Machine Learning in TRAX: The Foundation for AI That Matters

Within the Kaleris Rail Transportation Management System (TMS), TRAX provides near real-time visibility of rail shipments, enabling monitoring and reporting for any rail shipments within the North American rail network. With TRAX, rail shippers can anticipate potential problems before they occur, reduce delays and variability, improve customer satisfaction, and receive up-to-date information about rail inventory and assets.

It’s this intersection of visibility and execution that unlocks new value for rail shippers. By combining data on what’s happening with the ability to take action, shippers can make decisions that accelerate their business goals. For example, TRAX updates the shipper that an inbound shipment of products is arriving early. The shipper can now reprioritize resources, so their facility is ready to receive the shipment when it arrives and immediately send the materials into production.

Now, let’s take this a step further. In their article “Tortoise, not the hare: Digital transformation of supply chain business”, authors Janet L. Hartley and William J. Sawaya dared to dream: “Imagine a future in which accurate information is instantly available up and down the entire supply chain, and data-driven decisions are enabled by artificial intelligence.”

That future is closer to reality than ever before, thanks to Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Data quality and integrity are critical here–they enable AI to generate decisions that drive desired goals and outcomes. The Kaleris team is actively building ML algorithms into TRAX, paving the way to a future where the system can identify solvable Load/Empty exceptions scenarios for rail operators. The ML algorithms are designed to recognize patterns where the data is corrected by human interaction. Learning when and how humans had to intervene will help train AI in TRAX to identify solvable exception patterns. The system “learns” and then can automate these formerly manual workflows while also providing enhanced data integrity for rail operations.

That’s the power of execution and visibility. Because every move matters.

About Kaleris

Kaleris is a leading provider of cloud-based supply chain execution and visibility technology solutions. Many of the world’s largest brands rely on Kaleris to provide mission-critical technology for yard management, transportation management, maintenance and repair operations, terminal operating systems, and ocean carrier and vessel solutions. By consolidating supply chain execution software assets across major nodes and modes, we address the dark spots and data gaps that cause friction and inefficiency in the global supply chain.

References:

Janet L. Hartley, William J. Sawaya,
Tortoise, not the hare: Digital transformation of supply chain business processes,
Business Horizons,
Volume 62, Issue 6,
2019,
Pages 707-715,
ISSN 0007-6813,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.07.006.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681319300977)