Dubai’s logistics sector has been told by the emirate’s Chamber of Commerce to speed up its adoption of internet-of-things (IoT) in order to remain competitive and efficient.

“Logistics contributes 14 per cent to the emirate’s annual [GDP]…. As such it is a key area of focus for innovation, particularly IoT,” Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told a recent business forum held in Dubai.

Some of the early IoT applications in the logistics sector include port traffic and fleet management, as well as location-based tracking of freight as it moves down the supply chain.

Buamim also highlighted the need for commensurate training and skill development to enable the successful deployment of IoT solutions across industries and sectors as well as in the emirate’s public sector. “We need to integrate government services with IoT… to enable delivery of services to every resident,” Buamim said.

Buamim added that turning to innovative solutions, primarily driven by the deployment of IoT, could further help the emirate achieve its ambitious energy goals through the deployment of digital metering and smart grid solutions, among others. Dubai expects a 7.2 per cent annual increase in electricity demand until 2020, when it hosts the World Expo. The emirate also aims to bring the percentage share of solar power in its energy mix to 7 per cent within the same time frame. 

Yousif Almutawa, chief information officer at Dubai-headquartered DP World, told the same forum that his organisation is heavily engaged in tapping the latest technologies to drive efficiency and innovation. “Our main objective [in IT] is to constantly bridge the limitations between the physical and digital worlds,” said Almutawa, who cited that its recent technology deployments range from RFID [radio-frequency identification] for freight tracking and management all the way to drones for security and traffic management.

“[The port operator] is just one player in the big trade supply chain…. We need to be smarter, we cannot become an obstacle to the importer-trader relationship… otherwise we will be eliminated from the supply chain,” said Almutawa.