Enhancing Shipment Tracking Accuracy with a Logistics Control Tower

Initiative overview

Worked on the logistics control tower to enhance end-to-end visibility and provide recommendations for potential delays that could disrupt the production lines.

Target users groups

The target customer base comprises logisticians tracking shipments, SCM teams scheduling purchase orders, and plant teams generating requirements. These groups collaborate to ensure uninterrupted production.

Business Impact

In 2024, shipment delays accounted for 2.5% of overall shipments and cost companies significantly in production, totaling approximately $2M USD.

Design Process

IDF Design Thinking

The five-step design thinking process is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. It involves five phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test with users to refine the final solution.

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Workshops 01

What logisticians were going through

Insights

Visibility & Data Latency

"Fragmented views (no single global map or drill-down by region/country/plant). Stale ETAs (e.g., >2 hours); late Cognos runs; unreliable carrier ETAs (esp. ocean). “No update” windows create blind spots and hide risks."

Operational Performance

"Rules, documentation are always being updated, forcing us to constantly re-learn procedures and adapt their workflows. This constant change is mentally exhausting and adds a lot of pressure"

Alerting, Risk and dicision impact

"We are stuck quantifying line-stop risks manually, forcing us into exhausting, spreadsheets every time a delay hits. Without instant risk alerts and notifications, mitigating the delays are difficult."

Alerting, Risk and dicision impact

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02 The Gap

Manual tasks and messy data keeps the team stressed and stuck in a loop of constant firefighting.

Logisticians struggle with fragmented systems, unreliable data, lack of predictive tools, and minimal automation resulting in constant firefighting, manual follow-up, delayed decisions, and increased operational stress.

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User Personas

Velu Murgan

35, Logistics Analysts at Chennai

His mindset, spirit and pshyche

This dedicated problem-solver manages logistics cost-effectively but feels the strain of chaotic data and constant "firefighting." They prioritize structure and reliable information over flashy changes, preferring familiar tools like WhatsApp and email. Ultimately, they seek low-risk improvements that bring stability and predictability to their demanding workday.

Behavioural Aspects

An exceptionally committed professional, they work any hour necessary to prevent production stops. They balance heavy Excel tracking with proactive, respectful communication, preferring direct calls to stay ahead of risks and keep the supply chain moving.

Alerting, Risk and dicision impact

It’s exhausting and feel like he always one step behind. Without a clear, real-time view of your data, he is forced into endless firefighting, leaving him drained and stuck reacting to crises instead of having the space to actually plan ahead.