News Feature | April 6, 2015

Survey Finds Transportation And Logistics Believe IoT Will Be "Most Strategic Initiative"

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Field Service Predicted To See M2M And IoT Growth

A study conducted by Zebra Technologies Corporation finds 96 percent of surveyed transportation and logistics (T&L) companies agree the Internet of Things (IoT) is the most strategic technological initiative their organizations will undertake this decade. In fact, enterprises in key industries around the world are utilizing IoT solutions to “arm themselves” with the real-time data and intelligence that will allow them to be more connected and do smarter business, according to an infographic based on study results.

The survey, conducted in October 2014 by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Zebra Technologies, showed that 90 percent of T&L companies either have or plan to deploy IoT solutions within a year. The report is a follow up to the 2012 Forrester outlook on the adoption of IoT in the enterprise.

The survey finds 51 percent anticipate IoT to help boost regulatory compliance and deliver processes, while 45 percent say it will help improve safety, 44 percent say it will recognize cost efficiencies, and 44 percent say it can improve their supply chain visibility.

When asked what the most important technologies for enabling IoT implementations, respondents list Wi-Fi, security sensors, near-field communications (NFC), and real-time locating systems. Currently, businesses are using the IoT for location tracking (83 percent), Wi-Fi (83 percent), GPS tracking (80 percent), and bar codes for asset tracking (79 percent).

Nearly 40 percent state privacy and security concerns pose the greatest challenge for IoT implementations, with 38 percent citing implementation complexity as an obstacle. 

Jim Hilton, senior director, global manufacturing principal for Zebra Technologies explains, “The survey findings demonstrate exactly how important IoT is to the T&L industry. IoT solutions provide operational and actionable data on the location and condition of tracked objects which will help improve the customer experience, create new revenue streams, enable competitive differentiation, and promote workforce collaboration.”