Fourkites is recognized for its role in AI-driven supply chain transformation and is a developer of Intelligent Control Tower™, the developers of the Smart Tower™ operate on what is known as the world’s largest real-time visibility network. The platform can create a comprehensive digital twin supply chain and integrate AI-powered digital agents to support automation of all stakeholders, enhance collaboration and drive operational outcomes. Contrary to traditional control towers, Fourkites’ solutions are designed to support real-time execution and intelligent implementation of both supply-side and customer-facing operations.
What inspired the recent transition from visibility to control towers, how do you identify gaps in the market, or is this the right time to achieve these new goals?
Fourkites’ transition to control towers and new digital workforce reflects a larger evolution in supply chains and logistics space. In short, visibility and insight are not enough. With AI growing rapidly and beyond the vision of data transmission, vendors are prioritizing intelligent automation and solutions that not only simplify operations but also deliver on AI’s commitment to insights that real-time data and visibility are provided.
Moving to our smart control towers and the migration of digital workforce can help our customers achieve their strategic goals in ways that have never been possible. Now, AI can transform supply chain management from reactive tracking to proactive orchestration we implemented a few years ago, enabling a more autonomous and intelligent workflow.
Can you tell us more about your journey in technology and AI and how it led to your role in Fourkites?
I started my engineering career in Chicago 20 years ago. Since then, I have developed passion for all aspects of technology from signal processing, video compression and computer vision to machine learning and SaaS delivery.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence has enhanced this passion, as well as the cutting-edge desire to develop and adopt in the supply chain, making it a very exciting time.
Early experiences, along with the stays of Logitech, Samsung, and others, put me in my current role at Fourkites, where I was responsible for product delivery, data science, and provided growth opportunities and platforms for the team to demonstrate innovative work in the supply chain.
As a thought leader in supply chain technology, how do you think about AI reshaping the landscape in the next few years?
Our mission has been to address supply chain challenges while rapidly adopting technological innovation. As we look to the future, what excites me the most is using AI in ways we never thought we would have been to help customers gather, process and take new ways to act.
Imagine that instead of manually entering to get basic information, all types of users are able to simply talk to the application or picture the images they see, and LLM will be able to recognize and extract the same quality of information.
Take the ports of New Jersey and Newark container terminals as an example. They have 24/7 cameras that refresh every 30 seconds. If we start capturing these frames, we can know exactly which frames the truck is entering and come out by looking at the license plate or container number. Most ports have these cameras available 24/7, so democratizing data and a more natural way to collect data will be the lowest fruit that can revolutionize transport and track.
What metrics or success metrics are most important to you when evaluating the impact of a platform on your customers?
The most important metrics to evaluate platform customer impact include workflow automation capabilities, reduced manual tasks and improved operational efficiency. We are looking at how to reduce OTIF fines, reduce integration costs, improve transportation processing capabilities, and enable more autonomous and intelligent supply chain management. These metrics demonstrate a tangible ability to bring value to customers by transforming complex supply chain processes.
How can Fourkites leverage AI and machine learning to provide a competitive advantage in the supply chain technology market?
We leverage AI and machine learning to drive meaningful advancement to eliminate today’s universal data silos, paving the way for more effective monitoring, analyzing and more effective approaches to supply chain data in real time.
To do this, we use AI to help evaluate the impact of disruptive events, diagnose tracking issues, get product guidance, and more. Our new AI-powered digital workers to automate common workflows, eliminating 80% of routine tasks and increasing transport capacity by 40% when working 24/7.
What distinguishes Fourkite’s solutions from other solutions in the industry, especially in terms of AI capabilities and integration?
We differentiate ourselves by focusing on end-to-end workflow execution, transforming common AI models into supply chain experts, and maintaining a commitment to continuous learning and rapid technology adoption. By integrating real-time network data, digital twins operated by customers’ supply chains, and an AI-driven digital workforce, we provide the industry’s most comprehensive and intelligent solutions.
Can you share insights into the development process behind Fourkite’s core features, including real-time supply chain data, digital twins and digital workforce?
The development process of Fourkites core features is characterized by rapid experimentation, learning and collaborative methods. We use a dedicated R&D team, which we call the AI Guild, to focus on exploring the latest technologies, conducting internal testing and validation, and sharing insights in a fast mobile way that AI can develop.
By breaking complex tasks down into smaller, manageable actions and continually evaluating and integrating new AI models, we ensure our solutions remain cutting-edge and adaptable.
How are advances in cloud computing and digitalization affecting how organizations approach their supply chain visibility and automation?
Advances in cloud computing and digitalization have greatly impacted the visibility and automation of the supply chain by greatly reducing AI training costs, deleting operational silos and enabling more complex and intelligent systems to reduce AI training costs on a large scale. These technological shifts drive the need for continuous learning and adaptation, enabling organizations to develop larger, intelligent supply chain solutions that significantly reduce infrastructure costs and increase operational flexibility.
How can smart control towers address key limitations of traditional supply chain systems, such as their reliance on batch processing and lack of real-time integration to enable autonomous action and increase operational efficiency?
There is no doubt that traditional systems create huge barriers for companies looking to achieve more data-intensive operations and provide greater value by leveraging Agentic AI and intelligent automation.
Despite significant innovations, we found that legacy systems are still working on real-time data, as many people are batch processing for using relational databases. When Fourkites pioneered the real-time supply chain visibility market, our assumption was that enterprise planning and execution systems would consume the information we provide and run it, but never happened, our customers were left to operate their data themselves.
Now our smart control tower solution flips scripts onto old systems. Instead of relying on enterprise systems to consume and run data, companies can leverage AI-powered platforms like Fourkites to consume data from traditional systems and integrate it into workflows in contexts that both digital and human workers need.
What specific use cases or customer pain points are preferred in the development of Smart Control Tower™, how can its AI-powered software packages such as suppliers Connect AI and Yard Connect AI create measurable value for supply chain stakeholders?
In the process of developing smart control towers, we set out to realize our vision at Fourkites since day one: to make the supply chain more efficient and resilient by solving key challenges such as evaluating and mitigating interference, automating daily tasks, reducing manual document processing, improving supplier collaboration, and more.
We address these challenges by providing customized software packages to leverage AI to operate improvements in the most common areas. For example, we are automating regular track activities to increase transport capacity by 40% and reduce OTIF fines by 30%. We can also help shippers fully automate their cooperation with suppliers, thereby increasing efficiency in the procurement process.
Thank you for your excellent interview, readers who hope to learn more should visit Fourkites.
