Why should forwarders focus on profitability rather than productivity with AI?

According to Muttersbach, AI-driven productivity gains (reducing headcount or speeding processes) capture limited value. Instead, forwarders should use AI to address margin leakage through better demurrage management, waiting time charges, customer-specific service delivery, and optimized carrier allocation. This approach creates higher-margin business models and competitive differentiation.

What timeline should I expect for seeing financial benefits from AI implementation?

The article indicates that 2026 marks the pilot and proof-of-concept phase, with first visible results in financial reporting expected in 2027. Look for impacts in EBIT, shipment volumes, and customer retention metrics. The full transformation window is three to five years.

Should my company build or buy AI solutions?

Build in-house solutions where you have genuine strategic advantage, such as distinctive customer order management or carrier allocation approaches. For more standardized processes, specialist providers are recommended because they have experience and data to deploy quickly and cost-effectively.

How will AI change my workforce and what roles will disappear?

AI will not eliminate the need for human relationships. Instead, roles will shift significantly: people will focus more on complex problem-solving, customer relationships, and strategic supply chain support. The key concern for CEOs is addressing employee anxiety about job security and business model changes.

What specific profit opportunities does AI unlock in freight forwarding?

Specific opportunities include: charging for waiting time, managing demurrage and detention more effectively, improving carrier contract allocation through early visibility of inbound volumes, and delivering complex customer-specific service that has historically created unpaid work. AI can also ensure consistent handling of individual customer requirements across global operations.

Technology & Innovation

High Impact

AI for Freight Forwarders: Beyond Productivity to Profitability

Oct 13, 2026

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The signal

Freight forwarding companies are being advised to rethink their AI strategy. Rather than deploying artificial intelligence primarily to increase productivity and reduce headcount, forwarders should focus on capturing lost gross profit and delivering highly customized customer service. According to Erik Muttersbach of Zauber, AI can transform the industry into a higher-margin business within three to five years, but only if organizations prioritize profitability over efficiency metrics. The industry is at a critical inflection point.

After a wave of AI funding and startup launches in 2025, 2026 has shifted toward pilots and larger deployments by industry leaders. Financial results from these implementations are expected to become visible in 2027, particularly in EBIT, shipment volumes, and customer retention. However, successful deployment requires organizational transformation, not just software installation. CEOs must articulate clear value propositions and address workforce concerns about job security.

For supply chain professionals, this signals a broader shift in how logistics companies will compete. Opportunities exist in charging for overlooked services (waiting time, demurrage), managing customer-specific requirements consistently across global operations, and optimizing carrier contract utilization through better visibility. Companies that fail to adopt AI risk losing competitive advantage as customers increasingly expect tailored service as standard.

#ai-in-logistics

#freight-forwarding

#profitability

#digital-transformation

#customer-service

#supply-chain-ai

#operational-efficiency

#margin-improvement

Frequently Asked Questions

What This Means for Your Supply Chain

Simulation Suggestion

this month

What if a forwarder implements AI-driven demurrage management and recovers 15% of currently lost charges?

Simulate the revenue and margin impact on a mid-sized forwarder (500 shipments/month) if AI-powered demurrage and detention tracking captures an additional 15% of recoverable charges by automating case identification, documentation, and billing.

Run this scenario

Simulation Suggestion

strategic

What if AI-driven customer service consistency reduces service failures by 40% and improves retention?

Model the impact on customer lifetime value and competitive win rates if AI systems draw on customer SOPs, historical data, and TMS information to deliver consistent, individualized service, reducing service failures from current baseline by 40% and improving retention rates.

Run this scenario

Simulation Suggestion

this month

What if AI optimization of carrier contracts through better volume visibility reduces transportation costs by 8%?

Simulate cost savings if AI provides earlier visibility into inbound volumes, allowing forwarders to optimize carrier contract utilization, consolidation, and route selection, resulting in an 8% reduction in per-unit transportation costs.

Run this scenario

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