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BoldIQ in The Middle East

Jeppesen pitches Operator for real-time control and accessibility to business aviation

 

Published in ArabianIndustry.com and AviationBusinessME.com

By: Shayan Shakeel

From aircraft scheduling to weight and balance, business jet operators have numerous concerns to address before, and after, a flight, and real-time access to information is becoming ever critical.

Enter Operator, a collaboration between Boeing’s Jeppesen and operations management software provider BoldIQ. Built for pilots and operations staff and available through the cloud, Operator integrates key business aviation functionality in a ‘one-stop shop’ self-service environment.

That means flight planning, runway performance, weight and balance, crew management, aircraft scheduling, domestic and international trip planning and reporting (financial, maintenance and customs), customer account management, real time pricing and cost accounting capabilities, can all be managed through one interface, over the cloud and on any device.

“The complexities and real-time dynamic nature of on-demand aviation operations are significant, much more than in other industries we’ve seen,” says Roei Ganzarski, president and CEO, BoldIQ. “So it’s the combination of sophisticated industry proven technologies and experience-based know-how that makes Jeppesen’s solution so powerful and applicable.”

Operator combines Jeppesen’s 40-years of experience in flight and international trip planning with BoldIQ’s over 10 years in aviation on-demand flight operations and optimisation experience, into a single, united user platform.

Jeppesen says the improvement in data sharing, resource utilisation and simplification of access and usability are all backed by proven technology. Operator seamlessly integrates scheduling, crew and fleet management, customer account management, real-time pricing and cost accounting, all driven by advanced optimisation capabilities, says Mike DiDonato, director, Industry Services, Jeppesen.

“Jeppesen Operator represents the culmination of years of meticulous research and proven in-production software, understanding customer driven requirements and design work performed to create the next generation business aviation tool,” says DiDonato. “Integrating multiple resources into a single platform, optimised by BoldIQ’s technology, allows improved collaboration, increased productivity and reduced errors, with total operational control. Plus, Jeppesen’s renowned global customer service team is available 24/7 to resolve any issues that customers may encounter.”

When using the Concierge service with Operator, customers can connect with Jeppesen’s International Trip Planning (ITP) global experts for assistance with traditional ITP tasks such as managing flight plans, permits, handling arrangements, customs issues or to establish a line of credit to eliminate operational financial concerns that could jeopardize a planned flight. Airport, FBO, and vendor data for Operator systems is generated by the Jeppesen Aviation Database, which Jeppen says is the most comprehensive in the industry.
Pulling together all of these essential business aviation elements also requires the need for ensuring compliance with regulatory and business policies and procedures. And Operator uses multiple rules engines, including those unique to a customer’s operations, to satisfy this need.

Operator ensures regulatory and business policy and procedure compliance using multiple rules engines, including those unique to a customer’s operation, to provide a custom trip check list. Automatically generated, it provides insight into the requirements for each trip and determines if additional resources are needed. This process enhances situational awareness and assures the trip will be released for flight.

Looking ahead, Operator will integrate with mobile apps in use by operators for navigation, electronic flight bag, and pilot operational interaction capabilities, integrating planning and operations systems in an end-to-end digital management solution.

The company also provides a mobile crew portal that will soon be integrated into Jeppesen charting and Boeing Electronic Flight Folder applications. This will create further operational efficiencies across common systems. Additionally, new features and functionality are in the works for Operator, including new disruption management capabilities developed with BoldIQ and a new app platform that will further drive business aviation efficiency.

Click to see the full story in Arabian Industry

Click to see the full story in Aviation Business ME

BoldIQ Team BoldIQ featured in IoTNow

Are drones and autonomous vehicles the answer for smart services in rural areas? by Jeremy Cowan

 

When we all talk about smart cities we are, of course, overlooking something important. Not everyone lives in a city. One company is working to redress this imbalance. Here, Jeremy Cowan of IoT Now talks to Roei Ganzarski, CEO of BoldIQ.

IoT Now: The growing smart cities revolution has been heavily covered in the news lately. What about rural areas?

