Artificial and augmented intelligence

 

The logistics industry has a lot to gain from technological innovation in handling copious amounts of data and merchandise, as well as in getting goods from a manufacturer or vendor to the final customer.

Artificial and augmented intelligence can be used in logistics in many different areas, such as:

• Inventory automation. In a constantly moving warehouse, it is easy to lose track of inventories as the window of accuracy is very limited, it changes by the hour, so automating these tasks allows for more efficiency and faster updating.

This technology has benefits like reduced error rate, reduced costs, and greater safety for employees who don´t have to check inventories manually at unsafe heights, no need to stop activities to do the inventory, and can be done constantly.

• Smart inventory management. It will identify which products are the best and worst sellers to create a more accurate inventory. This helps avoid shortages and limit overstock. 

AI will also be able to predict consumer buying intentions based on different elements such as weather, events, time of day, etc. This is very useful to anticipate the right stocks that will be available at the right time reducing the delivery time to the customer who will be happier.

• Order picking automation. Based on the orders, a swarm of robots moves in the racks to collect the goods and forward them to the operator. The AI guides the robots and optimizes their movements in the warehouse, improving picking productivity and lowering the error rate.

• Parcel sorting automation. The rise of e-commerce calls for optimized structures. Based on a predefined sorting system, robots automatically forward the packages to their destination area in a much more efficient manner and with no need to observe working hours which increases productivity.

• Transportation visibility. Customers are increasingly demanding and require constant information about their shipments, but vendors also need to calculate better ETA’s and be able to inform the customer of any delays so that they can act.

• Delivery route optimization. Using machine learning, artificial intelligence can plan deliveries taking multiple factors into account to come up with the best route, and transportation times for a particular shipment.

The market is highly competitive and an efficient and flexible supply chain is a major asset for companies, which is why investments in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics capabilities will continue.

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