AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok can deliver polished answers within seconds. But their advice is often too generic for real operational decisions. We took 5 real-life dilemmas and had the AI engines tackle them: How to choose an electric forklift, how to select a carrier for an unusual shipment, how to choose a supply chain technology vendor, how much safety stock to hold, and how to select between competing suppliers. Here is what we found. 1. What Matters W

An inventory recommendation can explain why it proposes buying more stock without establishing who authorized the additional spending. A decision record can show that an order was approved without proving that its underlying forecast was reliable. As supply-chain software takes on more execution work, those distinctions become important: explanation, permission and traceability answer different questions, and an accountable process needs all three. Aera Technology’s October 2

An AI recommendation to replenish inventory can look straightforward: buy a specified quantity, from a particular supplier, by a certain date. Approving it commits working capital and may affect warehouse capacity, production availability and customer service. The operational question is whether the planner can inspect the assumptions behind that recommendation before it becomes an order, and whether the business can reconstruct what happened afterward. That question becomes

A shipper buys a completed delivery, even when the technology changing that delivery operates on only one stretch of road. That distinction matters when assessing autonomous trucking: removing the driver from a motorway journey does not automatically change how freight is collected, transferred or handed to the receiver. A faster middle section may create an opportunity to redesign the service. Capturing that opportunity still depends on whether the people and facilities at e

The numbers on logistics AI tell one short story. A recent analysis that followed 128 documented AI projects at 63 logistics organizations from announcement to outcome found that 80.5% went live, 30.5% ever disclosed a measurable result, and just 7.0% visibly stalled. Industry surveys from BCG and Maersk show the same shape: near-universal priority, single-digit proof. The summary is one line: most logistics AI does not fail. It goes quiet. The interesting question is where t

Foodservice and retail operators face the same pressure from different angles. Sourcing events still move through Excel. Trucks still return empty. Distribution centers still discover inventory gaps after the sale is already lost. The three cases below show operators attacking those points with different tools. None of them removes the underlying constraints of capacity, cost and timing. Each shows where a specific workflow changed. Wendy's QSCC Centralizes Sourcing Across 33

U.S. business logistics costs came in at $2.4 trillion in 2025, or 7.8% of GDP, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' 37th annual State of Logistics Report, produced by Kearney and presented by Penske Logistics. That is down from $2.6 trillion and 8.7% a year earlier. The same report treats volatility as a lasting feature of the operating environment rather than a temporary disruption, and lists accelerating digital and automation ROI among its st

In recent years, several warehouse technologies for automated pallet storage have become established. Stacker cranes (STCs), also known as storage and retrieval machines (S/R machines), have been proven solutions for more than 60 years. They are available in many configurations, depending on their field of application. Designs include single- or twin-mast versions, aisle-bound or aisle-changing configurations, and systems with heights of up to 50 meters (164 feet). In additio

Lululemon, Walmart, Dollar General, Advance Auto Parts, Starbucks, Boscov’s and Culver’s are fixing execution gaps that software vendors still sell around. Retailers are not buying platforms. They are buying a way out of specific execution failures: one forecast for the store and another for the DC, too many carriers on the same lanes, 72-hour replenishment that collapses an afternoon food menu, and inventory promised from a store that cannot ship it. Vendors targeting this s

A missed rate quote. A delayed customs clearance. A shipment rerouted without client notification. These operational failures increasingly trace back to a common source: freight forwarders lack the internal expertise to deploy AI tools that...

For small ecommerce businesses, the most consequential supply chain decision often happens before a product is ever listed. Selecting the wrong item or supplier can tie up limited capital, create fulfillment problems and leave merchants holding inventory after demand has already peaked. Large retailers address those risks with demand-planning teams, supplier scorecards and extensive market data. Smaller sellers have traditionally relied on marketplace rankings, social media a