AI transforms supply chain work

Seaports use AI to plan complex movements from water to land. Warehouses deploy AI-powered drones to reduce backorders. Logistics companies use AI to solve last-mile delivery problems.

Arrive Logistics automates bid processing

J-Ann Tio Toles, chief strategy officer at Arrive Logistics, says AI reshapes customer bids in any format into data their systems can act on. Work that took hours now takes minutes.

“Email tenders build straight into our platform. A bid arrives however the customer built it, and AI reshapes it so our pricing platforms can act on it directly.”

YMX Logistics uses AI for cargo theft

Matt Yearling, CEO at YMX Logistics, used AI-powered gate automation with computer vision to help a grocery retailer recover sixty thousand dollars from a cargo theft case.

“With computer vision at the gate, they had indisputable video footage of the carrier and driver, which meant they could make a claim to recover $60,000.”

Confusion about what AI actually means

Mantej Singh Randhawa, global growth leader of supply chain at Genpact, says there is a lack of shared understanding about what AI means in practice across supply chain teams.

“You can ask 10 supply chain employees to define agentic AI and get 10 different answers.”

Adoption faster than expected

J-Ann Tio Toles says resistance to AI adoption never materialized. Digital transformation is familiar to supply chain and logistics, so adoption started further along than in previous technology waves.

“The resistance I expected never materialized. Digital transformation isn't foreign to supply chain or the third-party logistics sector, so the adoption curve here started further along than it did in the app era.”

Demand forecasting leads AI adoption

Chap Achen, senior director analyst at Gartner Supply Chain Practice, reports that eighty-two percent of retailers surveyed by Gartner have implemented or are implementing AI solutions for demand forecasting and planning.

“The clear early winner is demand forecasting and planning, with 82% of retailers surveyed by Gartner having implemented or currently implementing AI solutions in this area.”

Sustainability leaders weigh benefits and costs

Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer at Blue Yonder, says sustainability leaders are optimistic AI will make supply chains more efficient but worry about the growing energy and water demands of data centres.

“At the same time, sustainability leaders are considering the growing footprint of data centers, which require vast amounts of energy and water.”