Effect of the adoption of technology innovations in the air cargo logistics industry in South Africa

Abstract

The recent advances in technology and innovations are poised to impact air cargo operations because the distribution of goods requires a seamless supply chain system that needs automation to coordinate air cargo flow properly. The response to issues about the fourth industrial revolution involving ICT and IoT technology applications is becoming unavoidable. Nevertheless, it has been observed that the air cargo logistics industry has been reluctant to adopt new technologies for their businesses. This study examines the effects of adopting and implementing emerging technological applications in the air cargo logistics industry in South Africa. Three hundred and seventy-three (373) stakeholders were sampled for data collection by random technique at the cargo terminal of OR Tambo International Airport. The data were collected by a questionnaire administered to the respondents with instructions to rank the information provided in order of significance. The study adopted exploratory factor analysis to analyse data. The study found that applying technology in the air cargo logistics industry promotes efficient operations, improves warehousing and enhances cargo delivery services for customer satisfaction. The study implies the need to improve the responsiveness of adopting emerging technological applications in the air cargo logistics industry in South Africa.