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CLEAN AND CLEAR DIGITISATION • CHEMICAL SUPPLIERS ARE BOOSTING CUSTOMER SERVICE LEVELS BY MAKING DATA AVAILABLE IN REAL TIME. CLEARMETAL IS DOING ITS BIT TO HELP THEM
In 2014 they established ClearMetal as an IT start-up in San Francisco and spent three years developing a solution to turn bad data into good data. Their goal was to create high quality data from the masses of information available so that shippers could use it to make accurate decisions about planning and forecasting. That meant having accurate access to estimated time of arrival (ETA), estimated time of delivery (ETD) and sailing schedules. The algorithms that ClearMetal has developed use data provided by the shipping lines, combined with other data sources, including AIS and GPS information on vessel locations, data provided by ports and terminals, sailing schedules and other data, to create a big data ecosystem. All this data is digested and triangulated, using historical data, and passes through a cleaning process, to deliver good data to ClearMetal’s clients. That operation is contained in ClearMetal’s CDX (for Continuous Delivery Experience) platform, which is now in its second major release. CDX uses a continuous methodology that learns, adjusts, and drives constant improvement in delivery and experience for customers by using proprietary machine learning to cross-reference inputs and canonicalise supply chain data. This differentiated technology enables businesses to make highly intelligent inventory and customer decisions based on continuously live, trustworthy data, versus static approaches that focus on point-in-time views of assets in transport.
SHIPPERS EXPECT 24/7 visibility on the whereabouts of their goods in transit. Track-and-trace systems are nothing new and recent advances in digital technologies have made them even more effective
traditional tracking methods to gain accurate and dynamic visibility. That uncertainty about delivery times leads to inefficiencies in planning and scheduling and creates unnecessary work to keep customers happy.
TAKE IT TO THE MARKET “Accuracy of data is paramount,” says Thomas Kofler, recently appointed as vice-president, sales, EMEA at ClearMetal to grow the company’s business outside its North American base. The system’s predictions are now “far better than what
and widespread. But one part of the supply chain has always been ‘dark’ as far as real-time visibility is concerned: the maritime leg. Packaged goods are sent from the consignor to the port and loaded onto a vessel; once that vessel has left the port, it has been impossible to use
Recent developments in IT have addressed this ‘bad data’ problem in the logistics industry – and particularly in the shipping industry. This issue was identified by three data scientists at Stanford University, who felt that the application of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and algorithms might be able to solve it.
the carrier provides,” he says, adding: “We can prove that!” And, having established a proven system in ocean freight, ClearMetal is moving forward. It can already provide door-to-door visibility when carriers are responsible for pre- and on-carriage of goods and it is now looking to
HCB MONTHLY | MAY 2020
