C.H. Robinson says it has developed a new artificial intelligence system capable of both operating and continuously improving shippers’ global supply chains in real time.
The company announced the rollout of its Lean AI Engineer, which works alongside its previously launched Lean AI Planner to create what it describes as a closed-loop system for its fourth-party logistics (4PL) Managed Solutions customers.
According to the company, the Lean AI Engineer can assess an entire supply chain in 25 to 30 minutes, significantly faster than traditional assessments that can take weeks and typically analyze past performance rather than predict future outcomes.
“The breakthrough here is that it’s one closed-loop AI system,” said Jordan Kass, president of Managed Solutions. “It will run continuously, improve the operation it’s running and heal itself when something breaks — without an alert or a human noticing a problem first. The Lean AI Planner executes in real time while the Lean AI Engineer studies the results, identifies patterns, adapts logic and influences future decisions. Just like we launched Managed Solutions to break down the barriers between TMS, 3PL and 4PL services, this technology ends the need for separate supply chain intelligence and orchestration tools. It’s what businesses with complex logistics have wanted for decades.”
C.H. Robinson said the technology is already autonomously handling 92 per cent of 4PL shipments globally across multiple transportation modes, including trucking, ocean, air and rail.
“This level of premium logistics service has traditionally depended on talented people to manage complexity, make smart decisions day to day and intervene during disruption,” said Kass. “The problem was that talent didn’t scale. We’ve changed that by encoding expertise in the technology itself. Shippers will get infinite talent and expertise, consistently applied across every shipment, regardless of who’s available in what time zone or how much their shipping volume grows or spikes. Their team and our team can focus on strategic priorities and driving the best business results.”
The company said its AI system is built on a proprietary data layer developed by its in-house engineers and trained using operational workflows and institutional knowledge from freight experts.
“Our technology truly understands your supply chain from the inside out, because the AI leverages all the data on all the steps of your shipping end to end, not just the parts of your supply chain that disparate tools see,” said Kass. “It also has the benefit of being trained on the unique context we have from orchestrating your freight – the large and small details about your goods, your procedures, each pickup and delivery location, your carriers, your routing and risk tolerance. That’s how the Lean AI Engineer knows which improvements are right for you, instead of making generic or theoretical recommendations. If you’re an auto-parts maker shipping cross-border to a just-in-time assembly line five days a week, it won’t suggest how much you could save by shipping once a week.”
C.H. Robinson said early adopters of the technology have already identified cost savings and operational efficiencies, including reducing shipment volumes and optimizing routing.
The company plans to expand the rollout of the Lean AI Engineer in the coming weeks, adding capabilities such as monitoring carrier performance and identifying potential service issues before they occur.
“Supply chains do not generally suffer from a lack of information. They suffer from the gap between knowing and doing,” said Arun Rajan, chief strategy and innovation officer. “Tech that sits above or outside of a supply chain can aggregate data, harmonize signals and recommend. But it relies on someone else to execute on the signals and someone else to learn whether those actions worked. Our tech closes the gap, delivering 24/7 premium service with one unified system no one else can match.”
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