From the 7th to the 10th of January, 2020, SprintProject flew to the CES in LAS VEGAS!
As he does every year, Fabien Esnoult, Chairman of SprintProject, looks back at the trends and innovations at the show, which attracts almost 200,000 visitors every year.
Day 1 – Tuesday 7th of January
Arriving at the CES and already, the first trends are appearing:
ST Microelectronics visit
While sectors like the automotive industry are already very advanced in the use of electronic chips, we must recognize that the industrial world is lagging behind. This is particularly the case in Supply Chain and Retail. Although there are POCs, scaling up is still rare: difficulties in demonstrating “Proof of value”, returns on investment, doubts about the technologies to adopt (LoRa / SigFox / 5G.), the examples are numerous . At the same time, the challenges of Smart involve very different actors, notably Public and elected authorities for decision-making, Community agents for implementation, Startups for disruptive ideas and Large groups for deployment capacity. However, none of these actors speak the same language, use the same codes, answer to the same constraints and have the same level of maturity.
Eureka Park
It is clear that the Supply Chain has simply disappeared!
Apart from a few survivors, one of the most innovative on the tracking front is French start-up StickTrackR originally from Clermont-Ferrand.
But, compared to previous years where we were able to discover numerous innovations (connected mailboxes, exoskeletons, augmented reality or even fleet management), nothing more! Two possible explanations: our sector is less attractive or these solutions have moved to another scale. If the second option is confirmed, we will have the opportunity to see more in the days to come at the Sands and the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)
Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)
The autonomous vehicle is everywhere. The CES exhibit becomes a real showcase of a new automotive world. Far from the Detroit show, here it is usage that prevails with the presence of major international manufacturers (Ford, Audi, Huyndai, BMW etc.).
The Smart Vehicle is everywhere. It is clear that this vision of the intelligent vehicle in the city will impact the distribution of goods in the city.
Day 2 – Wednesday 8th of January
A day dedicated to territories, 3D Printing and drones.
The territories of tomorrow: SIIVIM and LuxFactory
With the Francophone Village and My Global Village, we were able to discover the commitments of a certain number of territories on innovation issues.
We will particularly remember the initiative of the city of Nevers and its very dynamic Mayor Denis Thuriot with the International Summit SIIVIM, held jointly with the city of Shawinigan in Quebec.
Another focus, the commitments of Luxembourg, represented by the Team LuxFactory which sets out the six priority verticals for innovation, including Supply Chain.
3D Printing
This is a trend that is clearly evolving from year to year at the CES.
Flash Back – If in 2014 we began to wonder about the impact that 3D printing could have in logistics professions, we had to admit that at the CES we saw nothing convincing. And then, in 2019, a first shift: we saw a real explosion of solution providers: production quality, 3D scanning, multiplicity of materials taken into account. In 2020, the trend continues to strengthen: ever more players, quality and simplicity. It’s a safe bet that 3D will soon become part of our daily lives.
Dronic
While the article fires of the 31th of December are replaced by drone ballets in Shanghai and Singapore, the CES in Las Vegas joins the dance and launches the 3rd act.
Of all sizes, in groups or solo, for B2C or B2B, in new application frameworks (phytosanitary treatment for agriculture), the drone market is growing more and more.
To be continued for Supply Chain applications…
Day 3 – Thursday 9th of January
On the program for this penultimate day of the show: Nugget, Drone (bis) and mapping in the service of the Supply Chain
Living Packets and “The Box”
Let's start this debriefing of the 3nd day with the presentation of a nugget: The Box
Highlighted at the CES by the La Poste group and its French IoT program, the company Living Packets developed “The Box”, a solution recognized with an Innovation Award here in Las Vegas.
So what is The Box? A “box” made from recyclable material with patented internal cushioning (no more need for bubble wrap). The Box contains a digital labeling system and a complete system of integrated sensors allowing security, temperature and shock monitoring. A mobile application allows you to manage shipments, manage returns and complete tracking. The Box folds up, is easy to store, and is designed for a minimum of 1000 trips.
The Box will soon be rechargeable: its use will become infinite. All at a cost price announced per trip of €2!
Blue Innovation “Flight to the Future”
Let’s return to the “drone” subject discussed yesterday. Today we wanted to come back to Blue Innovationnot : “Flight to the Future”. This Japanese company presents itself as an integrator of global drone solutions with a primary application area, the indoor drone.
Two priority subjects: warehouse safety control and stock control (linked to the WMS). A deployment is planned in Europe, to be continued…
Cartography HERE
Finally, the (re)discovery of the day: society HERE (e.g. NavTeq). If the automotive sector knows HERE well, this is less the case for Supply Chain players. However, 4 out of 5 vehicles in Europe and the United States have HERE mapping. Taking advantage of their presence at the CES Las Vegas, Here has just announced the launch of an application around Last Mile Delivery, with upcoming marketing in Europe. To be continued !
Day 4 – Friday 10th of January
The 2020 CES closes its doors today. It's time for us to leave the Nevada sun to join the gray Parisian atmosphere. And more than the sun, it is an all-out global business dynamic that we are leaving behind us, not without a certain sadness.
Last year we distanced ourselves from the “Yellow Jacket” (which our taxi driver reminded us of as soon as we arrived in Vegas). This year it's a France on strike that we left a few days ago. Clearly, the years follow one another and are similar.
What to remember from this 4nd show day? Well, just once, we're going to talk about electric vehicles, new mobility and bridges between sectors.
Plus.ai
First of all, a focus on Plus.ai, which presented here its approach to the “self-drinving truck”.
“We want to build a technological solution that is applicable to different weather, terrain and driving scenarios,” said Shawn Kerrigan, COO and co-founder of Plus.ai, in a statement.
PACCAR
PACCAR presents a complete range of electric trucks, some of which are equipped with “autonomous” technology. They even announce that they have reached level 4 on their version of the T680.
“The Kenworth Level 4 Autonomous T680 is a perfect platform to study this technology in real-world applications,” said Patrick Dean, Kenworth's chief engineer, in a press release.
These two focuses only reinforce the general feeling of mobility transformation, visible here at the CES in Las Vegas. All vehicle and truck brands are committed to renewable energy and autonomy.
The Smart City will therefore bring into its wake the Smart Vehicle, Smart Building environments and, as far as we are concerned more directly, the SmartSupply Dear to SprintProject.
One of the most notable examples, Toyota has just announced its intention to build a 70-hectare playground in Japan to test interconnected cities. On the program: cars, buildings and “real” residents willing to be beta testers.
What happens in Vegas Should not stay in Vegas!
The 2020 CES will therefore have been, like every year, the meeting point for the Smart world and its decision-makers. A single absence, the Supply Chain which loses its letters of nobility with a notable absence. However, the sector continues to emphasize its capacity for evolution. While startups and large groups show day after day their desire to shift the industry into “Smart”, the CES is not yet the showcase of this trend.
Stay tuned,
Sprintly yours,
Read all the « Expert Opinion » articles on the SprintProject blog
