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Oriol F52026-01-18 11:12:202026-01-18 11:13:58Role of Analytics in Supply Chain ManagementThe Role of Analytics in Modern Supply Chain Management
Analytics transforms scattered shipment data into actionable insights, enabling shippers to optimize freight costs, predict delays, and improve on-time delivery across air, ocean, and land. CargoTrans Control Tower dashboard delivers this through real-time visibility, exception alerts, and performance analytics—all in one client-facing platform.
Why analytics is essential for freight forwarders’ clients
Traditional supply chain analytics focused on historical reporting; modern tools emphasize predictive and prescriptive insights for operational decisions. For shippers using multiple carriers, a Control Tower aggregates data from TMS, carriers, and customs into unified KPIs like OTIF (on-time in-full), carrier scorecards, and lane efficiency.
Unlike broad enterprise platforms, CargoTrans focuses on what mid-sized importers need: shipment-level analytics without IT overhead.
Core analytics types in Control Tower dashboards
- Descriptive: Current status of all shipments, inventory levels, ETAs.
- Diagnostic: Root causes of delays (e.g., port congestion by lane).
- Predictive: Delay forecasts using weather, carrier trends, historical data.
- Prescriptive: Recommended re-routes or carrier switches for cost savings.
Real-world benefits for shippers and customers
Analytics in a Control Tower shifts logistics from reactive to proactive, directly impacting bottom line.
- Benefit
- Cost Reduction
- On-Time Delivery
- Risk Mitigation
- Inventory Optimization
- Customer Satisfaction
- Impact
- 10-20% freight savings via carrier analytics
- +15-25% OTIF
- 40-60% faster disruption response
- Reduced stockouts/overstock
- Accurate tracking updates
- Control Tower Example
- Scorecards rank carriers by lane/cost/OTD
- Real-time ETAs + exception alerts
- Predictive alerts for customs holds, congestion
- Demand signals from shipment trends
- Shared dashboard views for clients
How Control Tower analytics outperforms spreadsheets
CargoTrans integrates analytics directly into freight forwarding workflows.
- Multi-modal visibility: Track air/ocean/land in one dashboard with carrier APIs.
- Exception analytics: Prioritize high-impact issues (e.g., 10% of shipments cause 80% delays).
- Custom KPIs: Tailor views for finance (landed costs), ops (OTD), or sales (customer ETAs).
- No silos: ERP/TMS/WMS data unified—no manual exports.
For small/mid-sized shippers, this means enterprise analytics via your forwarder, not new software.
Overcoming common analytics challenges
Data silos, poor quality, and legacy systems plague 70% of chains. Control Tower solves this:
- Integration-first: Pre-built connectors for common TMS/ERP.
- Real-time cleansing: AI flags inconsistencies (e.g., mismatched ETAs).
- Scalable for SMBs: No data scientists needed—intuitive dashboards.
Start with descriptive views, scale to predictive as data grows.




