The Logistics of Christmas, 2020 Edition
Now that we’ve entered December, people everywhere are wondering if 2020 will be the first time in history that Santa Claus and his workshop will be unable to meet the Christmas Eve deadline to manufacture and deliver toys worldwide.
Intrinsically we all know that some way, somehow this all-important deadline will not be missed. But this year Santa’s workshop is dealing with a global health pandemic and other challenges that are shared by industries and supply chains across the globe.
Going digital
After taking notice of how manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers are using digital solutions, Santa found a way to have contactless transactions in the shop and to make his supply chain logistics more efficient and secure.
By using a digital lockbox solution — as you might have guessed, from BoxLock — Santa’s workshop has secured and is better able to manage its “MRO” inventory such as high-value tools, parts and supplies to improve production and operational efficiency.
Santa chose BoxLock for its real-time connectivity and integrated barcode reader. The device immediately recognizes when tools or other items in inventory are scanned into or out of lockboxes, containers, or other secured areas by people — or in this case, elves — that have permissioned access.
Although elves are very proficient at making snowball cannons, managing inventory is not in their wheelhouse. With the technology, Santa’s workshop has an immutable data record for auditing when, where and what items are entered into or removed from lockboxes and storage areas.
With this added security and real-time visibility, the shop has been able to eliminate wasted time from elves waiting on managers to unlock secured areas with a physical key. Instead, elves have permissioned access in the form of individual QR codes on their employee IDs.
Additionally, the BoxLock solution gives the shop real-time visibility to inventory levels to ensure that items are stocked for production to continue without disruption.
Reducing transportation costs is another benefit. When elves scan items into and out of lock boxes or storage areas, BoxLock sends notifications to Santa’s trusted supply chain partners for inventory replenishment. The system also notifies third-party logistics providers and carriers when the workshop has outbound shipments, such as product samples, ready for pickup in a lockbox.
Following a fast and successful rollout of the technology in its workshop, Santa has big plans to create a worldwide distribution system that will transform last-mile deliveries on Christmas Eve. Residential locations will use digital lockboxes to eliminate the routing challenges of landing a sleigh on rooftops and entering homes through congested chimneys.
Santa’s plans will assist parents with final assembly of his more difficult toys by stocking any spare parts they may need in digital neighborhood lockboxes. These toys will come with a QR code in the packaging that parents can use to retrieve spare parts on a tight deadline to prevent having disappointed kids on Christmas Day.
Helping the front lines
Whether or not you may be depending on a Christmas Eve delivery this year to complete your shopping list, another area of concern is how to prevent holiday gatherings from being superspreader events. If you have invited your Uncle Tommy to a holiday dinner party but heard a cough on the phone, rest assured that the same technology that is being used by Santa’s workshop has real-world applications.
Laboratories are using BoxLock to gain real-time visibility and end-to-end accountability of medical samples from clinics. When samples are placed in lockboxes at clinics, labs know immediately that items are available for pickup to speed the logistics for testing and diagnosis.
For more real-life applications of BoxLock technology during the holiday season and throughout the year, visit our main page, www.getboxlock.com.