PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DWIGHT A. CHIAVETTA dwight@logistics-manager.com STAFF WRITERS PHUBET BOONRASRI phubet@logistics-manager.com PANTHITA PHENSAWANG panthita@logistics-manager.com CHATCHAYA JIANWATVATANA chatchaya@logistics-manager.com JUTHAMART NAWWARAD juthamart@logistics-manager.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER DANNY GILL danny@logistics-manager.com
Preparing for Takeoff UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES, ALSO KNOWN AS UAVS OR DRONES, ARE REACHING A FEVER PITCH IN POPULARITY, WITH EVERYDAY CONSUMERS ABLE TO GET THEIR HANDS ON THIS TECHNOLOGY NOW. While these “hobby drones” have become popular with consumers, the adoption of UAVs in logistics in still in the early stages. There are still technological limitations, regulations and public concerns that must be navigated before widespread adoption can be accepted. However, the first commercial tests have already demonstrated the potential. One of the most attractive uses for UAVs currently is for last mile deliveries. In urban environments, the demand is likely to increase as e-commerce volumes continue to grow. UAVs could provide major relief for inner cities, taking traffic off the roads and into the skies. The potential of UAV technology is also evident in rural locations with poor infrastructure or challenging geographic conditions. For example, in rural America or Europe aerial deliveries via a UAV network could speed up and raise service levels. However, in places like rural Africa this could be a game changer. Connecting villages through UAV delivery networks could enable greater participation in the global economy, and facilitate more frequent supply of critical goods, like vaccines and medications. This is just he tip of the iceberg in terms of potential for this technology. While it’s clear that challenges still lie ahead for UAVs, the promising results shows that it has real world applications that increase delivery speeds, lower cost and, in some cases, save lives.
ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR PRAPAKORN SONWONG prapakorn@logistics-manager.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER SURALAI KHONSALAD suralai@logistics-manager.com FINANCE DIRECTOR ORAWAN WONGTAN orawan@logistics-manager.com ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE KANJANA MESUB kanjana@logistics-manager.com ADVERTISING TRAFFIC COORDINATOR SUPATTRA PRAPAIBOON supattra@logistics-manager.com CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE NAREENART WANNAPIRUN nareenart@logistics-manager.com INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MATTHEW GALLYER matthew@logistics-manager.com
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