As technology is developing, the international freight forwarders have new possibilities for providing more efficient services to their customers. New technologies such as 3D printing make the work of forwarders throughout Europe easier.
The opportunities for using 3D printers for manufacturing various products has led to an increase of the demand for such technology
The sales of 3D printers are rapidly growing. The number of these printers sold in 2012 was more than the entire volume of sales for the 25 years before that. The reason for this rise, is the convenience of these printers which can produce various objects and items with minimum human involvement.
The impact of 3D printing for the activities of the European Logistics Network
The printing of products based on digital models from materials such as: plastic, ceramics, metal and others allows for the consumers to order the desired products from destinations closer to the main production centre of the product. This allows the production of such products to move closer to the end market and consumer.
The second main advantage of the use of 3D printing is the possibility of customisation of the orders. This allows the customers not only to purchase the desired product but to order it with specific modifications too.
Changes which will occur in the activities of the international freight services
The changes in the production will be significant:
- With the shifting of the production sites closer to the end consumer, the need for storages will decrease. The orders will be performed faster.
- With the lessened distances between the production and the consumer, the routes for small shipments will become shorter too.
- There will be a growing demand for 3D shops in which the member companies of the European network for transportation will offer deliveries to the customers who ordered the goods.
- The demand for logistics services will decrease to a large extent
- The companies in the freight forwarding network which offer more added value will be in a more favourable position
- With the development of the new technologies which will lower the cost of various goods in mass copies and single copies, the need for groupage transport will grow
- The customers will want not only to be able to order customised products but also to receive them in the time requested by them which will increase the demand for express transport services
- With the massive deployment of 3D technologies, the freight forwarders in Europe can turn into manufacturers
- The companies in the International forwarders network need to react quickly to the changes in the market, when a demand for certain new goods appears in a given area
- The need for logistics of materials will prevail over the forwarding of ready products
- The need of logistics services for the delivery of spare parts will grow significantly. Until now, the majority of spare parts were kept in storage for year. Now with the new 3D technologies, the necessary spare parts can be easily printed out
How freight forwarders Europe must plan their future activities
First of all, the logistics companies should reduce their fleets.
The supply chains must be very flexible – one of the future objectives for logistic companies.
Also, the need of specialisation per sector will decrease.
The logistics companies must work in partnership with the suppliers.