AI could improve operational consistencies and enhance equipment utilization, Navis survey shows. Global container terminals are expected to embrace automated decision making powered by artificial intelligence (AI) as they pursue ways to improve operational consistencies and enhance equipment utilization, a new survey shows. The findings indicate that container terminals, regardless of their AI maturity, are increasingly aware of the possibilities of automated decision-making, according to supply chain technology provider Navis LLC. The Oakland, California-based firm said its TechValidate customer survey included responses from nearly 60 Navis customers, representing a cross-section of container terminals around the world using various degrees of automation. In addition to the 86% who cited operational consistency and equipment utilization as the most important benefits of automated decision-making, port operators also named other goals.

Deal will add pricing optimization and forecasting replenishment to supply chain software suite, JDA says. Supply chain technology firm JDA Software Group Inc. today said it has acquired the German artificial intelligence provider Blue Yonder GmbH, in a move it said would allow its Luminate platform of software products to generate more automated decisions and forecasts. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA launched its Luminate platform in May, saying the platform would extend existing JDA applications by using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to improve users' ability to predict consumer demand and deliver faster fulfillment. Adding additional AI and machine learning capabilities from the new acquisition will allow JDA users to generate autonomous, profitable business decisions and use their supply chains as a competitive advantage, particularly in the areas of pricing optimization and forecasting replenishment, JDA said. JDA did not disclose the terms of the deal, saying the acquisition had not yet closed.

Software finds patterns and makes predictions by analyzing data from IT platforms and IoT sensors. Business software giant Oracle Corp. said Monday it has launched a set of cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) applications that can improve efficiency in manufacturing and supply chain operations by identifying patterns and making predictions based on vast amounts of data. Known as the "Adaptive Intelligent Applications for Manufacturing," the software uses machine-learning algorithms to analyze the data generated in production environments. The algorithms can spot production anomalies, identify their root cause, and predict events before they occur, the Redwood Shores, Calif., company said. Organizations can apply those results to reduce costs and increase yields by foreseeing faulty processes and tracking their impact at any point from inventory production through to customer delivery, Oracle said.

Handhelds connect to warehouse software platforms, firm says. Honeywell International Inc. has rolled out two rugged mobile computers that it said will streamline fulfillment operations by connecting workers and DCs to cloud-based databases and the Internet of Things (IoT). The Dolphin CN80 Mobile Computer and 8680i Smart Wearable are Honeywell's vision of a "connected distribution center" that leverages machine-learning algorithms to predict snarls before they happen and avoid fulfillment backups, company's executives said in a webcast held Wednesday at the company's partner conference in Dallas. Distribution center managers are struggling to keep the rising tide of e-commerce volume from backing up order processing functions due to rising stock-keeping unit (SKU) diversity, order complexity, labor variables, and inventory congestion, the Morris Plains, N.J.-based company said. Warehouse workers can handle those challenges more efficiently if they are equipped with mobile computers that can access tools like augmented reality, machine learning, and smart robotics, Pieter Krynauw, president of Honeywell Intelligrated, said in the webcast.

Delivery driver jobs would be at less risk, CEA forecast says. The proliferation of self-driving, or autonomous, tractor-trailers threaten the jobs of nearly 1.7 million commercial truck drivers, according to a study published late last month by the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). The study, released Dec. 20, said the jobs of between 1.34 million and 1.67 million truck drivers would be at risk due to the growing utilization of heavy-duty vehicles operated via artificial intelligence. That would equal 80 to 100 percent of all driver jobs listed in the CEA report, which is based on May 2015 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the Department of Labor. There are about 3.4 million commercial truck drivers currently operating in the U.S., according to various estimates.

Business analytics software provider FusionOps has launched a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify opportunities to improve supply chain performance for customers such as manufacturers and enterprise corporations, the company said Tuesday. The new "cognitive applications" product is an extension of Mountain View, Calif.-based FusionOps' existing suite of supply chain solutions, which use database analysis and machine-learning tools to help companies improve their forecasts, control costs, and hone inventory levels. The platform uses embedded AI and machine learning to connect the dots between complex signals such as changes in demand, manufacturing, inventory, orders, and external factors. The system then suggests solutions and can even take corrective action in real time, without requiring human input. The new suite comes in three main parts, with a search feature and a cognitive application to be available in Q4 2016 and a supply chain actions tool arriving later in 2017.

Application uses artificial intelligence to learn human grammar, respond to spoken questions. Transport and logistics giant UPS Inc. is turning to artificial intelligence to better communicate with its customers, beginning with a "chatbot"--or chat robot--platform it launched on Monday. Customers who have package-tracking questions or want to find a nearby UPS Store can send a text message to the chatbot, and its computer algorithms will recognize keywords and generate an appropriate response, UPS said. Users can access the tool through the Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Amazon platforms, which means that fans of Amazon's voice-operated "Alexa" application can hold spoken conversations with the UPS chatbot instead of typing. Atlanta-based UPS currently fields questions from customers through its mobile app, website, toll free phone number, email, and "LiveChat," options, all of which rely on human operators to field questions.