Developing an Internet of Things-based Intelligent Transportation Technology Roadmap in the Food Cold Supply Chain

The Fourth Industrial Revolution affected all industries and transformed the digital, cyber, and real worlds in the supply chains of corporations. Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the emerging technologies that mostly manifests the fourth industrial revolution. As the future of the food industry is tied to the design and management of supply chains enabled by technologies such as the IoT, this paper is to provide a model for developing an IoT-based intelligent transportation technology roadmap based on alternative IoT scenarios in the food-producing cold supply chain.

In this study, scenarios were developed using qualitative methods such as the PESTEL framework and content analysis, based on the critical uncertainty method or GBN, through open semi-structured interviews with experts in the food industry and IoT. After identifying the best IoT technology stock for each selected scenario, a roadmap was developed using the T-plan quick-start method during a tow-day-interactive workshop.

Communication infrastructure and time horizon of technology development were recognized as the most important uncertainties for applying IoT technology in refrigerated transportation of food cold supply chain in producing companies. Finally, “Mutation Alone” and “Ascent Slow” scenarios were selected and technology roadmaps were developed for each scenario in three layers.

Food companies with cold supply chains can use one of the roadmaps presented in this paper as guidelines to equip their transport fleet with IoT technology based on their current situation and choose one of the two selected scenarios. This would enable them to plan, control, and manage the cold transportation chain process by digitally monitoring, tracing, and information sharing in an efficient and effective way.