Why Logistics Scenarios Matter for the Future of Industrial IoT

物流场景，工业物联网的未来

By Zhenhui Wang,

CEO, JD Logistics, JD.com

京东物流CEO  王振辉

If our water flows freely when we open the tap, most of us don’t think much about the reservoir where it originated or the plant where it was treated. We are even less likely to think about the network of pipes the water passed through to reach our sink. Similarly, when we buy a product in a shop or pick up an online purchase delivered to our doorstep, few of us consider the complex links in the supply chain that put that product in our hands. But a truly efficient supply chain that is fully optimized at every step, from manufacturing to inventory management to fulfilment, is what gets products into people’s hands as fast as possible, and with the least amount of environmental impact.

打开水龙头，水倾泻而下，这是我们非常熟悉的场景。但水究竟始于何处，源自哪个水库？要被用以何途，灌溉哪些植物？甚至它在到达水槽之前，要流经哪些管道网络，如何流经，我想大多数人都不会思考太多。

同样，当我们在线下商店购买商品或网购送货上门时，也很少有人会思考实现商品交付背后的复杂供应链。

但这种思考却极具价值。如何能在对环境影响最小的前提下，全面优化从生产到库存管理再到履约的每个环节，让产品得以更快地送达消费者，才是一个真正高效的供应链应当做到的。

Today, with the emergence of 5G cellular networks, we are on the brink of a revolution in supply chain and logistics.

如今，随着5G网络的出现，我们正处于供应链与物流革命的爆发前夜。

We will see faster speeds throughout the chain, which will become more efficient, convenient and sustainable by orders of magnitude. That’s because 5G will power the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), enabling large-scale, real-time connectivity all the time.

5G将为“工业物联网（IIoT）”提供动力，帮助其实现大规模的实时连接。我们将看到整个产业链的速度变得更快，并通过数量级让它变得更加高效、便捷和可持续。

When we refer to the Internet of Things, it’s usually human-to-small device connections such as web-connected home appliances that first come to mind. These applications are both fun and useful – and are becoming big business as well. Importantly, however, they make up part of a broader market that includes devices like autonomous delivery robots and drones, which are being used across a wide range of industries, including logistics, farming, and more. In fact, the IoT market already includes an estimated 10 billion devices as of last year, with total investments projected to approach $15 trillion by 2025, according to Business Insider Intelligence.

当我们谈到物联网，通常会首先想到人与小型设备间的交互，比如可以联网的智能家电。而这些有趣又有用的应用，正在成为业务发展大趋势。更重要的是，它们已经构成了广阔市场的一部分，包括无人车、无人机，被应用于物流、农业还有其他更广泛的行业。事实上，根据Business Insider Intelligence的数据，截至去年，IoT市场已包含约100亿台设备，而预计到2025年，该市场的总投资将接近15万亿美元。

What if all of these devices could interact with one another%uA0without human intervention? What would this type of constant connectivity look like at scale,n complex logistics operations, for example?

设想一下，如果这些设备在没有人为干预的情况下可以互联互通，情况会如何？如果这种互联互通得以规模化，比如应用于复杂的物流场景中，情况又会如何？

This is the question propelling the emerging Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Beyond today’s IoT, which connects robots and systems (in a warehouse, for example), implementation of Industrial IoT at scale, with less worries about connection losses, will enable reliable and dependable robot-to-robot communication, hardly requiring human intervention.

这就是新兴工业物联网（IIoT）推进所要面对的。除了将机器人和系统(例如仓库系统)连接在一起的物联网技术之外，大规模实施工业物联网还将减少对设备“失联”的担忧，几乎不需要人工干预，就可以实现机器人与机器人之间更为可靠可依赖的 “交流”。

Reducing risk and optimizing efficiency

降低风险和优化效率

Imagine tracking a product in real-time, not just as it goes from warehouse to truck to delivery to customer, but every single moment until it reaches a customer’s hands. Imagine further that warehouse robots could communicate directly with one another, or think about autonomous trucks on the road doing that. Effective use of big data makes this possible with IIoT, and reduces costs and increase efficiency throughout the supply chain through route optimization, space optimization, more precise fuel-consumption monitoring and smart dispatching, among many other benefits.

