C.H. Robinson Scales Up Item-Level Solutions for All Global Customers
Bundling proven global supply chain and data management expertise gives users unparalleled insights and real-time control
In a move to help companies deal with mounting volatility in the world economy, C.H. Robinson, a global logistics provider managing 37 million shipments annually, is opening its industry-leading Item-level Solutions to all its customers.
Item-level Solutions provide end-to-end visibility and control across inventories and supply chains at the most granular level—by the individual item or SKU. This includes tracking items in motion or at rest, managing orders and inventory with unparalleled precision, and enabling real-time insights for better planning, cost control, and customer service while reducing blind spots. Using C.H. Robinson's Item-level Solutions, users have seen up to 10-30% percent savings in supply-chain-related expenses.
The initiative bundles C.H. Robinson's advanced analytics, tailored solutions, scale and 120 years of hands-on expertise—a unique combination that no other logistics provider in the marketplace can offer. So far, the fully integrated suite with all its competitive advantages has been used predominantly by shippers with the most complex supply chain needs. Now, Robinson is scaling it up to the rest of its global customer base.
The growing need for item-level control in logistics is spurred by continued disruptions since the pandemic. Volumes handled with C.H. Robinson's newest item-level digital purchase order management tools increased almost twenty-fold between 2023 and 2024, and are on track to double again this year. The company also saw a 300% rise in supply chain design projects using item-level data in the last three years.
"Supply chains across every industry are at an inflection point in the face of ongoing disruptions, AI-driven transformation, and rising customer expectations, and that's why we're making these solutions available for all our customers now," said Arun Rajan, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at C.H. Robinson. "This isn't a new capability for us – It's a proven one. We are scaling it up to meet all shippers' increasing needs for more visibility, more control and more actionable insights at the most granular level. Item-level Solutions deliver exactly that—by connecting digital tools with physical operations to help businesses track, manage, and optimize every item, every step of the way."
Users will have access to the full array of C.H. Robinson's Item-level Solutions:
- Visibility at the item level: Monitor and track individual items (or SKUs) across the entire supply chain. Enable real-time insights into inventory location, status, and cost components such as freight, warehousing, and additional services. This level of granularity drives better planning, cost control, and customer service.
- Purchase order management: Digitize and centralize purchase orders across suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors. Improve data accuracy and supplier performance, and gain visibility from order creation through delivery and freight execution. This helps reduce errors, streamline operations, and support real-time decision-making. Turn your purchase orders into a full transportation plan executed by C.H. Robinson.
- Supply chain design: Model and optimize the structure of a supply chain, including distribution networks, warehouse locations, transportation routes, and modal choices. This process uses real-world data and scenario planning to reduce costs, improve service levels, and build resilience.
- Inventory optimization: Align inventory levels with demand using predictive tools and automation. This approach aims to reduce carrying costs, avoid stockouts, and improve service levels. Techniques include SKU-level precision, automated replenishment, redistribution, and omnichannel fulfillment strategies.
Prospective users can get started with one or more of these solutions and grow from there. Robinson will act as an extension of their teams, pulling existing data streams together, providing user-friendly digital tools, and creating tailored solutions to manage supply chains in real time. As a result, users can de-risk operations and plan for future scenarios.
Several customers have already worked with C.H. Robinson to develop made-to-measure logistics strategies that suit their unique needs:
- A top 5 global automotive supplier with 100,000 annual shipments lacked visibility into the quantities of items loaded onto trailers. This caused late reactions to issues as well as production disruptions in an industry where just-in-time supply chains leave no room for error. C.H. Robinson created real-time visibility and implemented dynamic route optimization, saving $4-5 million annually and reducing supply-chain greenhouse gas emissions by 40%.
- A popular restaurant chain with a complex nationwide network faced challenges distributing perishable ingredients on time and controlling storage costs. Working with C.H. Robinson, the company saved $3 million in the first two years by achieving end-to-end transparency of where its products are, how they are managed through the shipment lifecycle and getting products to its restaurants more effectively.
- A global engineered components manufacturer used C.H. Robinson's purchase order management system to improve data accuracy, streamline load planning, increase visibility and raise performance across its domestic vendor network. The company also implemented Robinson's item-level data analytics to optimize its aftermarket business.
"It not only removed manual work," said Ty Angelus, Vice President of Global Logistics for the manufacturer, Lippert Components. "It also provided enhanced analytics, which has unlocked advanced item-level reporting that we use to drive smarter business decisions. It has allowed us to move faster, which is a critical need for today's supply chains."
"In this fast-changing environment, nobody is better at helping companies find cost-savings and advantages where they didn't see them before," said Michael Castagnetto, C.H. Robinson's President of North American Surface Transportation. "C.H. Robinson is the only provider that can offer both the technology and the execution capabilities at global scale for Item-level Solutions. While we've delivered on this promise for some of the most cutting-edge companies in the world, we are excited to scale this capability across our full global customer base and give shippers better control of their supply chains."
To learn more, visit: Item-Level Solutions | C.H. Robinson
About C.H. Robinson
C.H. Robinson delivers logistics like no one else™. Companies around the world look to us to reimagine supply chains, advance freight technology, and solve logistics challenges—from the simple to the most complex. 83,000 customers and 450,000 contract carriers in our network trust us to manage 37 million shipments and $23 billion in freight annually. Through our unmatched expertise, unrivaled scale, and tailored solutions, we ensure the seamless delivery of goods across industries and continents via truckload, less-than-truckload, ocean, air, and beyond. As a responsible global citizen, we make supply chains more sustainable and proudly contribute millions to the causes that matter most to our employees. For more information, visit us at chrobinson.com (NASDAQ:CHRW).
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