Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

AI “co-pilot” can guide untrained users through procurement applications

GEP says artificial intelligence helps non-procurement professionals to use procurement software.

GEP Screenshot 2024-05-30 at 2.35.32 PM.png

Artificial intelligence (AI) could play an important role in procurement processes by helping untrained users to access complex software and make effective decisions, the New Jersey-based software vendor GEP said.

The company today said it had launched what it called “the industry's first” AI-driven total orchestration solution to transform users' experience and efficiency for enterprises. The software includes a built-in co-pilot that embeds intelligence across complex workflows while simplifying the end-user experience, GEP said. 


According to GEP, that approach is needed because the majority of procurement software application users are increasingly non-procurement professionals — including rank and file employees, warehouse material managers, and legal and finance professionals. Those users continue to find procurement processes innately complex, despite advances in software functional capabilities.

By leveraging its generative AI and low-code platform called GEP Quantum, GEP's orchestration approach adeptly understands and guides users' buying decisions, streamlines all processes, improves collaboration, decision-making, control, and visibility over enterprise spend to uncover and deliver superior value. 

"In a few years, more than 80% of procurement transactions will be executed by non-procurement business users," Santosh Nair, GEP's chief product officer, said in a release. "GEP's orchestration solution provides users with a simple guided intake process and visibility into the next steps with conversational collaboration and auto-fulfilment of their needs. GEP Total Orchestration Solution is an advanced intelligent engine that orchestrates the whole procurement flow and integrates seamlessly with other applications in the ecosystem." 

For example, the new platform supports guided purchasing by letting users initiate a request or ask for something they need using a simple search bar, eliminating dozens of steps and clicks. It also lets them use natural-language queries, instead of pre-determined charting, so they can analyze and create high-level dashboards of data from any source. And it automates contract management, so users can easily view and manage their contractual obligations and sub-activities.

 

 

 

 

The Latest

More Stories

ITS Logistics truck carrying Sherwin Williams products
ITS Logistics

Transportation challenges, solved

Sometimes, all you need is the right partner to solve your logistics problems.

In 2021, global paint supplier Sherwin Williams faced driver and hazardous material (hazmat) capacity constraints: There simply weren’t enough hazmat drivers available in its fleet to maintain the company’s 90% fleet utilization rate expectations for key partner store deliveries while also meeting growing demand for service. Those challenges threatened to become even more acute in the future, as a competing paint supply company began to scale back its operations in the Pacific Northwest, leaving Sherwin Williams with an opportunity to fill the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

drone flying through warehouse

Robotic revolution

Robots are revolutionizing factories, warehouses, and distribution centers (DCs) around the world, thanks largely to heavy investments in the technology between 2019 and 2021. And although investment has slowed since then, the long-term outlook calls for steady growth over the next four years. According to data from research and consulting firm Interact Analysis, revenues from shipments of industrial robots are forecast to grow nearly 4% per year, on average, between 2024 and 2028 (see Exhibit 1).

market forecast for industrial robots - revenues graphEXHIBIT 1: Market forecast for industrial robots - revenuesInteract Analysis

Keep ReadingShow less
Freight Science dashboard screen
Freight Science

High-tech solution helps truckload carrier drive change

The trucking industry faces a range of challenges these days, particularly when it comes to load planning—a resource-intensive task that often results in suboptimal decisions, unnecessary empty miles, late deliveries, and inefficient asset utilization. What’s more, delays in decision-making due to a lack of real-time insights can hinder operational efficiency, making cost management a constant struggle.

Truckload carrier Paper Transport Inc. (PTI) experienced this firsthand when the company sought to expand its over the-road (OTR), intermodal, and brokerage offerings to include dedicated fleet services for high-volume shippers—adding a layer of complexity to the business. The additional personnel required for such a move would be extremely costly, leading PTI to investigate technology solutions that could help close the gap.

Keep ReadingShow less
indigo software screenshot WMS

Aptean adds British WMS vendor in latest acquisition

The Georgia-based enterprise software vendor Aptean today said it had acquired Indigo Software Ltd., a British provider of purpose-built warehouse management and logistics software solutions.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Aptean said the move will add new capabilities to its warehouse management and supply chain management offerings for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and 3PLs. Aptean currently provides enterprise resource planning (ERP), transportation management systems (TMS), and product lifecycle management (PLM) platforms.

Keep ReadingShow less
schneider app screenshot for owner operators

Schneider seeks more business with owner-operators

Transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. is reaching out to owner-operators, encouraging them to do more business with the Wisconsin company using an updated digital platform.

Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.

Keep ReadingShow less