Roei Ganzarski: Although smart cities usually steal the spotlight, the smart rural area is a trend tech-savvy readers should be following as well. Our cities are heavily congested, but remote areas where population is more sparse present room for optimisation as well.

For example, the on-demand trend is more difficult to execute outside of the densely-populated metro areas because sending a driver with a car on a two-hour drive to deliver a single package in a rural community will burn through the driver’s time, gas and wear away at the delivery vehicle.

The solution to the inefficiency in rural-area deliveries is removing the human factor altogether. How? Think drones and autonomous vehicles. First and foremost, drones and autonomous cars are efficient, low-cost and timely. Implementation of next generation technologies like driverless cars, trucks and drones will help make deliveries, even in sparsely populated areas, more efficient.

IoT Now: What differences in technologies will we see in smart cities v. smart rural areas?

RG: Contrary to popular belief, rural areas will implement autonomous vehicles and drones before metro areas. Congestion and parking of metro areas will only complicate the successful use of driverless vehicles, making the sparsely populated rural areas more attractive for early implementation and testing.

We’ll see small bots make short distance on-demand deliveries within large cities and drone deliveries and autonomous trucks and vans hauling goods long distance in rural areas – Think Uber’s successful cross-Colorado beer delivery.

As smart cities and rural areas become more connected, these two methods will begin working together to make both regions more efficient. ‘Long haul’ autonomous vehicles will bring their cargo to depots on the outskirts of cities, like Amazon’s new cargo hub in Kentucky, then workers will transfer the shipments to smaller delivery bots or drones to complete the so-called ‘last mile’ deliveries.

IoT Now: Does the greater focus on smart cities mean rural connections will lag behind in the future?

RG: No, for the reasons outlined above, rural areas will probably surge ahead of cities in trialling these innovative methods. Consider recent examples (Uber’s successful cross-Colorado beer delivery and Amazon’s drone delivery in rural U.K.) that point to the trend of rural areas being favoured for early implementation of next generation delivery and transportation methods.

The wide-open spaces present fewer risks when trialling new delivery and transportation methods. While in test or general use, would we rather have a drone flying over a dense neighbourhood with playgrounds, schools and roadways underneath or in a more remote secluded area with farmland and open space?

IoT Now: How will smart connections be used by the average person, based on location?

RG: In the next few years, location will play a major role in the way next generation technologies impact a person’s life. Rural areas can expect to see an increase in driverless cars and drones, while cities will see more small bot deliveries in the near future.

Regardless of exact implementation, next gen technologies will connect rural and urban areas and make sure they are truly ‘smart’ by improving the efficiency of deliveries and transportation. As delivery methods become more efficient and cost-effective, consumers may then find themselves significantly changing their buying patterns and buying more, simply because they can, which increases business.

IoT Now: How long will it take for us to implement and adopt these next gen technologies?

RG: Next generation technology presents an opportunity to improve our day to day lives, from less congestion on the roads to real-time deliveries, all the time. Following operational testing and addressing inherent problems (for example, the safety of a delivery drone or the decision-making capabilities of the single autonomous car), cities and rural regions will need to consider the cohesive deployment of these technologies.

The greatest challenge is not ensuring the drone can make it from point A to B as planned, but rather overseeing the deployment of these new fleets to avoid a sky overfilled with drones or roads congested with driverless cars; Essentially adding to the problem we are seeking to solve.

Click here to read the full story online

BoldIQ about the Future of Cities

Ask The Thought Leaders: What’s the Future of Cities? By Future of Everything’s Nick Hastreiter

In the past decade we went from “dumbphones” to “smartphones”.

In the upcoming decade, we’ll see this exact same transition take place with the very cities we live in. “Smart Cities” is a new term that’s been getting a lot of attention.

At the core, Smart Cities are leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) and other emerging technologies to create cities that are well, smarter. Better. Faster. And more efficient.

While we know it’s a hot buzzword, we can’t really understand exactly what it will be like to live in one of these cities of the future. So, to get a better understanding, we spoke with industry experts and asked….

