The role of logistics in modern companies is not only to support corporate strategy but also to enable it. Meeting today’s logistics challenges of the three C’s – customer service, carbon, and cost – companies are not just looking at gathering data, but also how to better interpret and understand this data, and then use it to drive additional value. Let’s face it, logistics is always a challenging endeavor, even beyond the latest pandemic disruption, and particularly now as companies struggle to meet sustainability goals. Organizations realize the need for agility to pivot their logistics operations quickly, allowing them to meet new market conditions.  Data is the enabler that allows companies to meet these changing market dynamics through optimal transportation orchestration.

Advances in transportation-related systems and technologies, together with more efficient data orchestration, have the potential to solve even the most complex modern-day operational and sustainability challenges. Here are just a few examples of leveraging data to enable modern transportation orchestration:

Do you need rapid and accurate evaluation of different transportation options?

• Logistics data allows companies to perform what-if scenario modeling to improve transportation planning efficiency and validate outsourced carrier operations without disrupting daily operational transport planning–resulting in streamlined operations and better productivity.

How about your need for a seamless corporate transportation analysis?

• A single logistics data repository can provide accurate analysis and validation of corporate transportation spend—regardless of whether transportation is insourced, outsourced, or via a blended approach, and whether transportation is a centralized function or distributed across the business —as a step toward advanced transportation management. A centralized data repository, or what might be termed a “transportation data lake”, provides users with a single, real-time, consolidated view of their transportation operations and costs.

Can you better understand your transportation data to operate logistics in a more responsible and sustainable way?

• Analyze and track your carbon footprint using logistics data. Scenario modeling can let you examine how opportunities such as relaxing delivery constraints, or considering a shift between modes or carriers, can better support existing and future sustainability goals.

Finally, do you have costly errors in transportation invoicing?

• Access to logistics data can help validate the accuracy of freight invoices by performing a 100% match against the transportation services delivered, regardless of whether planning is undertaken in-house or by logistics providers. Logistics data validation results in fewer manual errors and greater cost accuracy.

Companies that implement integrated solutions comprising improvements to technology, data modeling and transportation management processes have seen significant enhancements in orchestrating their logistics operations. These improvements raise the bar as a key differentiator for companies that are competing for the same customers, transportation capacity or both.

Dominic Regan is Senior Director for Oracle’s Logistics applications strategy across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  These applications encompass transportation, warehousing and global trade, as well as the Internet of Things. In this role, Dominic works directly with Oracle’s Product Development and Strategy teams, as well as with customers and prospects who use, or are interested in using, these products.  Dominic has been involved in supply chain software since the late 1980’s.