International Logistics: Deep Integration and Practice of RPA Technology

The Digital Wave of International Logistics

In the context of 21st-century globalization, international logistics plays a crucial role as a bridge connecting the economies and trade of various countries. It encompasses multiple aspects such as transportation, warehousing, loading and unloading, packaging, circulation processing, distribution, and information processing. International Logistics must find a balance between more economical costs and higher efficiency to meet the needs of different countries.

With the development of the digital wave, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology has gradually emerged as an important tool in the international logistics industry. RPA technology simulates human operations in digital systems, such as data entry, file processing, and information transmission, achieving full automation of key processes from booking to order. It significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of business processes while reducing the error and cost of manual operations.

Application of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Technology in International Logistics

• Intelligent Shipping Process: RPA can automatically extract shipping information from the company’s ERP system, create transportation orders, and transmit them to the logistics service provider’s Order Management System (OMS) or Transportation Management System (TMS).
• Cargo Tracking and Updates: RPA can regularly access the logistics service provider’s system to obtain the latest logistics status and automatically update it to the company’s customer service platform.
• Booking Processing: RPA can automatically scan and digitize booking documents in various formats and then automatically enter the data. This greatly improves the efficiency of booking processing, reduces manual verification costs, and ensures data accuracy.
• Exception Handling: RPA can automatically report logistics exception data to the logistics backend system for processing.
• Customer Service Process Optimization: RPA can assist the customer service team in automatically handling customer inquiries.

The application of RPA in international logistics covers various aspects from order processing to customer service, from inventory management to transportation management. By introducing RPA technology, international logistics companies can significantly improve work efficiency, reduce operating costs, and provide more accurate and timely services to customers.

Case Study: Deep Application and Practice of RPA Technology

As a global digital logistics service company, RPA technology plays a crucial role in YQN’s smart logistics solution. For example, for one of YQN’s e-commerce customers, RPA technology enabled seamless integration with the customer’s ERP system, shipping company system, and supplier system, building an efficient intelligent logistics network. Specifically:

• RPA Replaces Manual Order Entry: YQN’s RPA application replaces traditional manual order entry work, automatically synchronizing to multiple supplier systems with a single operation, greatly optimizing business processes and improving operational efficiency and accuracy. The company’s operational efficiency has increased by at least five times.
• RPA Improves Booking Efficiency: Through RPA technology, YQN’s customers achieve automatic extraction and entry of booking information, real-time monitoring of booking status, and timely feedback, ensuring booking accuracy and timeliness.
• RPA Efficiently Processes Documents: RPA can automatically identify, classify, and store various document files, avoiding the complexity and cost of manual classification and storage. Statistics show that after introducing RPA technology, the company’s document processing accuracy rate reached 99%.

Conclusion: RPA Technology Helps the International Logistics Industry Reach New Heights

In summary, the application of RPA technology in the international logistics industry has achieved significant results and value. By introducing RPA technology, companies can fully optimize and enhance business processes, improve operational efficiency and accuracy, reduce the error and cost of manual operations. At the same time, the application of RPA technology can also provide companies with more accurate data support and analysis capabilities, helping companies better understand market dynamics and customer needs, providing a strong basis for decision-making.

Dora Zhu is a Senior Research Analyst at ARC Advisory Group China. She can be reached at dzhu@arcweb.com

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