Mr. Boekhoff, why is a company like XSTAFF so intensively involved with the topic of artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is a megatrend of our time and without question the technology of the future that will change almost every economic sector in the medium and long term. It can also provide valuable support for the transport and logistics industry along the entire supply chain, whether in load and transport handling, route and capacity planning, or with regard to the topics of security and communication. In view of the enormous potential of this new technology, we at XSTAFF decided to develop our own solution, tailored precisely to the requirements and needs of our members and customers.
When did you start the project and what is the current status?
The official start of the project was on January 1, 2023. In a first step, we collected, analyzed and processed the data from 12,00 shipments and around 130,000 ETAs (Estimated time of arrival) to see which model was best suited for our purposes. We are currently in the middle of the test phase, which will also include feedback from the test users, before we start fine-tuning. If things continue to go as well as they have so far, we will certainly be able to roll out the solution next year.
What are the concrete benefits for your members?
In fact, the benefits are as varied as they are concrete. ETA KI enables optimized planning, increases transparency and flexibility across the entire process, and thus also enables better services. At the same time, the solution saves time and thus costs, as delays and additional work can be reduced. And it also opens up completely new perspectives for our members when it comes to risk management.
How does this solution fit into XSTAFF’s corporate strategy?
The development of the ETA AI Model is not only a great innovation, but also a milestone in XSTAFF’s evolution from a purchasing association and logistics service provider to a technology-driven provider of high-performance and data-driven solutions. This change, the so-called “ShiftX”, and the associated storage, processing and backup of big data will allow us in the future to generate digital solutions that unlock new synergies and enable our BCO`s to perform better, also with a view to sustainability.