Against Logisitics Innovation? When is Innovation NOT necessary

Innovation has become such buzzword these days, that my real fear is that it will simply lose its signifigance and be bandied around with no real power. Is that in anyones real interest?

Lets be honest, Innovation is nothing new, it is an ongoing process, and always has been, with new ideas and concepts, or new ways of doing business always emerging, otherwise we would never have any progress. What has changed is the focus; People are now more aware and are actively driving at new ways to do things and new technologies. This in iteself is wonderful, until you step back and say, "why are they doing this?" We need to have a closer look at exactly what we innovate and why, and where this comes from, or should come from.

The old addage, which I still think should ring true is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Innovation and invention should always start with a question or a challenge, " what do we want to change and why?" or "how can we do this better?" If we cannot ask these questions, then we really need to consider why we are looking at innovation in the first place. My fear is that some are mearly looking to change a market position, in order to gain an advantage for themselves, not necessarily improve the market or make it more efficient, but in some cases make it less efficient and less competitive to maximise revenue for themselves. While many will agree with that statement, as a long term postulate it can only have a serious negative outcome on economic growth and development.

Every attempt at innovation must address a problem, a defined problem, and perhaps this is the challenge in International Trade and Logistics. At the moment we see a flurry of startups in the logistics and maritime sector looking to disrupt or shift the industry. This is perhaps most prevalent in the IT industry, and even here, specifically with the freight and procurement platforms. There are a plethora of these, each slightly differently focused, and with varying degrees of success and investment. Each approaches a different aspect of the freight and procurement process challenge, but until now, none has addressed the challenge itself. Perhaps it is too big a one to bite off in one bite.

So what exactly is the challenge or problem with the industry? Is it, and where is it broken? What needs fixing? This is the discussion we need to start accepting and having at a higher level, where exactly is the industry heading and how can we pull together to get there?