Supply Chain & Logistics
Customs and trade document preparation
Draft import/export documentation from product data and supplier information. Reduces manual effort and improves accuracy on routine shipments.
40–60%
reduction in trade document preparation time
Opportunity assessment
Minor improvement. Small efficiency gain with limited effect on overall turnover or bottom line.
Relatively straightforward. Off-the-shelf tools handle the core task. Implementation is well-understood with good examples to follow.
Moderate data needs. Works with data most businesses hold, but will likely need consolidation, cleaning, or reformatting before use.
High risk. Significant external exposure or regulatory implications. Requires robust oversight and clear accountability.
Light people impact. A new tool slots into an existing workflow. Minimal training needed. Most people will adapt quickly.
Tooling required
Things to consider
Raft AI processes over 130,000 freight documents per month for a global freight forwarder, with 75% of invoices now handled automatically with minimal human intervention (Raft AI).
Customs errors have real consequences — penalties, delays, seized goods. Human review by someone with trade compliance expertise before submission is mandatory.
Country-specific requirements vary significantly. The RAG system needs current regulatory references for each market you ship into.
Start with the highest-volume, most standardised shipment types where errors are both costly and predictable before expanding scope.
The right governance model is likely AI drafts, specialist reviews — regardless of how accurate the AI becomes. Customs errors have consequences that make autonomous submission unacceptable in most businesses.
Experiment starter: Take 30 of your most routine shipment records (same product type, same trade lane) and use an LLM to draft the documentation. Have your customs broker review and mark errors without knowing they were AI-generated. A sub-5% error rate on a blind review justifies a structured pilot on that shipment type.
Go deeper in the playbook
Section — Opportunity Identification, including the AI Opportunity Assessment ScorecardSection — Risk and GovernanceThis opportunity scores low on risk exposure — read the risk and governance approach before you start.More in Supply Chain & Logistics
Supplier document review
Review supplier contracts, compliance certificates, and T&Cs against standard requirements. Flags gaps and deviations for procurement team review.
Purchase order exception handling
Identify anomalies in PO data — price variances, quantity mismatches, missing references — and route to the right team with context and suggested resolution.
Demand pattern summarisation
Convert sales, stock, and forward-order data into plain-language summaries for planning meetings. Identifies trends, spikes, and cover risks.
AI Transformation Playbook
Ready to assess your own opportunities?
The playbook gives you the full 150-opportunity directory, scoring tools, and 100+ templates for every stage of an AI transformation programme.