For importers and exporters, the next advance in supply chain technology is not simply knowing where goods are, but using AI and connected data to prevent delays, reduce costs and make better decisions.

Knowing where a shipping container is at any given moment was once a competitive advantage. Today, it is a basic expectation. The real opportunity for importers and exporters lies in what businesses can do with that information, and, increasingly, how artificial intelligence can help them act on it.

According to Martijn Pietersma, commercial manager for Australia and New Zealand at global logistics company Flexport, the industry is moving beyond shipment visibility towards connected systems that identify problems, recommend solutions and, where authorised, execute decisions automatically.

The shift has significant implications for businesses managing international supply chains, particularly those trying to contain costs, improve delivery reliability and expand without increasing headcount.

“When I started eight years ago, cross-border logistics was all about visibility, about knowing what was going on and what exceptions were where,” Pietersma recalls. “But that has almost become a commodity.”

Where brands once wondered why a shipment was delayed, now they want to know what caused the delay, how it affects the wider business and what can be done to prevent it happening again.

“We are seeing a lot of conversations now around connectivity in the supply chain,” Pietersma explains. “Moving a single good across the world takes more than a dozen different partners. They all work very siloed and in their own time zones.

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