GOOD QUESTION: How has logistics technology impacted your job?
We’re going through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) switchover that requires a great deal of patience, change management, and transactional discipline. The change is definitely tough and requires a steep learning curve to keep up.
The new technology allows for greater control and visibility of product locations as they move from the production team through the warehouse team and ultimately make it on to the delivery trucks. It provides us an opportunity to improve our processes and our service to the customer.
–Gary Harber
Distribution Manager
Milgard
Logistics technology enabled us to change our entire business model to one that’s better for us—and more importantly, our customers. Advances in data science and analysis helped us establish a platform that breaks the cycle of relying on consultants or carriers when negotiating a parcel shipping contract.
–Josh Dunham
CEO and Co-founder
Reveel
It creates deeper global supply chain connectivity. Innovative warehouse, transportation, order, and logistics management systems provide transparent data for all supply chain parties, enabling workflow, delivery, and overall service to be more efficient. Our ability to leverage data-yielding technology has enhanced operations.
–Jim Heidegger
VP, Technology
Legacy Supply Chain
Route planning tech and the Track-My-Truck service have been a huge win. We can give customers the delivery flexibility, responsiveness, and transparency they expect while reducing costs and boosting fleet productivity. Delivery operations improved more than expected, faster than expected, and it has made life easier for customers and internal teams.
–Nathan Sanders
CEO
Brook Furniture Rental
Technology has transformed how our clients manage their logistics across the full gamut of activities. It has accelerated scheduling and tracking of loads, as well as expedited payment and issue resolution processes.
–Joe Adamski, Senior Director
–Rhiana Gallen, Manager
ProcureAbility
It gives supply chain participants—shippers, carriers, and 3PLs—better visibility, data, and real-time information for managing the business. That’s all good. But it comes with a challenge: How do I organize and share the data within the organization, support the customer, and use it effectively to improve operations? It has to be managed, and that places an additional cost and time burden on the carrier, especially as shippers want more data for no additional charges.
–Greg Orr
President
CFI
The days of “I shipped it—you should see it soon” are gone. Today’s technology provides visibility to help increase accountability from order to receipt. Our sales partners have better costing insight to offer the best solution to achieve a customer’s needs. Performance data provides a collaboration platform with our partners to continually improve, creating value across our ecosystem.
–Jeff Wood
Senior Vice President, Global Operations
Wesco
Technology helps us to continue improving our efficiency by providing data to help manage our fleet and optimize routes. This data is more important now than ever because with the current labor shortage and rising costs, you want to make the best use of your resources. It also helps us predict any parcel that may be late to find another alternative and keep our customer informed.
–Lorena Camargo
Board and Executive Committee Member
CLDA
CEO/Founder
PearlTrans Logistics
The advancement in automation and easy exchange of data between shippers, ports, transportation services, and warehousing have allowed our employees to shift from keying data into our systems to more real-time access to information, allowing us to better predict outcomes as well as serve and guide our customers.
–Ann Nemphos
Chief Technology Officer
World Group
Technology has transformed the way we operate by increasing transparency, reducing costs, and enabling data-driven decisions. Innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) provide endless possibilities.
–Rebecca Smith
Chief Information Officer
Primary Freight Services Inc.
Logistics technology, particularly AI, has transformed our business by enhancing collaboration in idea generation and revolutionizing workforce training and development. By adopting AI-driven tools, we have optimized warehousing processes, reduced costs, and improved overall efficiency, while empowering our employees to provide outstanding service.
–Nate East
Continuous Improvement Engineer
TA Services
Technologies such as real-time tracking through ELD integrations have changed the game for our business, giving us access to valuable supply chain insights that we can then pass to carriers, brokers, and shippers.
–Justin Bailie
Co-Founder
Rose Rocket
It has helped our clients gain visibility and connect the dots to foresee risks and capitalize on opportunities. Beyond in-transit visibility, mapping of their logistics supplier base and understanding how they manage risks allows them to benchmark vendors.
–Tony Pelli
Practice Director, Security and Resilience
BSI
While it was an enabler before, it is now a critical component when creating a scalable logistics platform, providing real-time insights and improving automation and efficiency.
–Matt Parry
SVP, Logistics
Werner Enterprises
Specific automation and robotic applications have played a pivotal role in advancing the shipping industry. For shippers and consumers, it’s about speedy, accurate delivery. For our staff, it’s faster sortation and a safer work environment. For the industry, it’s 10x (or more) capacity with a combination of people and tech.
–James Kelley
President
OSM Worldwide
Technology is fundamental for bridging supply chain gaps. Data collection, combined with machine learning, supports better processes and strategic planning.
–Yoav Amiel
Chief Information Officer
RXO
Gone are phone calls as we can see material flow throughout the world. Intralogistics with improved visibility and rapid advances in live time tracking of truck arrivals, dock management tools, and integration with mobile robots are synchronizing material flow. It’s been fun with the exponential advances the past five years.
–Harry Chase
Senior Director–Central Materials
GE Appliances
Years ago, companies hand-wrote bills of lading. Now, most companies create BOLs electronically to capture shipment details. Since data is king, this simple change means companies aren’t reliant on carriers to obtain their own shipment data. Now companies can analyze and make decisions that are best for them and their customers.
