In the industrial era of the 19th century, the world witnessed a fundamental shift in the way products are manufactured. Machines began to replace people in the workplace, and workers feared for their jobs. Back then, , the people feared for their jobs so much that they raided the factory floors and did their best to destroy the machines, viewing them as the enemy.
However, what they failed to appreciate was that, with the arrival of the machines, came the arrival of fresh opportunities of wealth to those who worked with the shift in technology. Machinery brought with it multiple new jobs, in the form of design, creation, installation and maintenance. This in turn had impact on the logistics chain.
As these opportunities were created, they spurred innovation. This created wealth… to those who seized upon it. People began to achieve more with less, and that enabled them to explore even greater opportunities for growth.
The Opportunity of Technology
Now, hundreds of years later, we’re in the midst of another revolution, but this time, it’s the rise of technology. And once again, we’ve seen a lot of the same fears re-emerging. This has occurred in tandem with an ageing population, which has naturally shrunk the workforce.
However, the population might be ageing, but it’s certainly not diminishing, and we need to find new ways to boost productivity to support the population growth. It’s precisely for this reason that technology should be embraced, not feared.
Taking the example of the semi-autonomous driving functionality in the trucking industry. This technology allows the truck to drive in highway situations, which in turn, frees the driver from having to do a major amount of driving. The idea is to introduce fully autonomous driving in the future.
Some might view it as a threat, presenting competition to the truck driver. However, the reality of the situation is very different. With a shortage of qualified truck drivers in the US, self-driving trucks enable the industry to continue serving the population, helping us to work through the shortage.
Celebrating Technology and Seeking Innovation
Whilst weare not at the stage where we’ll be entirely governed by robots just yet. The human factor will always be important in all forms of industry. Just like in the Industrial revolution, looking at technological advances and its implications to your business can present opportunities to your business. In the case of the Trucking Industry, technology ensures that we’re not hemmed in by a shrinking workforce. Instead, its provides the industry freedom to expand, develop and achieve more than they have done in the past.
How does this apply to you, you may wonder? Look back 15 years ago. If you wanted to complete a transaction, you required labour to process sales, document them, record and account for it all. Now, this can be achieved through automation, without any need for human intervention. Technology allows you, the business owner, to achieve more with significantly less.
When you’re next faced with an upcoming technological challenge in your industry…
Tweet: “Don’t see it as a problem, regard it as an opportunity.” – @BizCoachRay