想象一下，如果你所能看到的商品轨迹实时跟踪，不仅是从仓储、运输再到交付给客户这寥寥几步，而是从产品生产到抵达客户手中的每时每刻。再进一步想象一下，仓库机器人之间，或路上的自动驾驶车辆之间可以直接相互“交流”。大数据的有效利用将不仅实现IIoT，还能够通过路径优化、空间优化、更精确的油耗监控、智能调度以及其他诸多优势降低整个供应链的成本，并且提高效率。

Importantly, successful deployment of IIoT helps make traditionally risky industries safer, such as those where manual labour and robotics are intimately connected. The greatest risks of IIoT deployments are system failures or downtime. While the true impacts of a mass rollout of 5G remain to be seen, the technology’s low latency, high speed andꂫility to support a broad spectrum of simultaneous connections are key to ensuring safe and efficient application of IIoT.

除此之外，更重要的是，IIoT的成功部署将有助于传统的高风险行业保持行业安全，例如那些与人工劳动、与机器人密切相关的行业。当然，IIoT部署的最大风险是系统故障或宕机。尽管5G大规模推出的真正作用仍有待观察，但该技术的低时延、广连接和高速率是确保IIoT安全高效应用的关键。

JD Logistics, an independently-run business group under JD.com, China’s largest retailer, has been an early mover on this trend. We originally built our in-house nationwide logistics network to support JD.com&aposs massive e-commerce infrastructure, and today we can deliver approximately 90% of orders same- or next-day. But we soon realized our network could be used to empower brands and other retailers, and even other industries. We are now taking our network to the next level. For instance, JD Logistics is partnering with top mobile providers in China to implement 5G-powered IIoT across our logistics parks.

京东物流，是中国最大零售商京东旗下独立运营的业务集团，已经成为工业物联网的先行者。最初，我们通过打造覆盖全国的自建物流网络，来支持高速发展的电商业务，如今，90%的自营订单可以实现当日或次日送达。在发展过程中我们很快就发现，这些供应链和物流能力还能够服务于品牌商以及其他零售商，甚至为其他行业提供支持。如今，京东正将物流网络发展至更高水平。比如，通过与中国顶级通讯运营商合作，我们正共同推进将5G技术在物流园区落地。

Logistics scenarios are some of the best real-world scenarios in which to apply IIoT. At the same time, the fully-connected IIoT will ultimatelyꃞliver significant benefits to the logistics industry. These benefits include real-time monitoring and scheduling of logistics vehicles, personnel,ꃊpacity optimization and monitoring of full-road rate, and more. Using IIoT, trucks can monitor their own capacity, and communicate with each other to understand this information in real-time, helping to optimize overall transportation and scheduling efficiency. For example, five semi-trucks heading for the same direction can become just two or three, resulting in more efficient use of resources, and importantly, reduced carbon emissions from having fewer trucks on the road, significantly helping to reduce the overall impact of logistics on the environment. This is just one example of what IIoT holds for the future of smart supply chain.

物流行业是工业物联网技术的最佳应用场景之一，完全互联互通的工业物联网对物流行业有很多益处，比如通过对货运车辆、人员、满载率、运输线路的实时监控和实时调度，实现运力资源的最优匹配。例如，工业物联网技术可以使货车之间互联互通，实时掌握彼此装载量，从而提高整体的运输和调度效率，优化运力。当五辆前往相同目的地的半载货车可以合并为两到三辆，就可以极大地减少运力资源浪费，也减少了尾气排放和对环境的综合影响。这仅仅是工业物联网促进智能供应链未来发展的一个范例。

A truly open platform

一个真正开放的平台

We have long believed that the full potential and widespread benefits of smart supply chainꃊn only be realized when the whole ecosystem benefits. This will require open yet secure data sharing among trusted collaborators. Merchants must be able to monitor in real-time and optimize the transportation of raw material and cargo, as well as storage, sorting, transfer and delivery, through full and 100%-reliable connectivity upstream and downstream. It is not limited just to basic services and software systems (such as warehouse management systems) but should also extend to predictive models and analytical tools. And such an ecosystem should not be limited to one or a few contributors. Partners should be able to contribute their own solutions, and make them available on a truly open platform. This is the only way that the industry can move forward, and is the essence of what we are trying to popularize by example.

