Smart Logistics Management System

Abstract

The growth of online shopping and similar forms e-commerce has long been an important driving force within the related industries, with logistics services as a prime example. However, it is quite difficult for small start-up companies to survive and thrive in the logistics trade due to the large amount of initial investment and the fierce competition for market share with large companies like FedEx and SF Express.

The high start-up costs for a logistics company are mainly due to the need for a basic infrastructure to run daily operations. Common logistics management systems often require special equipment such as handheld computers with laser scanners for delivery drivers, satellite trackers and on-board computers for delivery vehicles and proprietary software system for item tracking and delivery management. It is obvious that small start-up delivery firms are unlikely to possess the large amount of capital or the technical expertise to acquire or develop a similar system like the ones above.

This project aims to serve the need for a simple, reliable, accessible logistics management system which can be used for start-up logistics companies for local deliveries. To achieve this goal, the solution is based upon common and lightweight technical solutions which can be easily deployed onto popular service platforms (like Amazon Web Services) and utilized by ordinary mobile devices (like smartphones). This eliminates the need for costly special equipment, thus largely reducing the start-up costs for small logistics firms and benefiting their initial business performance.