Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesProfessional AV

Enhancing Supply Chain Visibility and Efficiency Through Radio Communications

Wesley Boyce, an Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, argues that two-way radio communication remains a highly effective tool for improving supply chain visibility, coordination, and efficiency. He highlights how radios enable real-time synchronization of personnel and assets, reduce idle inventory costs, and provide swift problem identification. Despite the rise of IoT and RFID technologies, radios continue to hold strategic value in logistics operations.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Professional AV teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

Promoted content from Icom on MarketScale.

By Wesley Boyce · · IcomRadiosSupply ChainSupply Chain Efficiency
Share

Key takeaways

01

Two-way radios enable real-time coordination among supply chain personnel, improving synchronization and overall efficiency.

02

Radio networks can help replace excess inventory by improving information flow, leading to cost savings on idle stock.

03

Despite advanced digital alternatives like IoT and RFID, radios' simplicity and directness remain a competitive advantage in logistics.

Free workspace

Turn your Professional AV expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

While the logistics industry often gravitates toward cutting-edge technology, Wesley Boyce, an Assistant Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, brings to light the enduring significance of radio communication. In a world enthralled by digital innovation, he argues that the simplicity of radios could be their greatest strength in supply chain management.

In a concise overview, Boyce reveals how two-way radios amplify visibility and efficiency within supply chains. "These radios enable personnel to coordinate activities in real-time, significantly improving synchronization and making the supply chain more efficient in general," Boyce says. By providing instant communication, radios enhance the monitoring of assets and shipments, leading to better inventory management and quicker problem identification.

These radios enable personnel to coordinate activities in real-time, significantly improving synchronization and making the supply chain more efficient in general.
— Wesley Boyce, Assistant Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Boyce emphasizes the strategic advantage of radios, stating, "Information provided by radio networks can effectively help to replace inventory, leading to cost savings by reducing money tied up in idle inventory." Despite the buzz around IoT and RFID technologies, he concludes that radios' swift and direct communication continues to hold substantial value in logistics, proving that sometimes, the classic tools withstand the test of time.

Information provided by radio networks can effectively help to replace inventory, leading to cost savings by reducing money tied up in idle inventory.
— Wesley Boyce, Assistant Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Video TranscriptExpand ↓

Two way radio stems and radio networks provide instant communication, which can have some major benefits. As an example, these radios enable very personnel to coordinate activities in a real time fashion. So this gives us some instant communication that can greatly aid in the coordination between stakeholders and supply chain. This can do a lot of things, such as improving synchronization between participants and ultimately helping to make the supply chain more efficient in general. We can also effectively employ radio networks to improve things like asset tracking, or aiding in the real time monitoring of things like vehicles or shipments just to name, a couple obvious examples. These radio networks and two way radio systems also lead to improved visibility in the supply chain. So this helps us to see things like inventory, better, or identifying problems better to help us deal with things like disruption. This can also help us to quickly respond to issues and ultimately lead to additional its, such as improved safety. Importantly, it can also lead to cost savings as we consider the premise that information provided by radio networks can effectively help to replace inventory, thus we have less money city in idle inventory that at risk. I'll conclude with the notion that, you know, radios aren't the newest or trendiest method of communication and logistics and supply chain management, you know, that would focus more on, high technology tools like internet of things devices or RFID tags, supply chain management software, collaboration platforms I could go on and on. But importantly, the impact and benefits of radio network are still extremely important to the field given that the ability to instantaneously communicate with another person still maintains a significant amount of value.

Icom

Part of this channel

Icom

Professional radio communication for land, sea, air, and public safety.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Professional AV starts with a company putting its integrators, design engineers, and product specialists on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

When a spec writer or facilities lead searches this category, your integrators are what they find instead of a competitor.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

Wesley Boyce
Wesley BoyceAssistant Professor of Practice

Wesley S. Boyce is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics. He earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in logistics and supply chain management from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2014 and his MBA from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. His research interests include a broad array of topics related to supply chain management, logistics, and transportation, with specific interest on supply chain relationships and external costs of logistics. Prior to joining UNL, Dr. Boyce served as a faculty member of the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa, the Breech School of Business Administration at Drury University, and the School of Business at Park University. Teaching interests include courses in operations management, logistics, supply chain management, and business analytics.

B2B Weekly

The week in Professional AV, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Professional AV: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Professional AV buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Professional AV expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your integrators, design engineers, and product specialists into the articles, video, and social content Professional AV buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Professional AV Insights

Amazon puts Alexa in a picture frame and a 16-inch wall display

Amazon puts Alexa in a picture frame and a 16-inch wall display

Amazon announced five Alexa devices on Oct. 28. The Alexa Photo Frame is a $199.99 10-inch screen built to look like an ordinary frame, and the Echo Show 16 is a 16-inch wall display with preorders from $499.99. Three of the five ship now. Amazon says the Echo Show line is up more than 25% year over year.

  • 01Alexa Photo Frame: $199.99 in black or $229 in wood, a 10-inch anti-glare screen synced to Amazon Photos, shipping as early as next week per Android Authority.
  • 02Echo Show 16: 16-inch display, nearly 40% thinner than the Show 15, preorders from $499.99 with $100 off; Android Authority reports shipping in the second half of December.
  • 03Echo Time ($199.99), Echo Dot ($99.99) and Echo Studio with Home Camera ($249.99) are available now.

Oct 30, 2026

AVIXA course maps lens-to-screen workflow for AV and broadcast

AVIXA course maps lens-to-screen workflow for AV and broadcast

AVIXA course covers lens-to-screen workflow with Diversified, EVS support.

  • 01A corporate studio held to a network control room's standards for reliability and timing needs staff who understand every step between the lens and the screen.
  • 02For training managers, the free preview is a practical first step before the full course.

Oct 29, 2026

Atlona's Omega 2 puts 4K video, USB and Ethernet on one Cat 6A cable

Atlona's Omega 2 puts 4K video, USB and Ethernet on one Cat 6A cable

TWICE reports that Atlona added Omega 2 to its Omega Series on Oct. 22, 2026. According to Atlona, the HDBaseT 3.0 lineup carries uncompressed 4K/60 4:4:4 video, USB 2.0 data and Gigabit Ethernet over a single Cat 6A cable at distances up to 330 feet. The company says presenters get one cable and integrators get fewer boxes behind the display.

  • 01Omega products shown in 2019 were rated for up to 330 feet. Atlona says Omega 2, which uses HDBaseT 3.0, moves uncompressed 4K/60 4:4:4 video plus USB 2.0 data and Gigabit Ethernet across a single Cat 6A cable for distances up to 330 feet.
  • 02On the AT-OME2-E2311 transmitter and AT-OME2-D2311 receiver, bi-directional Power over HDBaseT lets either end power the other, so the link runs on one power supply, according to TWICE. That could mean one fewer power supply to mount behind a display.
  • 03Two models, the AT-OME2-E2311 transmitter and the AT-OME2-D2311 receiver, are already available. Atlona expects the AT-OME2-E2321-WP wall plate and the AT-OME2-R2742 switcher to begin shipping in mid-November.

Oct 23, 2026

Explore More Professional AV Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Professional AV.

Browse Professional AV Hub

About the Expert

Wesley Boyce
Wesley Boyce

Assistant Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Wesley Boyce is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work focuses on the practical application of communication and technology tools within logistics and supply chain operations. He advocates for the continued relevance of foundational technologies like two-way radio systems in modern supply chain environments.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Professional AV and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512