What’s the future of Smart Cities?

Here’s what we found out!

Roei Ganzarski, CEO of BoldIQ: “Drones, driverless vans, delivery bots, and other future technologies have the potential to make a great impact on our day to day lives, making life easier, more real-time, and perhaps even healthier. From less congestion on the roads to real-time deliveries, all the time. In dense cities, delivery of Amazon purchases or restaurant orders will be done by small bots and sidewalk-based drones alleviating traffic by minimizing the number of large vehicles in a city. On the other hand, rural areas should see an increase in drone deliveries and autonomous trucks and vans hauling goods long distance. These next generation technologies will connect rural and urban areas, providing a higher quality of life and ensuring communities are truly smart.”

Click to read the entire coverage

BoldIQ covered in Seattle 24X7

Real-Time Software for the On-Demand World: BoldIQ Builds It One Solution at a Time

Optimizing On-Demand Air Travel, Ground Transportation, Health Care Operations, and HR Staffing  — from the Inside-Out.

Frequent flyer Ed Iacobucci was growing weary of the downtime he routinely suffered in business air travel. Instead of gaining valuable face-time with colleagues and customers, the inefficiency of airport layovers and a myriad of other logistical challenges meant costly delays.

Was a 24-hour investment really necessary for a two-hour trip? At the time, the Brazilian-born systems architect was helping forge the joint IBM-Microsoft design initiative for IBM DOS and had learned two important lessons: Working with Seattle was easy. Getting there was hard.

Before Ed would go on to found Citrix Systems — and eventually foster the time-saving “virtual meeting” — the tech jet-setter had what people in the industry would call an optimization problem on his hands.

What if there was a software solution that combined flight scheduling and logistics with executive jet aircraft — and that worked with Occam razor-like efficiency?  In aviation, the software’s checklist was complex: flight plans, pilots, co-pilots, attendants, weather, airports, fuel, food, and above all else, safety.

The IBM manager who was helping to enable the Microsoft DOS lift off would soon find an answer with another Microsoft engineer emeritus and a former CEO of Symantec by the name of Vern Raburn. Raburn’s startup company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, known as Eclipse Aviation, was on a similar mission to build a fleet of jet “taxis” for under a million dollars a piece. A major stake-holder on the Eclipse project at the time was one Bill Gates.

Iacobucci called upon a unique team of problem-solvers, a retinue of Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union who had been brought over from Israel after the startups they had created were acquired by Citrix. It took the squad over four years to build the initial core optimization engine.

Day Jet, the aviation Uber of its day, stayed aloft for just over three years until, in 2008, the company was grounded on two fronts — first, the economy careened, sharply curtailing demand. Secondly, the cost of the planes could not come in under one million dollars, but closer to $3 million instead.

The aviation service was hangered, but the software engine had been cleared for take-off. The brainchild of Iacobucci, Raburn (and investor Gates), was taken over by a group of investors and became the propulsion engine for Bellevue-based BoldIQ.

Biography aligns with trajectory.  As BoldIQ’s CEO, Ganzarski combined the logistical vision he developed as Chief Customer Officer for Boeing’s Flight Services division with over three decades of global business management expertise. Today, Roei sits on the board of the Washington Technology Industry Association and is chairman of the global business advisory board at the University of Washington Foster School of Business. He has earned an MBA from the UW, and a BA in Economics from The University of Haifa.

Seattle24x7:  Welcome, Roei. BoldIQ appears to be squarely positioned to empower the “on-demand” economy. We can’t help but notice the irony that the software solutions you create are also developed “on-demand,” according to each of your customer’s “demands” from the inside-out!

Roei: In essence, we began not as a software company that was looking to solve a problem, but as an operations company that uses software to solve real world operational challenges. That fact, by itself, provides a completely different twist on how we look at and solve a problem. We do not try to reach the ultimate, mathematical solution. Rather, we strive to provide our customers with the best plan possible that meets their operational needs at the time they have to make an operational decision.

Seattle24x7: Your approach represented a major departure from the linear optimization software of the time?

