Mark 3 International, a UK-US express logistics specialist, has partnered with New York-based technology start-up Dobby AI to improve management of its shipping data across its logistics chain.
The goal of the partnership is to develop an AI-powered operations agent that can automatically consolidate and organise information obtained from disparate sources, such as emails, text messages, ERP and transport management systems, to create a single, reliable foundation of data for each shipment.
“The logistics sector has remained somewhat reluctant to embrace emergent technologies,” said Matthew Ware, CEO of Mark 3.
“We’re excited to be working with such an innovative partner to bring AI into the global ecosystem. We will significantly improve our customers’ experience by providing more accurate, verified information at every stage in the shipment chain.”
The system will be trained using real-world data provided by Mark 3, allowing it to learn from actual shipments and customer interactions. Some components of the tool are already in place, with a full internal rollout expected over the next four to six months.
“Before embarking on this journey, we spent a year doing deep research into the sector,” said Kalkavan. “We interviewed people across the supply chain, from manufacturers to freight forwarders and carriers, while also experimenting with what AI could really do.”
He warned that too much of the technology in supply chain management is built in silos, often by people with deep logistics knowledge but little product development or engineering expertise.
“Most tech in this ecosystem is built by people who don’t think about the ecosystem as a whole,” said Kalkavan. “That’s why supply chain tech is full of horror stories: companies promise to make life easier but build low-quality products that fragment the tool landscape further and make things worse.
“Partnering with Mark 3 helps us realise our ambition to create a highly advanced tool that will transform the logistics sector. By working with Matt and the team, we are perfectly placed to gain a deep understanding of the industry and use real-world data to train our AI.”
The collaboration follows a series of investments by Mark 3 to expand its operations, including the launch of a new 12,000 sq ft facility at JFK Airport in New York and plans to open a similar site at LAX in Los Angeles within the next 18 months.
Mark 3 and Dobby say the AI tool will help address inefficiencies, improve transparency, and reduce human error in the complex and often fragmented world of cross-border logistics.
