Android Everywhere:

Android is slowly finding its deployment across Logistics players for Delivery Update of consignments. But Android devices can do much more.

Some of the things that go beyond operations can be, particularly for Sales team:

Instant Quotations
Sales people need to provide quotation for various lanes for different capacity of vehicles. They can us an Android App to enter customer parameters and provide an Instant Quote that can be mailed to them.

Instant Outstanding Statement
Collection in Logistics industry means visiting a customer and convincing him to pay. Many a times, the exact outstanding and bill details are not handy with sales person.

He can use an Android app to simple enter customer name and system will give him full list of pending invoices. He can then simply click a button to send these as e-mail to customer.

One less reason for customer not to pay !!

Expense Entry

Sales teams visits many customers to generate business, collection and customer support purpose. They can use a Conveyance App to log their meetings, update spending on conveyance and other expenses. This way, they can save time to update manual records.

The company gets a real time update of why money was spent and on what customer/ prospect.

Thus, Android is not just for operations in Supply Chain but can work across business functions

Field Usage: Tablet or Phone?

Many companies are widely deploying Android devices on field. There is always a debate between whether to arm the team with Android Phones or use Android Tablets.

Here are some points to be considered:

Price Point

There is a continuous competition between phones and tablets for lowest price point. As a rule cheapest phones are about 10-15% lower than cheapest tablets.

Screen Size

No brainer- Tablets give much more scope for data capture in easier way due to larger screen size

Battery Life

This is important as field will need longer batter life. Here too tablets score as they have a larger battery but also a larger screen to light up !!

Dual use as data and voice device

Tablets will need blue tooth or a hands free whereas you can do without one in case of phone.

Handling

It is easier to carry a handset as compared to tablet. Special sleeve may be needed for protection of tablet.

Android is Crushing Apple and Microsoft- ZDNET

Here is latest on growing Android Dominance

http://www.zdnet.com/android-is-crushing-apple-and-microsoft-in-the-mobile-device-market-7000015206/

Here is my take:

Android will be the new MS for Apple. In 1980s, Apple Mac was hardware + OS and never licensed to others. Microsoft had poorer technology and was a later starter. But it created an ecosystem of PC manufacturers. Along with Intel, it created a need for its latest Operating System running on fastest processor. In less than 10 years, Apple was gone and Microsoft ruled the world.

iOS is a fantastic innovation but again Apple controls the hardware and software as well as the App marketplace. But they never focused on emerging markets- the poor of Africa and India would never know what a Smart phone is without Samsung and Android.

So in India, you have a Samsung crushing everyone else with greater market share than everyone else. India and Africa are one of the fastest growing Smartphone markets. But Samsung was smart enough to even provide toys for the relatively rich in emerging markets.

So what we have now is a Samsung emerging monopoly in sub-Rs. 20,000 segment and a mighty fight with Apple in Rs. 25,000 plus segment.

India will have more than 300 mn smartphones by end of 2014- 95% of this will be Android.

Apple took India for granted for too long. Mistake- as India will be one of the biggest contributor to Android growth.

Getting drivers to scan PODs using Android phone

Drivers and technology do not go together- so believes the industry. We agree. But we can still have drivers or brokers use technology to send us e-POD.

How ?

First rule- do not expect driver or broker to enter any form on a mobile device.

WebXpress has devised an application- ONE CLICK POD. This is how it works:

• Driver/ broker needs to have an Android Smartphone- this does not sound very far fetched as India will have over 300 mn smart phone by end of 2014
• E-POD application will be installed on their phone or hub manager can download once for them
• At the time of delivery, they will click on Application Icon
• Camera will be invoked and they will take a photo of POD
• App will automatically upload the photo to server

At central office, a team will open all such images- enter data into Web Application or reject the image

So we have E-POD, delivery update, audit of data- ALL DONE in one shot.

 

GPS tracking on Android Device

Fleet owners have to manage a huge fleet of vehicles. Wonder if they are on the go. They get a call from a contract party asking where is the vehicle they have booked?They can now go on this Android Application for GPS and track where their vehicle is and thereby let the contract party know when exactly the vehicle will reach the destination.

How will this Application work.

• Owners all will be given a Login name and password.
• Once they Login to the android application, they will be asked to provide a user name and password.
• Lets say the Fleet owner logs in with his user name and password. There will be a list of vehicles which are on the move at that present moment. 
• Now he can select the vehicle which he needs to track the location. Once the vehicle is selected he will exactly know where the vehicle is. 

Lets say your vehicle is not following the intended direction to reach the direction, then the owner can himself send an Automated SMS to the driver saying the 

This makes his job of managing the fleet much more easy.One can also track the fuel levels of a particular vehicle through the application.

What 300 mn Android Smart Phones can do for your supply chain

Consider this- India will have more than 300 mn Android driven Smart Phones by end of FY 2013.

This will have far reaching impact on the way any industry with need for Field Application Usage works.

Why? Well, Android Smart phone means you can capture location, photos, video and use an App to capture some details. This information is then sent to Internet thanks to 3G connectivity.

This means that data that used to reach offices 72 hours later will now reach in minutes !! Your friendly neighbourhood transporter can no longer say that he does not know where his vehicle is !!

This blog is dedicated for possible application of Android on Supply Chain Domain.

Watch this space for more !!