Roei:  Yes, there were, and still are, optimization engines out there that focus on trying to reach an ultimate mathematical goal.

Traditional optimization software was based on linear programming. Because it is linear by nature, the constraints employed are limited to outcomes like ‘yes or no,’ or a rising scale calculation, and so forth.

We did some benchmarking with other companies and universities comparing the elements of traditional mathematical optimization versus our model, and where we would solve queries in 15 seconds to 15 minutes, it would take the traditional optimization platforms anywhere from a few hours to “overnight” to process.

We have been able to “crack the code” and take a whole different approach to what true, logistics operational optimization means. One, it’s working from the “inside-out.” Two, it’s understanding expectations. If I’m an operator I don’t need a 100% empirical solution. I need something I can use when I need to use it. That requires a different approach.

Seattle24x7: Linear is not the model for real-time decision support?

Roe: Let me give you an example of an Asian airline rule required to be upheld when a flight plan included travel to mainland China: they must have four cabin crew that speak Mandarin Chinese. That’s a fairly simple, linear constraint. But here is a twist: one of the cabin crew has to be a male, and when there are male cabin crew onboard, there have to be an even number of them.  So you can see how this set of constraints becomes non-linear. Traditional linear based programming cannot solve it.

What the airline used to do with their old software was to try and create a perfect schedule (an initial investment of eight hours roughly), and then spend 2-3 days manually manipulating the plan to incorporate the language rules. Once we were able to put the same rules into our engine, the airline could produce a month-long schedule in twenty minutes that met all their needs.

Seattle24x7: Are these real world constraints entered on-the-fly by the operator, or pre-programmed during design?

Roe: What we have is a set of algorithms, whether it’s for business aviation, last mile mobile workforce, health care, or HR staffing. In each case, we look at the issues the industry must solve. What do the problems look like? How can we sequence or combine the algorithms that fit the industry? There is a mathematical theorem called “No Free Lunch,” that ordains you can’t have one generic solution that solves everyone’s problems.  So our approach is to build a customized solution for each industry. Within that framework, the customer or operator can decide which rules are relevant to them or not, and to configure each of these rules themselves.

Seattle24x7: Looking at transportation and e-commerce, the next generation appears to be about delivery vehicles like drones and driverless cars. The logistical challenges boggle the mind.

Roei:  It is a complicated problem. Yet, from our perspective, we look at the Internet of Things, driverless cars and drones as just the next input-output session. A driverless car or a delivery drone is just another resource. Instead of having a driver receive an optimized schedule of the various pickups on a route, it’ll be a driverless car that gets it through a remote API.

From an optimization standpoint, a key question that could be asked is why should an Amazon delivery vehicle only deliver Amazon products? It could also deliver Walmart products, Google products or Nordstrom products. The idea of four different cars, or drones, coming to the same house requires over capacity and creates unwanted congestion and waste.

Seattle24x7: Speaking of ground transportation, we have a traffic congestion problem here in Seattle that is in dire need of optimization.

Roei:  A city is limited by the driving resources it has in term of roads and highways. You can’t just build another road on demand.  The number of paved roads and lanes is fixed at least for a given period of time. The number of parking spots is also pretty much fixed, So when it comes to adding automobiles, you can either flood the roads with cars and create congestion, or make the use of cars more efficient and reduce the use of the same number of resources. No mathematical wizardry there.

In Seattle, what has happened it that taxi companies have not been efficient enough in their operations to meet the needs and demands of the riding public. So they basically created a situation that in essence invited in the ride-sharing companies. The city of Seattle could require cab companies who want to continue operating in our city, to start using some efficiency tools and technology. I’m not talking about so called radio or computer dispatching. I’m talking about intelligent scheduling.

We should be asking cab companies to show us increased levels of efficiency and service. Instead, what we have done is invite more cars into the city in the form of ride sharing companies to meet the same demand. Again this creates over capacity, congestion, and waste.

The challenge for the city of Seattle, and any city with a finite resource of roads, is purely operational optimization. Provide the level of transportation required for the riding public, with the least amount and waste of resources.

