Here’s a peek at what attendees will find at the largest consumer electronics show in the world.
Autonomous cars that move about without a human driver; blockchain technology that ensures secure, end-to-end transactions across the supply chain; and flying drones that manage warehouse inventory counts from the air are just handful of the logistics and transportation technologies featured at the 2019 Consumer Technology Association’s CES Show.
First held in 1967, CES started with just 117 exhibitors and has since grown to more than 4,000 tech firms and 182,000 attendees. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is a veritable “launch pad for innovation that changes the world,” according to the CTA.
Sessions that Educate
To be held in Las Vegas January 8-11, CES features over 1,000 speakers, many of whom will be talking about the latest technology to help supply chains run smarter, faster, and better. The IoT Transforms Supply Chain for Retail and Consumer Goods conference session, for example, shows how IoT is increasingly being integrated in the design and functionality of consumer goods, such as appliances and virtual assistants, as well as in the retail supply chains supporting the sale and distribution of new products and services.
CES’ overall transportation track focuses on the “Future of Transportation,” with experts discussing their visions of personal transportation and train pods to aeronautics a future view of transportation. Individual sessions will look at how close we really are to having flying cars; transportation sharing; predictive maintenance; biometric vehicle access; and safety and policy guidelines for autonomous/smart vehicles.
Other logistics-related CES sessions will look at how blockchain is being incorporated into business solutions to ensure greater security, from cryptocurrency to the supply chain. Smart Cities Flirt with Blockchain, for example, looks at the emergence of blockchain technology—featuring immutability, openness, and fairness—and how it provides efficient solutions to problems like supply chain and financial management.
Out on the Expo Floor
This year’s CES expo floor promises to be the largest and most innovative yet, thanks to a combination of rapid advancements in technology plus the sheer size of this annual show. “It’s the tech industry’s annual showcase of the best new gear and innovations for the year ahead,” T3 reports, “and it essentially takes over Las Vegas for a few days every time January arrives.”
This year will be no different. On the guest list are representatives from the world of smart home devices (Amazon, Philips, Netgear, Netatmo), wearables (Garmin, Fitbit), drones (DJI) and more. Software titans such as Adobe and Symantec are also showing up, and Google will be there too.
Of course, CES wouldn’t be complete without its sprawling Smart Home Marketplace, where attendees will find a plethora of home-automation regulars – Dakota Alert, with its driveway sensors; Fibaro peddling home-automation hubs and Z-Wave sensors; Kwikset showcasing a wide range of smart locks; and Legrand showing off its inventive new lighting controls, CEPro reports.
Getting into the CES Spirit
As annual technology shows like CES showcase the products that are making our world more connected, mobile, and efficient, global logistics providers like DB Schenker are already using artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and IoT to develop even smarter logistics processes. For example, it recently began collaborating with IAM Robotics to blend innovative, leading-edge logistics technology into its operations.
As automation and robotics continue to pave new inroads in the logistics environment, this new collaboration will serve as a foundational platform for the use of these advanced technologies to help shippers work smarter, better, and faster.
A maker of mobile piece-picking robots that are taking warehouse automation to the next level, IAM Robotics has been recognized by many organizations for excellence in technology innovation. By blending flexible robotics and automation in the warehousing environment, logistics providers are finding new ways to offset long-standing challenges such as the shrinking labor market and the demands of high-velocity e-commerce business models.
Together, DB Schenker and IAM Robotics are helping to improve today’s warehousing operations while also looking out 5-10 years at what future technologies can be deployed to make those visions a reality.
“This is an exciting time for the logistics industry, where a lot of great technologies and solutions are emerging,” said Joel Reed, CEO at IAM Robotics. “This alliance blends perfectly with DB Schenker’s own initiatives and commitment to innovation and new technology in e-commerce.”
CES® is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers. Visit CES online at www.ces.tech.
