Stephen Dyke of FourKites talks about inbound logistics: fragmentation; manual work; data siloes; AI; & why the receiving dock is such an under-invested area.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

[03.25] An introduction to Stephen, his background combining computing and supply chain and, as a self-confessed 'passionate practitioner,' what he loves about supply chain.

[07.05] An overview of FourKites – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.

"Over the last five years, we've really become a supply chain orchestration control tower… and embedded persona-based AI agents."

[10.33] Why 2026 MIT research found that fragmented inbound logistics is still wreaking havoc across organizations, what that fragmentation typically looks like, the big impacts coming from it, and what that all means for businesses.

"On average, a common inbound operation can have anywhere between six and eight different internal applications that teams need to be able to plan and execute against. That's created siloes… and fragmentation naturally spirals."

[14.38] Why the transfer of data is central to the issue of fragmentation and siloes, the core business disciplines that need access to historically logistics-owned data, and how they're actually getting it.

"Data is everywhere… But it's not distilled and harmonized into one connected language."

[19.41] The type of manual work inbound teams are still doing daily, the problem with human validation, and why a shift from reactive to proactive action is critical.

[22.31] From manual status updates and delay notifications to document processing, what supplier communication typically looks like and why it's so hard.

"Since EDI, every operational team has been chasing standardization, compliance and reliability. But there's not going to be a perfect standard format, a perfect technology."

[24.47] The first thing you should do if your inbound process still runs on spreadsheets and phone calls, and why transformation and innovation is more than just an operational benefit.

"Qualify and quantify the level of pain, challenges and tolerance that you have across the whole execution ecosystem."

"I've never been around an operational team that doesn't look for that thrill of modernizing – there's a great mental and emotional benefit that comes from trying to drive ones destiny forward."

[30.13] Why the receiving dock and yard don't get as much attention as areas like outbound delivery, and the business cost of not looking at them equally.

[33.02] The power of AI within your ecosystem, and how it can change the way teams make decisions.

"When AI is placed within the broader supply chain planning and execution capability, a lot of great opportunities arise."

[37.05] The key tenants of gold standard inbound logistics, and the potential benefits from achieving it.

[40.27] The one thing listeners should take away from this conversation.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED

Head over to FourKite's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with FourKites and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube, or you can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from FourKites, check out 235: Use Real-Time Visibility To Transform Your Entire Supply Chain, with FourKites.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.

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