Seattle24x7:  How would we think about real-time scheduling in another industry, say the health care field?

Roei:  In a hospital environment, there are a myriad of resources needed to do a job. Let’s say, for example, that you need to perform neurosurgery. First of all, you have a finite number of operating rooms and surgical equipment available at any given time. Then you have a specific pool of highly skilled doctors and surgeons who are certified to perform the procedure. Add in the nursing staff, including those who are specialized.

Next, you have the demand-side of the equation which are the patients. You need to make sure that each patient is well-prepared. For instance, that they haven’t eaten in the last 24-hours, have passed their pre-op checks, etc.

What’s more, a number of surgeries will take place in a given time period. So, the question arises – in a steady state, what is the best schedule that will allow you to have the most surgeries done with the most efficient use of those resources in a way that adheres to quality and safety rules and an optimal patient experience?

Seattle24x7:  You’re a board member of the Washington Technology Association and you chair the Global Business Advisory board of the University of Washington’s Foster Business School. What excites you most about the Seattle area?

Roei:  What a phenomenal place to live and work. You have Amazon who is advancing retail software and logistics. You have Microsoft building and embedding global software as a service. You have Boeing, Paccar, F5, to name but a few.

At the same time, you have a marvelous mix of technology bases. If you want to do .NET stuff, you go to the Eastside. If you want to do more Java work, you go to Seattle. To top it all off you have a world class university – UW – teaching the next generation of leaders. Ultimately, where Silicon Valley was all about startups, Seattle is also widely focused on global business in retail and manufacturing. Here, there is not just one industry that limits in which direction you can grow. You’ll find the people and the experience to do it all —in a gorgeous and friendly environment. [24×7]

Click to se the full cover online

BoldIQ featured in Flying Magazine’s coverage of ATC Privatization

Tech Startup CEO: GA Needs to Join ATC Privatization Discussion

Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Seattle-based aviation software firm BoldIQ, says an ATC shakeup is needed — and it’s time for general aviation to be a part of the process. By Stephen Pope

Roei Ganzarski, the CEO of BoldIQ, a transportation logistics software startup firm based in the Seattle area, says that whether you agree with Donald Trump’s politics or not, on the issue of ATC privatization the president is 100 percent right.

Privatizing air traffic control would lower costs, boost efficiency and usher in new technologies that are impossible to implement quickly under the current NextGen ATC modernization program managed by the FAA, he argues.

“ATC in this country is antiquated. The president is exactly right; by the time NextGen technologies are implemented, they’re already outdated,” Ganzarski said. “Privatization could solve all of this by enabling ATC to advance at the same rate as the technology aboard aircraft has.”

His message for general aviation? It’s time to stop fighting to block privatization and focus instead on ensuring this segment of the industry has a place at the table.

“For ATC privatization to work, we need equal representation from all parties, including the airlines, general aviation and even the military,” he said. “No one group should be able to dominate the conversation about the future of ATC modernization.”

BoldIQ creates software solutions for aviation and ground-transportation companies. One of its major customers is Boeing-owned Jeppesen, which uses BoldIQ’s cloud-based scheduling software. Ganzarski himself is no stranger to Boeing, having served as chief customer officer for the plane maker’s Flight Services division in Seattle.

At a White House meeting with airline CEOs last week, Trump described NextGen technology rolled out by the FAA as the “wrong stuff” and signaled his enthusiasm for privatizing ATC.

The president’s comments drew a rare response from the agency, which pointed to $2.7 billion in benefits to the airlines and passengers thanks to NextGen modernization, and an expected benefit of another $160 billion through 2030.

“NextGen is one of the most ambitious infrastructure and modernization projects in U.S. history,” the FAA said in a statement following the president’s comments. “Its successful, ongoing rollout is the result of rigorous acquisition, program and portfolio management, and stakeholder engagement with the airline industry and other members of the aviation community.”

GA interests led by the National Business Aviation Association are opposed to ATC privatization, arguing that the corporate entity’s board of directors would be dominated by the airlines and the move inevitably would lead to the implementation of user fees for general aviation.

