A shipping notification arrives via email. The delivery note is attached as a PDF. Shortly after, a status update follows from the carrier. In theory, all the information is there. Yet, this is often where the manual work begins: reading the message, opening the attachment, transferring data, assigning the transport, and informing the team. If a delay is added to the mix, things quickly become chaotic. Which shipment is affected? Who needs to react? What has already been processed? In many companies, operational management is still based on Excel, emails, and phone calls. The flood of messages and repeated coordination take time. At the same time, important information remains trapped in email silos. This is exactly where agentic AI in logistics comes in. With it, we automatically bring operational information into the right processes.
Email automation in logistics: from message to concrete process
With Emma, we are launching a new AI layer for the operational management of emails, documents, and data within our platform. Emma reads incoming messages and attachments, identifies relevant information, and assigns it to the appropriate transport process. Unstructured emails are turned into directly usable delivery data. Emma processes, among other things:
- Announcements and notifications
- Reference numbers
- Status updates
- Delays and changes
- Delivery notes and CMR documents
Emma also automatically creates new transports from incoming notifications . The information lands exactly where it is needed: in the right logistics process. This is email automation in logistics that works in everyday operations. Not as an additional system, but directly within existing workflows.
Automate transport communication while keeping the final say
It is also clear that automation should relieve teams, not take away their control. That is why Emma does not handle prioritization or make important decisions. Logistics teams continue to decide for themselves which process needs attention and which exception is critical. All AI steps remain transparent and visible. Emma starts in suggestion mode. The degree of automation can be increased step-by-step as soon as the team has built trust in the results. This allows companies to automate their transport communication without handing over decisions to a black box. The routine disappears. The responsibility remains where it belongs: with the team.
Identify critical issues before they escalate
Not every message is urgent and needs to be handled immediately. A general status update can wait. A last-minute delay might not. Emma therefore treats urgent messages separately. If the AI agent detects a critical problem, it immediately alerts the responsible team. Updates, changes, and critical issues can be processed automatically and escalated in a targeted manner. With Emma, teams can see more quickly:
- Where a transport is changing
- Which shipment is delayed
- Which process needs attention
- Which information has already been processed
This creates greater transparency in day-to-day operations. Operational management becomes more predictable and less reactive. Instead of hunting for information across various inboxes, dispatch and logistics teams can focus on the tasks that actually require their decision-making.
Automating logistics processes: less manual entry, more management
Anyone who has ever processed a high volume of notifications in a single day knows the drill: the information arrives, but the real work starts afterward. Data must be verified and transferred. Documents must be assigned to the correct shipment. Changes must be communicated to the team. Emma handles these recurring steps. This allows logistics processes to be automated without losing sight of the big picture. The practical benefits:
- Less administrative work
- Fewer manual entry errors
- Faster processing of status updates
- Greater transparency for ongoing shipments
- More time for critical tasks
Emma doesn't take responsibility away from the teams. She gives them back the time and oversight they need to exercise that responsibility effectively.
Supply chain automation with AI – without a new IT project
Emma is part of our cloud-based platform and runs entirely through the existing web interface. Companies therefore require no additional IT integration or change management. Setup takes less than 24 hours. The first measurable results are visible from day one. You can get started with a single inbox, for example for goods receipt or supplier communication. The scope and setup can be agreed upon in 30 minutes. This allows companies to start exactly where the daily flood of emails causes the most effort. Our AI solution is, of course, GDPR-compliant and meets enterprise standards for the secure processing of sensitive logistics data. This makes supply chain automation with AI practical even for companies that don't want to spend months setting up a new IT project.
Emma is just the beginning: from a connected network to an agentic platform
Our platform already connects more than 10,000 companies, linking warehouse locations, suppliers, carriers, and drivers within a single system. Emma adds an intelligent processing layer for operational emails and documents to this network. She automatically integrates information into the appropriate workflows, creating more time for tasks that require experience and decision-making power. With TradeLink, we are taking the next step: from a connected network to an agentic platform. Emma is just the beginning. Our goal is to become the Agentic OS for Europe's supply chains—the central inbound and outbound network that European industry and retail trust with their flow of goods.
