The impact of AI in logistics: An interview about TIMOCOM AI
Interview with product manager David Moog about TIMOCOM AI in logistics
David Moog, Product Manager at TIMOCOM, brings innovative solutions to transport logistics and shares how TIMOCOM AI increases efficiency in this blog interview.
Whether it’s a coffee machine that automatically switches on just as the alarm sounds, a personalised playlist or calculating the arrival time for the next delivery, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable part of our private and professional lives. And that’s a good thing! Thanks to AI in logistics, automation of routine tasks can optimise logistics processes along the entire supply chain. In Logistics 4.0 in particular, freight forwarders, hauliers and self-drivers need to react quickly and process a wide range of data. This is where AI can help.
A current example of this is TIMOCOM AI. David Moog, Product Manager at TIMOCOM, talks about how AI in logistics is revolutionising the way freight offers are created – and how to improve logistics efficiency.
Find out more about the impact of AI in transportation and logistics, as well as the digital transformation, in the blog interview.
Benefits of AI in logistics for experienced users and newcomers
TIMOCOM has ushered in a new era in freight management with the introduction of TIMOCOM AI. What can this new feature do and how does it work?
The first function to be implemented is AI-supported freight entry. This allows users to publish freight offers more quickly and efficiently. After clicking ‘Generate’ in the freight offer form, a dialogue box appears, in which users can then copy and paste or drag and drop the freight information, or upload it as a file.
This means users can copy the text from an e-mail that they have received for the order, for example. Or they can take a screenshot of it and upload it, or copy and transfer the relevant information from an Excel spreadsheet.
The artificial intelligence reads the data from PDF documents, screenshots or e-mail texts and automatically generates a freight offer based on the information. The user then checks the whole thing once again to see if everything is as it should be, and then clicks ‘Publish’. In other words, TIMOCOM AI significantly reduces the manual workload. It is possible to create freight offers in less than 20 seconds. This makes things much easier and saves time.
Besides saving time, are there any other advantages of using TIMOCOM AI for logistics companies?
Definitely. In a nutshell, the four most important advantages besides the time saving are:
- Improved data quality. Any information that may be missing is inferred from the existing data based on logic. For example, if a user enters 10 pallets, the AI knows that this corresponds to 4 loading metres. It also determines the correct type of body, adds vehicle properties that match the load, etc.
- This, in turn, leads to the next major advantage: TIMOCOM AI helps users who don’t yet have a great deal of logistics expertise to complete the offers correctly. Given the shortage of personnel in transport logistics, this is another important step forward.
- Since artificial intelligence in logistics improves the offers, making them more complete and error-free, the service providers know exactly what to expect. There are fewer questions about the job – and ideally, a deal is closed faster.
- We also eliminate possible language barriers thanks to the integrated translation function. The AI recognises content in all Marketplace languages and can then translate it into the language that the user has set for themselves.
Create multiple freight offers efficiently with TIMOCOM AI
What happens if someone wants to create several offers at the same time?
That’s possible, too. However, it is still in the beta version. There is a link in the freight entry field that takes you to the FAQs, where you can find out in detail how publishing multiple offers works. You’ll need to download a plug-in from the Chrome browser, then copy the transport data from several freight offers at the same time (e.g. as a screenshot of a table) and click the orange ‘Generate Beta’ button. The offers are loaded and published independently. Done!
And here is a step-by-step explanation of how publishing multiple offers works with AI:
Feedback on the new feature from users who have tested it
Have users tested TIMOCOM AI in advance? And what was their reaction?
The feedback from users who tested the feature in advance has been consistently positive across the board. Without exception, all of the test users surveyed, in fact 100%, can imagine using TIMOCOM AI regularly after it is introduced. 93% agreed that TIMOCOM AI significantly speeds up their freight entries. 86% were convinced that TIMOCOM AI helps avoid errors.
Looking ahead: the future of AI in logistics
What’s next for AI-powered transportation logistics?
We want to continue making our users’ day-to-day work easier – and to do that, we’ll be integrating AI into more services on the TIMOCOM Road Freight Marketplace.
Our Interview Partner
David Moog is a product manager at TIMOCOM and is responsible for developing innovative solutions in transport logistics. With a dual bachelor’s degree in business administration and valuable experience at DHL Freight, he brings extensive expertise to the role. David has been working at TIMOCOM since 2016 and has been responsible for several services and APIs since 2019.
Known for his engaging presentations, David is keen to share his observations and actively works with customers on an equal footing. His curiosity and dialogue with partners drive him to continuously strive for new solutions and improvements.
Olga Polasik-Rüffer
Senior Marketing Communications Manager
