Logistics information technology

concept
Logistics information technology is the comprehensive application of modern information technology in various operation links of logistics, the fundamental mark that modern logistics differs from traditional logistics, and also the fastest developing field of logistics technology. In particular, the wide application of computer network technology makes logistics information technology reach a higher application level.
classification
Information technology applied in all links of logistics. According to the functions and characteristics of logistics, logistics information technology includes computer technology, network technology, information classification and coding technology, bar code technology, radio frequency identification technology, electronic data exchange technology, global positioning system (GPS), geographical information system (GIS), etc.
meaning
Logistics information technology is an important symbol of logistics modernization, and also the fastest developing field in logistics technology. From the barcode system of data collection to the computer, Internet, various terminal equipment and computer software in the office automation system, the hardware and computer software are developing with each passing day. At the same time, with the continuous development of logistics information technology, a series of new logistics concepts and new logistics management methods have been produced, pushing forward the reform of logistics. In the aspect of supply chain management, the development of logistics information technology has also changed the way that enterprises use supply chain management to gain competitive advantages. Successful enterprises use information technology to support their business strategy and choose their business. Through the use of information technology to improve the efficiency of supply chain activities, enhance the whole supply chain management decision-making ability.
Composition of logistics information technology
Bar code technology
Bar code technology is a kind of automatic identification technology produced and developed in the application of computer. It provides us a way to identify and describe the goods in the logistics. Bar code is the technical basis for the realization of POS system, EDI, e-commerce and supply chain management, as well as an important technical means for the modernization of logistics management, improvement of enterprise management level and competitiveness.
EDI technology
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) refers to the transmission and exchange of structured Data by computer network in a standardized format through Electronic means. The three elements that constitute EDI system are EDI hardware and software, communication network and data standardization.
Radio frequency (rf) technology
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a non-contact automatic identification technology, which automatically identifies the target object through the radio frequency signal to obtain relevant data. Identification work without manual intervention, can work in a variety of harsh environments. Short-range radio frequency products are not afraid of oil, dust pollution and other harsh environment, can replace bar code, for example, used in the factory line tracking objects. Long distance radio frequency products are mostly used in traffic, identification distance can be up to tens of meters, such as automatic charge or identification of vehicle identity.
GIS technology
Geographical Information System (Geographical Information System) is the product of a variety of disciplines. Based on Geographical spatial data, GIS(Geographical Information System) is a computer technology System serving Geographical research and decision making. Its basic function is to convert tabular data (whether it comes from a database, a spreadsheet file, or input directly in the program) into a geographic graphical display, and then browse, manipulate, and analyze the display results. It can range from intercontinental maps to very detailed block maps showing objects including population, sales, transit routes and other content.
GPS technology
Global Positioning system-gps has the ability to conduct all-round real-time three-dimensional navigation and Positioning in the sea, land and air. In the field of logistics, GPS can be applied to auto self-positioning, tracking and scheduling, railway transportation management and military logistics.
Management software
Logistics management software includes transportation management system (TMS), storage management system (WMS), freight forwarding management system (FMS), supply chain management system (SCM), etc.
Application status
In China, various logistics information application technologies have been widely used in all aspects of logistics activities, which has a profound impact on enterprises' logistics activities.
Application of logistics automation equipment technology
The hot link of integration and application of logistics automation equipment technology is distribution center, which is characterized by a large number of items to be selected every day. Therefore, in the domestic supermarkets, medicine, parcel distribution center and other industries, part of the introduction of automatic logistics picking equipment. One is chosen equipment automation applications, such as the pharmaceutical corporation distribution center in Beijing, the picking rack (plate) with visual sorting prompt device, this sorting shelves are connected to the logistics management information system, dynamically prompt have chosen the number of items and guiding the picking operation staff, improve the accuracy of the picking and speed. The other is an automatic sorting device after the selection of goods. The identified objects are attached with bar codes or electronic tags (generally the transportation unit after the package), which are sent to the sorting port by the conveyor belt, and then sorted by the sorting machine with the reading equipment, so that the items enter the respective group cargo channel and complete the automatic sorting. Sorting equipment is used in large domestic distribution centers. But this kind of equipment and corresponding supporting software are basically imported from abroad, there are also imported foreign machinery equipment, domestic configuration software. The three-dimensional warehouse and its matching roadway stacker have developed rapidly in China, and are applied in machinery manufacturing, automobile, textile, railway, cigarette and other industries.
