FourKites is recognized for its role in AI-driven supply chain transformation and is the developer of the Intelligent Control Tower™, which operates on what’s described because the world’s largest real-time visibility network. The platform enables the creation of comprehensive digital twins of supply chains and integrates AI-powered digital agents to support automation, enhance collaboration, and drive operational outcomes for all stakeholders. In contrast to traditional control towers, FourKites’ solution is designed to support real-time execution and intelligent achievement across each supply-side and customer-facing operations.
What inspired the recent shift at FourKites from visibility to regulate towers, and the way did you discover the gap out there or that this was the precise time to pursue these latest goals?
FourKites’ shift to regulate towers and a brand new digital workforce reflects an even bigger evolution in the provision chain and logistics space. Simply put, visibility and insights aren’t any longer enough. With the rapid evolution of AI and a vision to maneuver beyond mere data delivery, suppliers are prioritizing intelligent automation and solutions that cannot only streamline operations but deliver on the promise of AI taking automated motion on the insights that real-time data and visibility provide.
The move to our intelligent control tower and a digital workforce helps our customers achieve their strategic objectives in ways in which were never before possible. Now, AI can transform supply chain management from reactive tracking to the proactive orchestration we set out to attain years ago, enabling more autonomous and intelligent workflows.
Are you able to tell us more about your journey in technology and AI and the way it led you to your current role at FourKites?
I began my engineering profession over 20 years ago in Chicago. Since then I even have fostered a passion for all facets of technology from signal processing, video compression, and computer vision, to machine learning and SaaS delivery.
The rapid development of AI has supercharged that keenness, and the need to be on the forefront of its development and adoption in the provision chain has made it a really exciting time to work within the industry.
That early experience, together with stops at Logitech, Samsung, and others, led me to my current role at FourKites, where I’m liable for product delivery, data science, and empowering my team with growth opportunities and platforms to showcase modern work in the provision chain.
As a thought leader in supply chain technology, how do you see AI reshaping the landscape in the following few years?
Our mission has all the time been to unravel supply chain challenges while rapidly embracing technological innovations. As we glance ahead, what excites me essentially the most is that AI shall be utilized in ways we never thought possible, helping customers gather, process and take motion in latest ways.
Imagine that as a substitute of requiring manual inputs for basic information, users of all kinds will find a way to easily refer to an app or take an image of what they see and the LLM will find a way to discover and extract the identical quality of knowledge.
Take the Port of Recent Jersey, and Port of Newark Container Terminal, for instance. They’ve video cameras which are on 24/7 and refresh every 30 seconds. If we start capturing those frames, we are able to know exactly what trucks went in and got here out by just the license plates or container numbers. Most ports have these cameras available 24/7, so the democratization of knowledge and more natural ways of gathering data shall be the lowest-hanging fruit that may revolutionize shipping and tracking.
What metrics or success indicators are most significant to you when evaluating the platform’s impact on customers?
A very powerful metrics for evaluating the platform’s customer impact include workflow automation capability, reduction in manual tasks, and specific operational efficiency improvements. We’re how we are able to reduce OTIF penalties, decrease integration costs, improve shipment handling capability, and enable more autonomous and intelligent supply chain management. These metrics show a tangible ability to deliver value for patrons by transforming complex supply chain processes.
How does FourKites leverage AI and machine learning to offer a competitive edge in the provision chain technology market?
We leverage AI and machine learning to drive meaningful progress toward eliminating today’s pervasive data silos, paving the best way toward a more efficient approach to monitoring, analyzing and acting on supply chain data in real time.
To that end, we use AI to assist assess the impact of disruptive events, diagnose tracking issues, obtain product guidance, and more. Our latest AI-powered digital employees automate common workflows, eliminating 80% of routine tasks and increasing shipment handling capability by 40% while working across the clock.
What differentiates FourKite’s solution from others within the industry, particularly when it comes to AI capabilities and integrations?
We differentiate ourselves by specializing in end-to-end workflow execution, converting generic AI models into supply chain domain experts, and maintaining a commitment to continuous learning and rapid technology adoption. By integrating real-time network data, digital twins of consumers’ supply chain operations, and an AI-powered digital workforce, we provide the industry’s most comprehensive and intelligent solution.
Are you able to share insights into the event process behind FourKite’s core features, including its real-time supply chain data, digital twins and digital workforce?
The event process for FourKites’ core features is characterised by rapid experimentation, learning, and a collaborative approach. We use a dedicated R&D team we call the AI Guild focused on exploring the newest technologies, conducting internal testing and validation, and sharing insights in a way that moves as fast as AI can develop.
By breaking complex tasks into smaller, manageable actions and constantly evaluating and integrating latest AI models, we ensure our solutions remain cutting-edge and adaptable.
How have advancements in cloud computing and digitization influenced the best way organizations approach their supply chain visibility and automation?
Advancements in cloud computing and digitization have profoundly influenced supply chain visibility and automation by dramatically reducing AI training costs, removing operational silos, and enabling more complex and intelligent systems at scale. These technological shifts have created a necessity for continuous learning and adaptation, allowing organizations to develop more autonomous, intelligent supply chain solutions with significantly reduced infrastructure costs and increased operational flexibility.
How does the Intelligent Control Tower address the important thing limitations of legacy supply chain systems, equivalent to their reliance on batch processing and lack of real-time integration, to enable autonomous actions and improve operational efficiency?
There isn’t a query that legacy systems have created significant roadblocks for firms hoping to attain more data-intensive operations and supply greater value by leveraging agentic AI and intelligent automation.
Despite significant innovation, we’ve found that legacy systems still struggle on the subject of real-time data because many are designed for batch processing with relational databases. When FourKites pioneered the real-time supply chain visibility market, our assumption was that enterprise planning and execution systems would eat the data we offer and operationalize it, but that never happened and our customers were left to operationalize their data on their very own.
Now, our Intelligent Control Tower solution flips the script on legacy systems. Relatively than counting on enterprise systems to eat data and operationalize it, firms can as a substitute leverage AI-powered platforms like FourKites to eat the info from legacy systems and integrate it into workflows where digital and human employees alike have the context they need.
What specific use cases or customer pain points were prioritized in the event of the Intelligent Control Tower™, and the way do its AI-driven packages, like Supplier Connect AI and Yard Connect AI, create measurable value for supply chain stakeholders?
In developing the Intelligent Control Tower, we set out to comprehend the vision we had since day one at FourKites: to make supply chains more efficient and resilient by addressing critical challenges, equivalent to assessing and mitigating disruptions, automating routine tasks, reducing manual document processing, improving supplier collaboration, and more.
We’re tackling these challenges by offering tailor-made packages that leverage AI to make operational improvements in essentially the most common areas. For instance, we’re automating routine track-and-trace activities to extend shipment handling capability by 40% and drive as much as a 30% reduction in OTIF penalties. We’re also helping shippers completely automate their collaboration with suppliers delivering more efficiency within the procurement process.
