**London**: FourKites has launched its first digital workers, Tracy and Sam, aiming to boost supply chain efficiency by automating routine tasks and enhancing shipment handling by 40%. The initiative is part of a broader Digital Workforce strategy, utilising real-time data for better operational insights.
FourKites has introduced its first digital workers, named Tracy and Sam, designed to transform supply chain orchestration through the use of artificial intelligence. This significant development is aimed at enhancing shipment handling capacity by an estimated 40% while automating up to 80% of routine tasks within supply chain operations.
These AI agents are part of FourKites’ broader initiative known as the Digital Workforce, which integrates with the company’s Intelligent Control Tower. This advanced platform provides a comprehensive array of real-time supply chain data and digital twins that offer in-depth insights into various operational aspects. By leveraging real-time data, the digital workers can effectively execute tasks autonomously, thus allowing human employees to concentrate on more strategic activities.
Shwetha Balagali, Senior Manager Logistics NA – Capabilities & Excellence at Unilever, shared some insights into the functionality of Tracy, stating, “Co-innovating and implementing the digital worker, Tracy, has helped Unilever teams in the U.S. make our supply chain management more efficient. Within four weeks, we observed notable improvements to exception management and tracking quality.” According to Balagali, Tracy not only provides valuable insights but also streamlines operations by identifying risks and coordinating with carriers, thus allowing team members to focus on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day tasks.
Tracy is specialised for Track and Trace functions, capable of automating repetitive tasks around the clock. This advanced AI agent surpasses the capabilities of standard AI assistants or chatbots by offering expertise and contextual understanding of complex workflows typically reliant on human input. Tracy autonomously contacts carriers, ensures data accuracy across various systems, and generates actionable reports, significantly enhancing overall business performance.
Noteworthy features of Tracy include automatic shipment updates, data verification for claims, and management of tracking inquiries. Early adopters have reported substantial time savings, with users gaining back hours of daily manual coordination while also seeing reductions in penalties and expedition costs.
Meanwhile, Sam is engineered for Supplier Collaboration. This digital worker processes essential documents, such as purchase orders and invoices, across a company’s supplier network. Sam alleviates the need for IT changes or standardised templates, improving the efficiency of supplier onboarding processes and considerably decreasing integration costs while maintaining transparency over incoming shipments.
Mathew Elenjickal, Founder and CEO of FourKites, commented on the impact of this launch, stating, “Today’s launch of the FourKites Digital Workforce for supply chain orchestration represents a sea change in how software will serve the supply chain industry. The era of humans managing software is coming to an end.” Elenjickal emphasised the sophistication of Tracy and Sam, highlighting their ability to learn, evolve, and collaboratively manage many routine tasks that typically burden human workers.
The digital agents are available for individual purchase or can be included within FourKites’ Intelligent Control Tower packages, tailored to help organisations reach specific strategic goals. For instance, the Supplier Connect AI functions by extracting and centralising data from supplier documents to mitigate the risk of supply disruptions.
As FourKites broadens its scope beyond traditional transportation visibility solutions, it now offers a comprehensive supply chain solution that encompasses order-level insights, assisting teams in monitoring processes from purchase to delivery, preventing stockouts, and minimising operational costs. This holistic approach aims to provide businesses with complete oversight and control of their supply chain operations.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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