Application of logistics equipment tracking and control technology
At present, logistics equipment tracking mainly refers to the logistics of transport carriers and logistics activities involved in the location of goods tracking. There are many methods for logistics equipment tracking, such as passive tracking by traditional means of communication, such as telephone, and periodic tracking by RFID. However, GPS technology is still the most widely used in China at present. GPS technology tracks and utilizes GPS logistics monitoring and management system, which mainly tracks the transportation status of freight vehicles and goods, enables owners and owners to know the position and status of vehicles and goods at any time, and ensures effective monitoring and rapid operation of the entire logistics process. The logistics GPS monitoring and management system mainly includes GPS positioning equipment on the means of transport, tracking service platform (including geographic information system and corresponding software), information communication mechanism and other equipment (such as electronic label or bar code on goods, alarm device, etc.). In China, some logistics enterprises also apply this technology in order to improve their management level and improve their service ability to customers.
Application of logistics dynamic information acquisition technology
The globalization development of enterprise competition, the shortening of product life cycle and the shortening of customer delivery time all put forward higher requirements on the availability and controllability of logistics service, and the concept of real-time logistics was born accordingly. How to ensure the complete control of the logistics process, the application technology of dynamic information collection is an essential element. The dynamic cargo or moving carrier itself has a lot of useful information, such as the name of the cargo, quantity, weight, quality, place of origin, or the name, brand, location, state of the moving carrier (such as vehicle, ship, etc.). Such information may be used repeatedly in logistics, so the correct and rapid reading of the information of dynamic goods or carriers and their use can significantly improve the efficiency of logistics. In the current popular application of logistics dynamic information acquisition technology, the first and two-dimensional barcode technology has the widest application range, followed by magnetic strip (card), speech recognition, portable data terminal, radio frequency identification (RFID) and other technologies.
(1) one-dimensional bar code technology: one-dimensional bar code is composed of a group of regularly arranged bars and corresponding Numbers. This data coding composed of bars and Spaces can be read by the machine, and can be easily translated into binary Numbers and decimal Numbers. Therefore, this technology is widely used in item information annotation. Due to the high rate of recognition of barcode that meets the bar code specification and is free of stains, one-dimensional bar code combined with corresponding scanner can significantly improve the collection speed of item information. In addition, the bar code system has low cost, easy operation and the earliest application of reading technology in China. Therefore, there is a large market in China. Most supermarkets in China are using one-dimensional bar code technology. However, the data represented by one-dimensional bar code is limited, and the distance for bar code scanner to read bar code information is required to be very close, and the readability of bar code is extremely poor after being damaged, which limits its further promotion and application. At the same time, some other information storage capacity is larger, and the reading reliability is better.
(2) 2d barcode technology: since the information capacity of 1d barcode is very small, such as the barcode on the commodity can only hold a few or a dozen Arabic numerals or letters, the detailed description of commodities can only be provided by the database, leaving the pre-established database, the use of 1d barcode is limited. For this reason, people invented a new kind of code system, besides having the advantages of one-dimensional bar code, as well as great capacity of information (depending on the size of different coding technology, is a one-dimensional several times to dozens times, thus can hold personal nature and fingerprints, photos and other information), high reliability (50% in the caustic sludge can still be read complete information), confidential anti-counterfeiting strong sex, etc. This is the two-dimensional barcode technology that stores information in a two-dimensional space in horizontal and vertical directions. Two-dimensional bar code inherits the characteristics of one-dimensional bar code. The bar code system is cheap, has a strong literacy rate and is easy to use, so it has been applied in domestic Banks, vehicles and other management information systems.