–Melissa Somsen
Chief Commercial Officer
AFS Logistics
Back in the day, you had to scan a load of RFID-chipped pallets stack by stack. These days, it’s possible to scan a full trailer and it reads everything in only seconds. Every efficiency we introduce improves business intelligence, minimizes loss, and benefits the entire supply chain.
–Cory Lehman
Director of Asset Management
iGPS Logistics
Change comes from innovation. Echo’s technology optimizes our solutions by allowing us to drive efficiency and reliability throughout all aspects of the logistics supply chain. Our web-based platform integrates a full suite of capabilities with logistical expertise to create a proprietary solution fit for any size shipper or carrier.
–Zach Jecklin
Chief Information Officer
Echo Global Logistics
In the past we had one logistics plan, today we have a multi-course strategy with options driven by late-point decision making technology using real-time data that dynamically optimizes cost, service, weather, etc. and keeps sales and customers informed. We’re not trying to prevent chaos; we’re using technology to accommodate it.
–Marcia Brey
Vice President of Distribution
GE Appliances
As a logistics technology company ourselves, we have seen the avalanche of freight tech that has flooded the market over the past decade. While useful, these technologies tend to offer disparate, siloed services. This has inspired us to create a true end-to-end supply chain tech platform that “does it all.”
–Rick Burnett
CEO
LaneAxis
Logistics technology has revolutionized our business by automating pricing, load-matching and other manual, time-consuming processes. For example, Arrive’s proprietary software allows our team to focus on relationships, execution, and delivering custom solutions that drive cost savings, sustainability, and operational efficiency. Logistics technology can be a game-changer.
–Marc Schriftman
VP of Software Engineering
Arrive Logistics
With technology playing a more significant role in reefer market positioning, it will be necessary for ocean carriers to adopt telematics technology to measure decarbonization efficacy for ESG and decarbonization goal achievement. The value of predictive analytics and pre-warning diagnostics will also benefit SeaCube and my functional department for managing our asset investments.
–Gregory W. Tuthill
Chief Commercial Officer
SeaCube Containers
As cloud computing has become inexpensive, detailed analysis and prescriptive solutioning have become more available and economical. It no longer takes specialized computers long periods of time to develop optimized solutions. It will be interesting how this trend will continue to evolve as artificial intelligence integrates into the logistics space.
–Brendt Reif
Director of LTL Analytics
AFS Logistics
Logistics technology has completely changed supply chain services to include all modes both domestic and overseas. It mirrors the cell phones’ impact on the communication world: speed, accuracy, historical data, and profit all benefited.
–Reo Hatfield
VP of Corporate Services
TA Services
Dangerous goods (DG) shipping is complex, time consuming and high risk. DG shipping technology enables organizations to automate repeatable processes, including validating shipments against current regulations, while integrating compliance into their TMS, WMS, ERP systems—simultaneously improving supply chain compliance, safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
–Mario Sagastume
Vice President of Software & Customer Success
Labelmaster
Liquidation used to be a very hands-on business involving multiple touches, transportation, and storage. But today, there are smart SAAS solutions like Automated Sell in Place that let retailers liquidate excess inventory virtually, resulting in fewer touches, lower transportation and storage costs, faster turns, and better for the environment.
–Girish Jaguste
Vice President, Self-Directed Solutions
Liquidity Services
Logistics technology is evolving the industry and driving a rapid pace of change. Robotics have enabled achievement of three times productivity with greater visibility. Logistics execution systems agilely allow for ease of custom configuration, and artificial intelligence and machine learning provide proactive responses to future risks and opportunities.
–Kristi Montgomery
VP of Innovation, Research & Development
Kenco Group
We’ve seen many positive impacts on labor shortages as warehouses implement more technology into their operations. By leveraging intelligent software technology, warehouse operators are making improvements in attracting new labor talent, reducing worker fatigue and training time, and creating new growth opportunities for associates throughout the warehouse.
–Jeff Geoffroy
Director of Product Marketing
6 River Systems
It is not only transforming how we strategize, transport, and track the movement of goods but also building a more sustainable supply chain. We use data and AI to make our practices even more sustainable and to hold ourselves accountable to make an industry- and planet-wide impact.
–Paul Gaffney
Chief Digital Officer
Omni Logistics
Logistics technology—especially around tasks such as picking and placing—has advanced to the point where there would be a throughput benefit to adding additional robots to a cell, to have multiple robots working on a specific application at the same time. Being able to bring this capability to logistics and supply chain companies without fear of collision has been a game-changer.
–Matt Somerville
Director of Sales, North America
Realtime Robotics
Two key logistics technologies have changed our business. First was procurement digitalization, which drives efficiency in our Request for Quotes process and enhances negotiations across all trade lanes processes. Second was our visibility platform, where we centralized thousands of carriers’ data to improve transit visibility and proactively manage changes without impacting logistics strategy.
–Xochitl Serafin
Vice President, Logistics
Flex