Insights

Optimization of logistics and transport with the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Published 31/07/2023  |  Author: Stefan Nyholm

The availability of huge amounts of information, as well as increasingly powerful computers and new algorithms, have contributed to major breakthroughs for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent years. AI is the ability of computer programs to learn from past experiences, solve problems and plan sequences of actions, among other things.

AI is already present in our everyday lives in many areas, such as in web search, smartphones, automatic translations, and navigation. In logistics and transport AI can for instance be used in load and route planning, forecasting of upcoming transport bookings / volumes and optimization of inventory.

At NextLog, we have always strived to use the latest technology and to develop features that contribute to streamlining the operational work of transport companies. The utilization and implementation of AI is now also an important part of our system development.

In logistics in general and transport planning in particular, there are great opportunities to save costs and at the same time increase revenue. Dispatchers are in a key position, as they continuously strive to maximize the filling rate of the vehicles and minimize the kilometers driven per transported ton   in their daily work. This requires effective tools such as LogiControl’s Dispatching, on which we have always had strong focus in our system development.

Therefore, the use of Artificial Intelligence is a natural further development to streamline the work of dispatchers. With the goal to reduce routine work and release resources for more demanding tasks, we are currently developing an automatic load planning in the Dispatching view.

The automation is based on previously made load planning with a so-called machine learning model. The learning model is regularly “trained” to produce more accurate results. The automatic load planning, initiated by the user, provides a planning proposal that the user can either approve, improve or reject.