Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Open Up a New Frontier of Smart Logistics Technology

Harbor Lockers

 

 

As the logistics industry rapidly integrates connected, smart, and ecosystem-level technologies, predictive and prescriptive analytics promise to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.

The recent influx of high-revenue opportunities has drawn blue-chip technology talent into the logistics sector, highlighting the increasing importance of predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation in shaping the future of supply chains. This technological evolution is about improving operational speed, accuracy, and predictive capabilities, enabling companies to anticipate disruptions and adapt swiftly.

What strategies can logistics companies employ to leverage these emerging technologies effectively?

Steven Carnovale, PhD, an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida Atlantic University and Senior Editor at the Journal of Business Logistics, provides expert insights into these advancements’ current and potential impacts on the industry.

Carnovale discusses several technological inroads making a positive impact in logistics today:

  • Predictive Analytics: Utilizing data to foresee and manage pricing trends, demand fluctuations, and potential disruptions before they occur
  • Enhanced Visibility: Technologies like tracking and tracing systems that provide real-time data on freight locations to minimize damages and optimize transit routes
  • Artificial Intelligence: Early-stage AI applications show promise in improving customer service and streamlining complex processes such as customs and brokerage operations
  • Automation and Efficiency: The potential for automation to assist in areas traditionally requiring extensive manual effort, thereby increasing overall operational efficiency
  • Shift Toward Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics: Moving from merely describing what has happened to predicting future trends and prescribing actions, thus enabling better managerial decisions

Carnovale’s insights suggest that as the logistics industry evolves, companies that can effectively integrate these technologies will gain a competitive edge in an increasingly complex global market.

Article by James Kent

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

9 Proven User-Generated Content Strategies That Actually Work
July 24, 2025

User-generated content has become the backbone of modern marketing—but most advice focuses on theory rather than execution. We asked nine marketing leaders who’ve built successful UGC programs to share exactly how they do it, what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s what we learned from their real-world experience. Start With Direct Customer Outreach Kyle Bernard, who…

Read More
Blending Intuition and Metrics to Elevate Sterile Processing
Smarter Sterile Processing Starts with Data—Boosting Efficiency, Cutting Costs, and Improving Patient Care
July 24, 2025

In a healthcare ecosystem increasingly driven by data, sterile processing departments (SPDs) find themselves at a crossroads—balancing precision and pace, safety and speed. As hospitals look to reduce inefficiencies and protect patient safety, analytics tools are transforming sterile processing from an often overlooked backroom function into a vital, data-enhanced frontline of care. Research shows…

Read More
college success
Freshman Year Survival Guide: How Overlooked High School Lessons Lead to College Success
July 24, 2025

Nobody warns you that college success isn’t just about brains — it’s about balance, too. In this refreshingly honest episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, hosted by Jason Winningham, high school teacher Jacob Mutchler reunites with two of his former students, Lilly Salcedo and Oscar Davila, to reflect on what really mattered…

Read More
The Nursing Workplace: Staffing, Shortage, and Safety
The Nursing Workplace: Staffing, Shortage, and Safety
July 24, 2025

In this episode of Care Anywhere: The Global Health Workforce Podcast, host Lea Sims welcomes Syl Trepanier, DNP, RN, Chief Nursing Officer for Providence Health and member of the TruMerit Board of Trustees. With responsibility for representing more than 36,000 nurses across a multi-state health system, Syl shares his personal journey from caregiving as…

Read More