication between the different “actors” of the supply chain, which will coordinate themselves through cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

You can envision consumer information flowing directly from products to drones and autonomous vehicles, storage robots e 3D printers. Precisely calculated routes from other products that are in transit. Stock replenishment based on actual consumption, no longer on forecasts. Operational problems, breakdowns and maintenance needs reported directly by equipment and vehicles. Prices automatically adjusted by demand and available capacity informed by available resources and products.

Science fiction? It is worth watching the interview with Professor Marcelo Zuffo, from the department of electronic systems engineering at the USP Polytechnic School, on this week's Roda Viva program about the changes that the advancement of technology will bring to people's lives.