Moving forward, digitization is prime to transform nearly every aspect of the logistics industry. With the future potential of Industry 4.0 becoming our present-day reality, the industry is in the midst of rapid change. Cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, and the Internet of Things are all changing how businesses operate. By the year 2020, the number of logistics businesses boasting an advanced level of digitization will skyrocket from 28% to 71%. Industry experts and CEOs see digitization as the best way to achieve cost reduction and revenue growth. Companies expect to see their costs fall 3.6% per annum and their revenues to rise 2.7% per annum. With the industry becoming more efficient and advanced, companies that fail to adapt will find themselves lagging behind their competitors.

The process of finding strategic partners is no exception to this dramatic trend. Creating and maintaining an advanced, nimble supply chain is vital to a business’ long term health. 51% of CEOs in the logistics industry plan on establishing a new strategic partnership in the next twelve months, up 4% from 2014, with 70% considering or committed to partnering with a new supplier.  Even the reasons for forming new partnerships is changing. Instead of mitigating risk or entering new markets, CEOs are looking for new technologies and innovation capabilities. As customers increasingly demand environmentally sustainable products, it will become increasingly important to find environmentally aware suppliers and partners to best satisfy consumer demand. New shipping methods and techniques are helping make the Logistics Industry more energy efficient and cost efficient than ever before.  As political instability rages across the world, it is vital to select knowledgable, and established strategic partners to best navigate these uncertain times. Companies must be organized and careful to ensure the best global expansion possible.  If the industry is changing, if partnerships are changing, then how those partnerships are formed must change as well.

Powerlinx is a B2B Matching Platform that seeks to change how companies find and connect with strategic partners. With Powerlinx, logistics companies can instantly be matched with partners to help expand their carrier base and find overseas agents in emerging markets. Powerlinx aims to be a valuable resource and an extension of a company’s business development team. In the traditional model, businesses are forced to purchase thousands of expensive leads, expend valuable time sifting through them, and then relying on emails with minimal response. Powerlinx seeks to make this model obsolete using Big Data and a proprietary algorithm to help match companies. Taking the guesswork out of partnerships, Powerlinx analyses a variety of metrics to quantify a business’ compatiblity with a potential partner. With a platform boasting 52 million companies over 165 countries, Powerlinx makes finding strategic partners easier, cheaper, and more time-efficient than ever before. In the evolving world brought on Industry 4.0, Powerlinx is an indispensible resource for the Logistics industry.