“It appears that some airline interests want to shift the conversation away from taking a bipartisan approach to modernization, to focus instead on their decades-long objective of privatizing ATC, funding it with new user fees, and placing it under the governing control of a self-interested, airline-centric board of directors,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen after the president’s sit-down meeting with airline CEOs.

Ganzarski’s response? “ATC privatization could be very good for everybody, and that’s the conversation we ought to be having right now.”

Click here to read the full story online

Juniper Research covers BoldIQ in IoT Report

UK based global research firm Juniper Research includes BoldIQ in their IoT Consumer, Industrial & Public Services 2016-2021 report released December of 2016.

Juniper’s latest IoT research looks deeper into the world of IoT by addressing the ‘what’s next?’ in terms of moving beyond simply connecting devices. Juniper’s research provides a comprehensive perspective on the three key market segments encompassing IoT applications:
•    Consumer
•    Industrial
•    Public Services

As part of their research, Juniper presents their leaderboard. Their approach is to use a standard template to summarize company capabilities. This template concludes with their views of the key strengths and strategic development opportunities for each covered organization.

In this report, Juniper identifies BoldIQ as a ‘Developing’ company covering ‘Mid-market or segment focused’.

Juniper states: “BoldIQ has developed a very innovative solution that will undoubtedly find frequent use in IoT analytics applications. The company’s present focus is aimed at aviation and road vehicles; we expect this to expand in the future.”

Juniper view on key strengths and opportunities reads as follows:

  • “The company has adopted a sensible strategy of not attempting to spread itself too thinly by addressing multiple industry verticals at this stage. By starting with the aviation industry, it has established a respected position in an industry that can often present complex business challenges. This will prove to be a benefit as the company broadens the number of target verticals.
  • The ability to deliver its optimisation as a product as well as a service will help in addressing markets such as the automotive industry, where companies are loath to release their data beyond the corporate firewall.“

BoldIQ related excerpts from the comprehensive report:

Click here to access the report on Juniper’s web site

BoldIQ Team TechTarget talks about 2017 IoT predictions (including BoldIQ)

IoT predictions 2017: Revenue, data, latency issues top the list – TechTarget – Sharon Shea

From the story:

The internet of things’ growth spurt over the past year leaves many wondering what the next 12 months will bring. Industry experts looked in their crystal balls and offered IoT predictions for the days and months ahead.

IoT prediction #1: Disembodied voices seeking recurring revenue

IoT prediction #2: The data lakes will be drained

IoT prediction #3: Latency is the enemy

Roei Ganzarski, president and CEO of BoldIQ, found room for skepticism in his 2017 projections: “Not enough will be done on the integration of [smart devices] in the next few years since it is less sexy and creates less news and media coverage. Thus adoption of these will be slower than people anticipate.”

If Ganzarski is right, 2017 won’t be the first year when predictions ran well ahead of actual timelines.

Click to read the full story

Industrial Distribution interviews BoldIQ for 2017 Predictions For the Logistics And Shipping Industry

Q&A: 2017 Predictions For the Logistics And Shipping Industry

With 2016 rapidly coming to a close and everyone looking to what 2017 will bring, BoldIQ president and CEO Roei Ganzarski discusses what the top trends and disruptions will be next year in the transportation and logistics industries.

Q: What changes will transportation and logistics companies need to make in 2017 in order to keep pace with the on-demand economy?  

A: The decrease in demand combined with the growing ‘On-Demand’ economy is driving the need for transportation operations to become demand driven.

On-demand means a consumer or customer can get what they want, at the time and place they want it, and only have to ask for it when they are ready to ask and not before. While this is the customer facing aspect, the transportation operator aspect (the organization that needs to provide the service) must be demand-driven in order to serve the on-demand need in an efficient manner that enables scale, growth, and profitability. The on-demand economy is shortening planning cycles and significantly shortening decision-making time frames. This means the need for intelligent, data driven, and real-time decisions is critical.

