CH Robinson machine learning software could protect companies' supply chains from disasters

C.H. Robinson has launched a new software solution that could shield companies from supply chain risks brought about by natural disasters.

The recent spate of hurricanes is thought to have cost companies in North America billions of dollars, but the new solution from C.H. Robinson could help businesses minimise their losses in the event of future disasters.

The Navisphere Vision platform analyses historical data with machine learning and artificial intelligence to make proactive decisions, said the company.

Information is analysed and quantified to determine supply chain threats with actions automatically taken to minimise risk.

C.H. Robinson said the platform helps shippers make their global supply chains more responsive by providing real-time visibility down to the stock keeping unit (SKU) level and then analysing the impacts of potential disruptions from weather, traffic, or current events.

Navisphere Vision continues to advance the powerful and proven capabilities of C.H. Robinson’s proprietary Navisphere technology platform.

“This solution provides unique benefits for our customers. Its ability to serve all global regions across any transportation mode, as well as layering in potential disruptions, provides our customers with powerful data, insights and opportunities to make changes quickly,” said Chad Lindbloom, Chief Information Officer at C.H. Robinson.

“Navisphere Vision utilises API technology to aggregate all other supply chain and information sources into one single location, giving our customers the most streamlined, real-time solution available. And it brings a new level of machine-learning and data science the supply chain industry hasn’t seen to date.”

Microsoft, an innovator in fulfilment and logistics capabilities and a customer of C.H. Robinson’s TMC division, has been using Navisphere Vision since its alpha release in 2016.

“Navisphere Vision helps us understand the things that we couldn’t before. It provides visualisation that connects data and the real-time events that are happening within our supply chain,” said Alaina Hawkins, Senior Manager of global logistics at Microsoft.

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“Navisphere Vision helps us make decisions on a more precise, real-time level so we can address any challenges that might occur, react in a less randomised fashion, create predictability throughout our supply chain, and increase collaboration so we can deliver our products to customers on time. It’s tremendously powerful.”

In addition to providing real-time visibility down to a SKU level, Navisphere Vision delivers insights and impacts of potential disruptions from weather, traffic or current events, as well as predictive analytics to help shippers make better, faster decisions.

This next generation of real-time supply chain visibility enables shippers to improve customer service and cost controls through management of inventory in motion, proactive status updates, limiting disruptions and risk mitigation.

Shippers can gain a single view of all global inventory to support working capital needs and cash to cash cycle management. Access to real-time global visibility, combined with new supply chain insights, empowers shippers with new agility, accuracy and real-time decision-making to stay a step ahead of the competition.

“The industry has seen supply chain visibility tools before, but Navisphere Vision represents the next generation,” said Jordan Kass, President of TMC. “Not only is it global, but Navisphere Vision goes far beyond visibility and helps our customers predict supply chain disruptions before they even occur.”