(3) magnetic strip technology: magnetic strip (card) technology consists of coating a thin layer of oriented ferric oxide particles bonded together with resins and glued to non-magnetic substrates such as paper or plastic. Magnetic strips are essentially the same as magnetic tapes or disks used by computers. The advantage is that the data can be read and written for many times, and the data storage capacity can meet most needs. Due to the strong adhesion of the device, it has been widely used in many fields, such as credit card, bank ATM card, air ticket, bus ticket, automatic sales card, membership card, etc. However, compared with some new technologies, such as chip card technology, there is still a gap in the performance of anti-theft and storage of magnetic stripe card.
(4) voice recognition technology: it is a kind of technology that can be converted into text information through recognition of voice. Its biggest characteristic is that it does not need to input information manually, which is especially suitable for those who have to complete hands and feet in working situations or have low typing ability on the keyboard while collecting data. But the biggest problem with voice recognition is the recognition rate. At present, it is more suitable for concentrated and repeated applications of speech sentences.
(5) visual recognition technology: visual recognition system is a kind of image analysis and recognition system with some features, which can collect the information of limited image contents, such as marks, characters and Numbers. The application of visual identification technology barriers for some irregular or not enough clear image recognition rate and the data format is limited, it usually takes contact scanner scans, along with the development of automation, visual technology will towards a more detailed, more professional direction, and it can combine with other automatic identification technology applications.
(6) contact smart card technology: smart card is a kind of information storage technology embedded with IC chip with processing capacity and encrypted storage function in a substrate the same size as credit card. The characteristic of contact-type smart card is that it has independent operation and storage function. In the passive case, the data will not be lost. The data security and confidentiality are very good and the cost is moderate. Smart card combined with computer system can conveniently meet the need of collecting, transmitting, encrypting and managing various kinds of information.
(7) portable data terminal: portable data terminal (PDT) generally includes a scanner, a small but powerful computer with a memory, a monitor and a keyboard for manual input. So it's a multi-functional data acquisition device, and the PDT is programmable, allowing some applications to be programmed. Data in the PDT memory can be transmitted to the main computer at any time via radio frequency communication technology.
(8) video identification (RFID) : radio frequency identification technology is a non-contact automatic identification technology realized by radio frequency communication. RFID tags are characterized by small size, large capacity, long life and reusable, and can support rapid read and write, non-visual recognition, mobile recognition, multi-target recognition, positioning and long-term tracking management. RFID technology, combined with Internet and communication technologies, can achieve the tracking and information sharing of goods worldwide. From the application situation of the above logistics information application technology and the development trend of global logistics informatization, the application of logistics dynamic information collection technology is becoming a key research field in the world. As a developing country of logistics, China has accumulated certain experience in the application of dynamic information collection technology of logistics. For example, the application of barcode technology and contact magnetic strip (card) technology is quite common, but it is still backward in the research and application of some new cutting-edge technologies, such as RFID technology.
The development trend
RFID will become the key technology in the logistics field in the future
Experts believe that the application of RFID technology in the logistics industry can greatly improve the efficiency of logistics management and operation and reduce logistics costs. In addition, from the perspective of global development trend, with the continuous improvement and maturity of RFID related technologies, the RFID industry will become an emerging high-tech industrial cluster and become a new growth point of national economy. Therefore, RFID technology is expected to be a new lubricant for the accelerated development of modern logistics.
Dynamic information collection technology of logistics
Under the trend of global supply chain management, mastering the dynamic information and quality information of goods in time has become the key factor of enterprise profit. However, due to the influence of nature, weather, communication, technology, regulations and other aspects, the development of dynamic information collection technology of logistics has been greatly restricted, far from meeting the needs of modern logistics development. The next technological breakthrough in the field of logistics is to help new scientific and technological means and improve the dynamic information collection technology of logistics.
Logistics information security technology will be paid more and more attention
The logistics information technology developed with the help of network technology, while enjoying the great benefits brought by the rapid development of the network, is also constantly suffering from possible security crises, such as the pervasive malicious attacks by network hackers, the spread of viruses, information leaks and so on. It is a major challenge that the enterprise will face for a long time to apply the safety prevention technology to guarantee the safe and stable operation of the enterprise's logistics information system or platform.