Being demand-driven means having the ability to utilize your resources at the highest level possible and do so in real time in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. Note that this assumes organizations have finite resources to do their work. This must be viewed differently from the so-called ‘sharing economy’ where an operation will use someone else’s resources because they are so inefficient, they have spare time or capacity on their resources. The sharing-economy in fact thrives on the inefficiency of the current environment.

I believe this will lead to 3 trends:

  1. Consolidation and elimination of some transport companies that cannot adapt fast enough to the change.
  2. Emerging transport leaders that can rapidly adopt new technologies that will enable them to become demand-driven.
  3. Unfortunately, an emergence of ‘sharing-economy’ based transport companies that own no assets but thrive on the newly created excess capacity are in fact driving more inefficiency into the industry.

Q: What are the biggest implications for the transportation and logistics industry in 2017 with advancements in IoT, big data and software?

A: The next few years will have a lot of IoT ‘things’ being created as individual products. A driverless car; a drone; a crewless ship; etc. A lot of effort, money, and media coverage go along with these great developments. See for example the recent Uber delivery truck that transported beer; the first US government-approved drone delivery using a Flirtey drone transporting 10 pounds of medical supplies to a rural health clinic; and more.

However, not enough work will be done on the integration of these in the next few years (since it is not as ‘sexy’ and creates less news and media coverage) and thus the adoption of these will be slower than what people anticipate. In integration, I am referring to two levels:

  1. Integrating into the relevant networks – For example, does having a drone that can deliver a package mean a delivery company knows how, when, and where to use it? Does having a smart water meter mean that the utilities companies know what to do with that data?
  2. Integration across platforms – For example, when the smart water meter detects a leak and a need to be replaced, will the utilities company know to have a replacement part sent by drone to the house and have a technician scheduled to arrive at the right time to do the work?

While the above two examples of ‘back office’ operations are not as sexy or news generating than the ‘thing’ itself, these are required to make sure that as a smart city, smart community, and indeed smart society, we are able to truly take advantage of the IoT to better our lives.

Q: What major disruptions can the shipping industry expect?

A: The disruption is happening now. Consumers are demanding goods when and where they want them and are ‘ordering’ them very last minute. This means the manufacturing needs to be faster and more dynamic and transport needs to be faster and more dynamic. On the other hand, this will also lead to real-time on the fly manufacturing of many good we previously thought not possible. 3D printing will enhance and grow and price points will drop. Thus, the overall need for shipping will shrink.

Q: Autonomous vehicles: Hype or industry game-changer?

A: Game-changer without a doubt. The question will be at what level. If no holistic real-time scheduling and coordination operation is put in place, then the game changer will be that on my commute to work I can read the paper as opposed to focusing on the road and there will be fewer accidents. All great.

If there is holistic coordination, then we can truly move to having less car ownership and travel/transport on demand without compromise. Super!

Q: Drones: How and when will they be utilized?

A: They already are. You just don’t see it every day. Ask the militaries of the world. DoD. Firefighting. Search and Rescue. Film making. We just don’t see deliveries being made with them yet. That will take time due to public perception and regulation. Perhaps 2020.

Q: What challenges will e-commerce present in 2017 for transportation and logistics?  

A: See answers above. It is not so much e-commerce as it is the ability and now consumer behavior of creating demand last minute but expecting to get the purchase when and where they want. E-commerce is the tool that enables the new expectations.

Q: What is the number one pitfall contributing to operational inefficiency in the transportation and shipping industry? How can this be mitigated in 2017 and beyond?

A: Human behavior is the number one pitfall. The false belief that ‘no one and no software can do what I do or as good as I do it’ is what stops operations from using technology to significantly enhance their operational efficiency.

Click to read the story online

BoldIQ interviewed for the future of trucking in Fleet Owner

Q&A: The move to demand-driven freight transportation

Should trucking shift to a “demand-driven” mode of operation in 2017? This software provider thinks it will be vital to do so.

