New tech platform from Penske Logistics provides unified view of customers’ logistics network

Third-party logistics provider (3PL) Penske Logistics has launched a new technology platform, called Supply Chain Insight, that the company says provides its customers with a real-time view of their transportation and warehousing networks.

The goal of the cloud-based application is to connect a customer’s transportation and warehouse systems together to provide a single end-to-end view of their entire logistics network.

“Most supply chains today don’t have a visibility problem,” explains Vishwa Ram, Penske Logistics’s vice president of Data Science and Analytics. “They have a fragmentation problem. So, if you are within a single system, you have perfect visibility. But when a shipment moves from one mode to another, or transitions from one system to another, or from one partner to another, that visibility breaks down.”

Supply Chain Insight, however, integrates data not only from the customer’s internal systems but also from its external warehouses, carriers, and partners. When a customer opens Supply Chain Insight, they see a map that shows all of their current transportation routes and all of their warehouse activity, so they don’t have to toggle back and forth between transportation management systems and warehouse management systems. For example, the screen will show how many inbound and outbound loads the customer has, where those loads currently are, and how many of them are delayed, late, or have been placed on a watchlist. On the map, loads appear as blue circles (red if late or delayed), and warehouses as gray icons. Users can click on those icons and see a timeline of activity or more detail about a particular load or inventory levels at a specific warehouse.

Additionally, a navigation pane on the left side of the homepage provides links to pages with details about loads, orders, warehouse inventory, and key performance indicators. Customers can also see key documents, such as proof of delivery and bills of lading, in Supply Chain Insight.

“It connects data that is often split across separate systems, giving teams a clearer picture of what’s happening across their supply chain,” said Jeff Jackson, president of Penske Logistics, in a statement. “We plan to continue developing this platform, integrate with other systems, and drive further enhancements using AI [artificial intelligence] going forward.”

Penske expects customers to use the solution to identify and solve problems quickly. For example, the system may alert the user if a shipment is short. The user could then use the system to identify whether the product is in stock at another warehouse and then ship that inventory express to fulfill the order.

“The power of Supply Chain Insight is that it’s providing that unified end-to-end supply chain visibility and eliminating the fragmentation and increasing the speed with which users can identify problems and take action to resolve them,” said Tony Knechtgest, director of Business Intelligence & Data Engineering at Penske Logistics.

In addition to providing real-time tracking, Supply Chain Insight offers around 100 metrics, such as total orders delivered, on-time delivery, and planned versus actual miles. Customers also have the option to create their own customized metrics.

Supply Chain Insight also has an embedded AI assistant that customers can click on and ask simple questions about loads, orders, and performance data using natural language. For example, customers can ask the AI assistant where a particular load or shipment is or what happened to their on-time performance last week.

“Over time, we see this [AI assistant] evolving into a ‘personal analyst’ for supply chain operations that’s capable not only of answering questions but also anticipating risk and recommending actions,” Ram said.