What does it mean to have a modern supply chain? 

With various sectors facing changes across the globe, both positive and negative, the logistics industry is no different. Year on year, supply chains have been expanding and adapting to meet the demands that businesses and consumers both have – and this evolution won’t stop in 2025.  

Whether your supply chain operates across a county, a country or a continent – or even beyond – there are a variety of ways to support your operations to meet the new challenges that 2025 will bring. 

The continued rise of digitisation and AI 

We have talked before about the importance of digital logistics and throughout 2024 we continued to see an increase into the digital space with many organisations. Even those who have already fully digitised and modernised their supply chains are looking to embrace AI technology to further increase the capacity of their supply chain management. 

Autonomy has become a hugely important part of many supply chains and AI technology is moving autonomation up to support management as they continue to adapt supply chains. 

Logistics operations that have embraced digitisation through tracking or other means will have many data points gathering insights across their supply chain. AI can help collate this data and forecast changes in demand and make decisions in real-time, helping reduce unnecessary costs across supply chains. 

We’re still in the early days of Artificial Intelligence and only time will tell how easy adopting these methodologies will become in 2025.  

AI technology has already made some impacts, but without the right technology gathering the data across your supply chain, your operations team won’t see much benefit in embracing it. 

That’s where full digitisation comes in. With consumer demand continuing to increasingly come from online retail stores rather than physical locations, it’s vital that organisations can get the oversight across their supply chains to support reactive logistics operations and omnichannel-ready networks. 

Choosing the right asset tracking for your supply chain 

This begins with the implementation of asset tracking technology. IoT technology has made tracking more accessible for even the smallest and simplest of supply chains; but for those looking to have complete oversight of their operations, it’s important to utilise a variety of different types of tracking technology as they all can help in their own ways. 

1. Bluetooth 

Bluetooth technology, particularly through innovations like Wiliot’s battery-free labels and Bluetooth battery-operated devices, offers a highly affordable and efficient tracking solution. 

Wiliot’s battery-free Bluetooth tags are a groundbreaking development in the field. These tags harvest energy from ambient radio frequencies, eliminating the need for batteries. This not only reduces costs significantly but also makes them environmentally friendly. They are equipped with multiple sensors to track movement, temperature, humidity, and more, making them versatile for various applications. 

Bluetooth battery-operated devices also provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional tracking systems. These devices are designed to be energy-efficient, extending battery life and reducing maintenance costs. The affordability of these Bluetooth solutions is enhanced by their ease of deployment and scalability, making them suitable for large-scale operations. 

2. Real-time GPS 

GPS (General Positioning System) is often what people think of first when they think of tracking, but GPS tracking isn’t without its faults – and that’s without factoring the significant investment required. GPS trackers can be obstructed in high population areas and often lose connectivity in remote regions. It is often best considered alongside other tracking technology to get the most out of all. 

3. Cell phone triangulation 

With the rise of 5G over the last few years, connectivity has significantly improved across much of the UK, Europe and America. Cell phone triangulation takes the strength of signals from nearby cell towers to track the position of an asset. This is much easier in urban areas where there are more cell towers, but in rural areas accuracy is greatly decreased. 

4. RFID 

We often see that supply chains will integrate RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) as one of their first forays into logistics. By using radio waves to identify the locations of products and assets, RFID can help track assets in real-time. 

With the right tracking technology, creating a logistics operation that can react to changes in markets, demand and more becomes much easier.  

But that all falls apart without quality, reusable assets. 

Barcode scanning has been part of logistics operations since its inception the 20th Century but technology has caught up and surpassed it, making it redundant for many modernised, large-scale supply chains.  

This is the same for wooden pallets, which break easily, making tracking much more difficult and take up vital space in warehouses and shopfloors. By utilising plastic pallets that are rackable and nestable you can save space, optimise reverse logistics and equip a solution that’s built to incorporate asset tracking from the very beginning. Allowing you to gain the required oversight modern supply chains demand. 

The benefits don’t stop there. Plastic pallets are manufactured to exact specifications as they are made by using a mould. This helps with automating processes across your supply chain, helping you lower costs. 

Modernising your supply chain means embracing the latest technology, and here at Digipal we have helped some of the biggest brands in the UK move towards a reactive supply chain that works for everyone, from management to customers.

If you’re interested in developing your supply chain in 2025, get in touch with us at info@digipalsolutions.com.