Data and AI discussed at freight conference

INNOVATIVE ways to apply data and artificial intelligence to improve productivity in freight was a central theme at the Container Transport Alliance Australia’s inaugural LOGTECH Conference.

The national conference began with a keynote by Victorian Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne, where she commended the container transport sector’s resilience “in the coalface of the industry”.

“This is an industry that has adapted so well and done it without any sort of fanfare, and that’s getting on with the job,” Ms Horne said.

Five panel sessions made up of experts in the areas of technology, sustainability and policymaking led conversations on topics such as effective data leveraging and how using AI can drive change for transport operators.

CTAA director Neil Chambers said the conference brought together experts to discuss the current and future role of technology for businesses.

“CTAA’s always been about promoting productivity, and now this piece on sustainability as well,” Mr Chambers said.

“It became natural to talk about emerging and existing technologies and how it can help people move towards that.”

Chief commercial officer Chris Harnett of OneStop, a Sydney-based logistics software provider for ports, said one of the challenges for industry was to work more collaboratively to solve problems.

“AI has made this entry point more efficient than ever before,” Mr Harnett said.

“What if we found a way for the grain packer sitting out in regional Victoria, who knows he's going to move 500 tonnes this season, who can provide the information about how much grain we're going to move with what shipping line and what container, at that level.

“That's how far we have to come with these technology advancements and things like AI in terms of the integration interoperability between these systems can enable for the future.”