DP DHL partners with Huawei on IoT supply chain tech

Deutsche Post DHL Group and information and communications technology solutions provider Huawei Technologies are teaming up to develop a range of supply chain solutions using industrial-grade Internet of Things hardware and infrastructure.    Deutsche Post DHL Group is partnering with information and communications technology solutions provider Huawei Technologies to develop a range of supply chain solutions using industrial-grade Internet of Things (IoT) hardware and infrastructure, the companies said in a joint statement.
   Under a recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), DP DHL and Huawei will collaborate on projects focusing on cellular-based IoT technology, which can connect large volumes of devices across long distances with minimal power consumption using low-cost networked sensors.
   That increased connectivity will allow DP DHL to “deliver a more integrated logistics value chain by providing critical data and visibility in warehousing operations, freight transportation, and last-mile delivery,” the companies said.
   Huawei will give DP DHL access to its IoT devices, connectivity experts, and network infrastructure as the parcel carrier and third-party logistics provider continues its efforts to incorporate greater sensing and automation capabilities into its warehousing, freight, and last-mile delivery services. The companies will also collaborate on efforts to market and sell the resulting innovations, including pilot commercial projects in Europe and China.
   DP DHL and Huawei estimate IoT technology could generate up to 1.77 trillion euros (U.S. $1.89 trillion) in additional value for the global logistics industry by 2025.
   “Spending on connected logistics solutions is expected to more than double between now and 2020, and many logistics providers including Deutsche Post DHL Group have already begun to explore Internet of Things applications in their supply chains, including everything from enhanced asset tracking to driverless delivery vehicles,” Dr. Markus Voss, global COO and CIO at DHL Supply Chain said of the partnership. “This MOU will allow both Huawei and Deutsche Post DHL Group to tackle complex operational and business challenges with a powerful combination of world-class Internet of Things hardware, networks, and expertise in end-to-end supply chain management.”
   “Relying on cloud-pipe-device collaboration, Huawei builds an open, flexible, elastic, and secure platform, helping customers easily integrate and develop applications tailored to actual service scenarios,” added Huawei Enterprise Business Group President Yan Lida. “This partnership opens up an opportunity to improve the efficiency, safety and customer service offered by global supply chains in previously-impossible ways, and defines how the Internet of Things will shape the fortunes of the logistics industry in the next few critical years of innovation.”