The on-demand economy is shortening planning cycles and significantly shortening decision making time frames, says Roei Ganzarski. This means the need for intelligent, data-driven, real-time decisions is critical. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)

Roei Ganzarski, CEO of scheduling BoldIQ, which provides optimization software for asset scheduling, believes trucking and the freight transportation industry as a whole is ripe for a shift to a “demand-driven” operational format in 2017.

But what does that exactly mean?

A Boeing executive with 13 years under his belt in the commercial aviation industry, Ganzarski believes the wider use of “real-time data” by trucking and logistics providers will be critical in terms of meeting customer demands for faster yet less costly freight delivery services – while doing so in a way that helps preserve the bottom line of transportation companies.

Ganzarski further fleshed out that forecast for freight industry changes in a recent interview with Fleet Owner.

What’s in store for freight transportation companies in 2017 as they look to adjust in the decrease in demand?

The decrease in freight demand combined with the growing “on-demand” economy is driving the need for transportation operations to become more “demand-driven.”

“On-demand” means a consumer or customer can get what they want, at the time and place they want it, and only have to ask for it when they are ready to ask and not before. While this is the customer facing aspect, the transportation operator aspect – the organization that needs to provide the service – must be “demand-driven” in order to serve the on-demand need in an efficient manner that enables scale, growth, and profitability.

The on-demand economy is shortening planning cycles and significantly shortening decision making time frames. This means the need for intelligent, data-driven, real-time decisions is critical.

Being “demand-driven” means having the ability to utilize your resources at the highest level possible and do so in real time in a dynamic and ever changing environment – and this also assumes organizations have finite resources to do their work. This must be viewed differently from the so-called “sharing economy” where an operation will use someone else’s resources because they are so inefficient, as they have spare time or unused capacity. The sharing economy in fact thrives on the inefficiency of the current [freight] environment.

I believe this will lead to three trends:

  • Consolidation and elimination of some transport companies that cannot adapt fast enough to the change.
  • Emerging transport leaders that can rapidly adopt new technologies that will enable them to become demand-driven.
  • Unfortunately, an emergence of “sharing economy” based transport companies that own no assets but thrive on the newly created excess capacity and in fact driving more inefficiency into the industry.

With Uber making its first successful autonomous trucking delivery in Colorado, what can we expect to see with in autonomous trucking in 2017? How does this impact “business as usual”?

We are far from having autonomous deliveries. The trial, while very cool, ground breaking, and leading edge, was a very limited one. It cannot be defined as the first successful autonomous trucking delivery; maybe instead as the first partial semi-autonomous trucking delivery.

The first part of the trip (getting to the highway) was done by a driver, while the last part (from the highway to the delivery point) was done by a driver. Only the highway section was done independent of a driver but with a driver on board.

We will see continued focus and trials on this type of technology, but I doubt we will see it implemented in 2017.

In 2017, truck operators should focus on how they can better utilize the trucks and drivers that they have today.

What are the biggest implications for the transportation and logistics industry in 2017 with advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and software?

The biggest implication is the real ability to improve operational efficiencies in he controlled part of the business – i.e. use of controlled resources such as vans, trucks, planes and ships, drivers, pilots, and crew. These resources are both the major growth constraint and the major cost factor in the operation. Being able to truly “do more with less” is now a reality, if taken advantage of.

What is the number one pitfall contributing to operational inefficiency in the transportation and shipping industry? How can this be mitigating in 2017 and beyond?

The false belief that demand is what should drive the growth and profitability of the industry is the key driver (pun intended) to operational inefficiency.

Companies tend to latch on to the one thing they really can’t control – demand. And they base their resource plans, growth plans, and cost cutting plans to that one element.

Yet the one element they can fully control – the use of their own resources – is too many times left as an afterthought. While the demand side of the equation is becoming more and more “on-demand,” dynamic, and in real-time, the supply side of the operation (the resource side) remains static and lagging.

Companies in 2017 can overcome this by shifting their mindset to do what it takes to become demand-driven; i.e., able to shift and utilize resources in a dynamic real-time fashion thus enabling them to quickly adapt their operations to the existing status of the demand’s on their operation.

The technology to do this exists today. The mindset and will to do so is what is required.

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