Algorithms in logistics: three verifiable uses
Algorithms in logistics solve specific problems: routing and palletizing calculated together, visibility that anticipates, and traceability that holds up as evidence.
"Artificial intelligence" is now the label almost every software vendor puts on its product. In logistics it appears in every presentation, rarely with an example of the problem it solves. This article describes three concrete uses in an operation.
1. Routing and palletizing calculated together
Traditional planning separates two connected decisions: how to load each truck and where to send it. The pallet build is decided first and the route after, or the other way around, and one decision tends to constrain the other. A poorly built pallet forces a longer route. A route closed too early leaves load capacity unused.
Geodot calculates both at once. Smart Palletizing defines how to stack the load to use the vehicle, respecting fragility and unload sequence. Routing calculates the path with that capacity already factored in. It is a single calculation: the route is built knowing what fits in each truck.
2. Visibility that anticipates
A dashboard reports what happened. The Control Tower consolidates data from the operation (yard, warehouse, route) and detects patterns that foreshadow a problem: a shipment that at this pace will not make its window, a warehouse filling up, a route drifting off plan. Those alerts give room to decide before the problem has a cost.
3. Traceability as evidence
In cold chain, bonded warehouses and pharma, traceability is what the regulator demands and what backs the customer. The system records every event and flags what falls outside the expected, such as a temperature excursion, an atypical transit time or a shortage.
The record stops being a file consulted when a claim arrives and backs every delivery. For a 3PL operator, that means answering a dispute with data.
Evaluation criteria
A vendor that says "AI" should be able to show what decision it makes, with what data and which indicator it moves. The three uses described are measured in fuller trucks, anticipated problems and documented deliveries.
In the meeting we work with your data and define which indicators to measure. Request a demo.