我们相信只有在整个生态系统都受益时，智能供应链的全部潜力和更广泛的利益才能实现。这需要可信赖的协作者之间共享开放安全的数据。通过上下游间100%可靠的完全连接，商家必须能够实时监控并优化原材料和货物的运输，以及存储、分拣、运输与交付。它不仅局限于基础服务和软件系统（如仓库管理系统），还应扩展到预测模型和分析工具。

这样完善的生态系统不应仅仅局限于少数相关方提供资源，合作伙伴应当也能够在一个真正开放的平台上贡献自己的解决方案。这是行业向前发展的唯一方式，也是我们以身作则推广的精髓所在。

IIoT supply chain has huge implications for improving the efficiency of companies across multiple industries beyond logistics. Over the past few years we have seen car manufacturers applying cloud-based services and IoT technology in both the procurement of overseas components and the shipping of vehicles to vendors in foreign markets. The data provided by IoT supply chain systems has also been of great use to public transport authorities, enabling them to optimize performance by monitoring their fleets, improve congestion issues, and react quicker to accidents.

基于工业物联网的供应链服务对于提高除物流之外的其他多行业企业的效率都有着巨大的意义。在过去的几年中，我们看到汽车制造商在采购海外零部件和向国外市场供应商运输车辆时都应用了基于云服务和物联网的技术。这种供应链系统提供的数据也对公共交通部门非常有用，使他们能够通过监控车队来优化性能，改善拥堵，并更快速地对事故做出反应。

But the impact of IIoT goes far beyond supply chain. It will be the core of what makes smart city solutions possible, supporting sophisticated urban logistics hubs, driven by big data and cloud computing. It should also improve safety and working conditions. In China, as elsewhere, urbanization is causing intense changes to the environment, creating pollution and disruption to society. Freight vehicles produce an outsized contribution to urban traffic emission, and can take up as much as a third of road capacity. Smarter logistics operations, including underground systems that use subterranean tracks and integrated municipal pipe corridors, can help preserve open, convenient and aesthetically pleasing above-ground space that would otherwise be occupied by traditional logistics systems, ensuring smooth and efficient urban logistics with minimal disruption to daily life. With increased worker safety, more environmental protection and truly open connectivity, the application of this technology will change not only how we see logistics and supply chain, but also daily life.

IIoT的影响其实已经远不只是停留在供应链的范畴。它将由大数据和云计算所驱动，成为智能城市解决方案的核心，支持复杂的城市物流规划。它还应该提升安全性，改善工作条件。和其他地方一样，中国的城市化正在引起环境的剧烈变化，对社会造成污染和破坏。货运车辆对城市交通排放的影响过大，占据了道路通行能力的三分之一。但以地下轨道和综合市政管廊的地下系统为例，使用更智能的物流运营，可以保护濒临被传统物流系统占用的开放、便捷和美观的地上空间，以确保城市物流的顺畅和高效，同时最大限度地减少对日常生活的干扰。

随着人员安全程度的提高、环境保护的加强和真正开放的互联互通，这项技术的应用将不仅改变我们对物流和供应链的看法，还将改变我们的日常生活。

This is the promise that smarter supply chains hold for our future. It’s an exciting future powered by the coming 5G wave and more open collaboration across enterprises and organizations.

如上，我们期待着5G浪潮的席卷，也期待着企业与组织间更为开放的合作，这一切将共同推动更智能的供应链时代到来。