Artificial intelligence (AI) is more accessible than ever and is increasingly used to improve business operations and outcomes, not only in transportation and logistics management, but also in diverse fields like finance, healthcare, retail and others. An Oxford Economics and NTT DATA survey of 1,000 business leaders conducted in early 2020 reveals that 96% of companies were at least researching AI solutions, and over 70% had either fully implemented or at least piloted the technology. Nearly half of survey respondents said failure to implement AI would cause them to lose customers, with 44% reporting their company's bottom line would suffer without it. Simply put, AI enables companies to parse vast quantities of business data to make well-informed and critical business decisions fast. And, the transportation management industry specifically is using this intelligence and its companion technology, machine learning (ML), to gain greater process efficiency and performance visibility driving impactful changes bolstering the bottom line.

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. In this installment of the AI in Supply Chain series (#AIinSupplyChain) we explore the topic of industrial artificial intelligence (industrial AI), building most directly on Commentary: The enabling technologies for the factories of the future, Commentary: The enabling technologies for the networks of the future and Commentary: Will auto companies bring blockchain into real-world supply chains first? Manufacturing is a central aspect of industrialization. It is the creation of finished goods for sale to end-use customers, starting with raw materials, and using various scientific processes -- chemical, biological, engineering, in combination with labor. Manufacturing, and activities closely related to manufacturing, play a central role in the concept of industrial AI.

Ever wonder how your Amazon Prime packages show up at your door mere hours after you place an order? A complex series of operations connects suppliers to manufacturers to wholesalers to retailers to you, the end consumer. Oversight of this process is called supply chain management (SCM). Within SCM, logistics is the portion that handles the movement of goods. Ecommerce giants like Amazon specialize in logistics, while consumer packaged goods leaders like Unilever provide full-spectrum supply chain management services.

Artificial Intelligence has reached the point where it is being productively applied to a wide range of disciplines. Artificial Intelligence can optimize supply chain logistics to match sales and customer demand. IDC Manufacturing Insights predicts that within five years that 50 percent of manufacturing supply chains will be robotically and digitally controlled and able to provide direct-to-consumer and home shipments. Asia Outlook Magazine wrote that "the latest robots have the ability to learn how to complete multiple jobs, so they can be plugged in practically anywhere along the supply chain. AI's ability to be flexible, particularly in manufacturing processes, will take AI to the mainstream as its return on investment (ROI) will become clear to stakeholders."