3PLS SPOTLIGHT TECHNOLOGY
that whole system. A lot of businesses can be helped by the service we provide,” he adds. Polaris is among the supply chain providers prioritizing the value they can bring their clients through data analytics. “We’re collecting volumes of good data based on our customers’ history and how they may be more ef cient and effective,” Brajkovich says. “We’re creating a framework of business intelligence that we can share with our customers. "We’re not just sharing with them the data and letting them try to understand it, but we’re providing them new intelligence that helps them better understand their business,” he adds. PREDICTIVE CAPABILITIES 3PLs’ use of data to support shippers has undergone a major shift—in part in response to changing consumer demands. “From the shipper’s perspective, we’ve moved from an era of digital track-and-trace to one of simulate-and- predict,” Bolumole says. “Before, when
end consumers were somewhat patient, we thought tracking and tracing was suf cient—telling them where their products were. In today’s world, though, consumer impatience is to an ‘nth degree’ and simulating and predicting where items will be is what the consumer is looking for.” In addition, in the world of transportation, “we’re beginning to see 3PLs moving into using a lot of predictive data to get themselves or their shippers situated regarding when to spot and when to go contract on the market,” says Bolumole. When it comes to 3PLs and shippers working together, tech advances make it easier than ever for tech-savvy 3PLs and shippers to collaborate, notes Brajkovich. 3PLs have taken the driver’s seat in working with shippers to ensure all their systems and equipment can communicate productively with one another, making it more straightforward to embrace new and innovative tech solutions. “You’re not making a decision to eliminate what you currently have,” Bolumole says. “3PLs can help you gure out a way where the old equipment is still functioning and communicating with the new.” Partnering with a technologically advanced 3PL is a smart way for shippers to bolster their involvement in that kind of innovation and the bene ts it provides while limiting their nancial investment. “There’s no better time to take 3PLs up on that offer,” Bolumole says. POLARIS TRANSPORTATION GROUP: MANAGING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH As a company that has ambitiously embraced sophisticated technology tools, Polaris Transportation Group, a Canada- based supply chain solutions provider, has positioned itself to excel—and to help its clients excel—in any economic environment. Polaris illustrates how
When a 3PL automates processes, it can not only serve shippers more ef ciently, but it can also create time and space for its team members to provide more highly engaged service and more creative problem-solving for clients.
ANALYTICS-DRIVEN INSIGHTS
Data analytics helps a supply chain provider support shippers in powerful ways, creating agility for shippers and allowing them to continuously and proactively improve, says Dave Brajkovich, chief technology of cer for Polaris Transportation Group. The visibility and business intelligence that a 3PL can offer today can reverberate well beyond the shipper. “We want to give critical visibility to our customers and partners, so that they can also channel this to their own respective partners and clients,” Brajkovich says. “Because very clearly a 3PL is a cog in the chain—a cog in a very large supply chain—and the services we provide can help supply chain partners throughout
Dave Brajkovich, chief technology o cer for Polaris Transportation Group, gives a presentation about FR8Focus, a new mobile app aimed at helping carriers connect, track, and manage their fleets in real time. NorthStar Digital Solutions partnered with Radaro to create the app.
82 Inbound Logistics • April 2023
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