Forget Theory. This Is How Successful Shippers Are Winning in Real Time

Disruption and uncertainty are the new normal for shippers already facing rising costs, high customer expectations, and endless complexity. Operating as usual is no longer sustainable.

To stay competitive and protect margins, logistics leaders are rethinking outdated systems and investing in solutions built for speed, and adaptability. One platform gaining the attention of enterprise shippers is Shipium. 

In a recent LinkedIn Live Event, Tara Buchler, JBF’s Strategy Principal, sat down with Kris Gösser, CMO and founding member of Shipium, for a deep dive into the challenges of the current shipping environment and the transformative potential of next-gen logistics technology. 

Watch a Replay of the LinkedIn Live event here or click on the video below. Continue reading for a summary of Tara and Kris’s conversation. 

Legacy shipping technologies were born in a different era where fixed origins, limited SKUs, and a duopoly of national parcel carriers defined logistics. Built for predictability, these systems relied heavily on rigid business rules and simple decision-making models.  

Kris explained, “Legacy systems were not built for the complexity we face today. They collapse under the weight of modern variables.” 

Since the mid-2000s, the world has transformed. The rise of e-commerce, cloud infrastructure, and digital marketplaces has exploded the number of destinations, SKUs, and carriers, demanding a more dynamic and responsive logistics backbone. 

Problems with legacy systems include: 

• Need extensive time and resources to prepare and run simulations or models and market conditions typically change by the time systems processes and policies are adjusted rendering the analysis obsolete or the benefit diluted 

• Lack the ability to process the complexities of the modern supply chain leading to suboptimal analysis and are unable to simulate multiple potential outcomes or accurately predict the most probable scenarios without access to real-time external data
• The effort required to implement changes means only the most compelling recommendations are pursued, leaving incremental opportunities unrealized
  
  

Innovative platforms like Shipium offer a modern and agile approach. By combining shipping execution and simulation into a single cloud-based solution, shippers can integrate data, strategy, and action more closely than ever before. This convergence allows businesses to simulate changes, predict likely outcomes, and easily implement new operating models. 

“You can actually model out scenarios with high confidence using real data from your execution system,” Kris said. “We’re talking about simulation and execution happening within the same system."

By using a closed-loop optimization and execution engine that also incorporates real world risk data, shippers are empowered with data driven outcomes that easily drive continuous improvement into their networks.  For example, carrier and service decisions were historically made by using carrier published time in transit to meet a delivery promise date.   

Shipium’s Dynamic Time in Transit model provides predictive understanding of carrier performance while optimizing cost, producing the cheapest carrier and service without sacrificing on delivery promise in real-time.

Perhaps one of the most compelling advantages of modern platforms like Shipium is the ability to run simulations at scale.  

Where traditional network modeling might have involved weeks or months of setup to explore a single scenario, Shipium customers are now running dozens of simulations in a single quarter. These simulations span everything from adjusting pickup windows to evaluating the impact of adding a new origin point. 

“There's no longer a diminishing return on simulations,” Tara emphasized. “You’re finding incremental wins that compound over time into huge strategic advantages.”

Another hallmark of Shipium’s approach is ease of use. In legacy environments, even minor changes could require complex IT interventions and organizational change management that delayed or diminished expected returns. Modern systems like Shipium enable changes to be implemented quickly and easily - across analytics models, decision engines, and operational workflows. 

“This isn’t just easier,” Kris said. “It’s also more accurate, more scalable, and ultimately more customer-focused.”

The supply chain isn’t just a cost center—it can be a competitive advantage. By starting with a focus on the customer and employing adaptive, model-driven logistics solutions, companies can create a flywheel effect. Optimized decisions reduce costs and deliver on customer promises, which improves competitiveness, which in turn attracts more customers, fueling a cycle of continual improvement at the top and bottom line.

Modern logistics is no longer about simply managing chaos. It’s about using real-time data, predictive intelligence, and smart automation to turn complexity into opportunity. As Tara put it, “This is not an academic concept. It’s real, it’s practical, and it’s happening now.” 

If your shipping strategy is being held back by outdated systems and missed opportunities, it’s time to upgrade. Talk to JBF and Shipium about how modern logistics tech can turn complexity into a competitive edge.