One of the Largest Horticulturists in the US Cuts Freight Costs by 6% with AI-Powered Smart Logistics

Drowning in spreadsheets while money leaked out the door

Picture this: at one of the world's largest horticultural operations, every morning the logistics team started their day not by planning smart routes or negotiating better rates, but by updating endless spreadsheets and chasing down missing information. With plants growing across multiple nurseries and customers ranging from big-box retailers to individual homeowners, their shipping operation was complex enough without adding manual headaches. 

The worst part? They were making expensive decisions blind. When choosing which trucking company to use for a shipment, the team relied on gut feelings and whoever answered the phone first. They had no way to track which carriers actually delivered on time or which ones were quietly inflating their bills. This guesswork was costing them real money on every single shipment.

Every day felt like crisis management. We'd spend hours just trying to figure out basic things like 'Did this truck arrive on time?' or 'Why is this fuel surcharge different than last week?' Meanwhile, we knew we were probably overpaying, but we had no way to prove it.

— VP of Logistics Operations

Their existing SAP TM system was supposed to help, but it felt more like fighting against technology than working with it. Simple changes took forever, reports were confusing, and the team often found it faster to just pick up the phone and handle things manually. With 21,000 shipments per year, these daily frustrations were adding up to serious money. 

The fuel surcharge updates were particularly time-consuming. Every time gas prices changed, someone had to manually update dozens of rate tables. Missing an update meant either overpaying or underpaying carriers, both scenarios that created billing disputes and strained relationships.

How Pando’s AI-driven freight solution saved 6% on their freight spend

Getting clear visibility into carrier performance

The company now gets automatic performance tracking on every carrier they use. The system monitors key metrics like on-time delivery, load damage rates, and pricing consistency. This gives the logistics team concrete data when evaluating carriers and negotiating contracts, replacing guesswork with facts.

We can now walk into contract negotiations with actual performance data instead of assumptions. When a carrier claims 95% on-time delivery, we can show them their real numbers. It's made our carrier relationships much more productive.

— Transportation Manager

Handling diverse transportation requirements efficiently

The system manages both inbound supplier deliveries and outbound shipments to customers through a single platform. It automatically routes different types of loads - full truckloads for major retail orders, smaller shipments for individual customers, and time-sensitive air freight when needed. The flexibility helps coordinate their complex shipping needs without requiring separate processes for each channel.

Automating carrier selection with multiple criteria

The system evaluates carrier options based on cost, delivery time, performance history, and current capacity, then recommends the best choice for each shipment. When the team needs to override the recommendation for business reasons, they can do so easily while maintaining a clear audit trail of the decision.

Modeling procurement scenarios before implementation

The team can now run different carrier allocation scenarios to understand the cost impact before making contract decisions. They can model various approaches - splitting business between current and new carriers, testing different rate structures, and comparing service levels. This scenario planning helps them make informed procurement decisions based on projected outcomes rather than assumptions.

Automating rate calculations and updates

The system handles complex rate calculations including fuel surcharges, accessorial charges, and contract-specific pricing automatically. When fuel prices change, rates update across all carrier contracts without manual intervention. This eliminates calculation errors and ensures accurate billing based on current contract terms.

The rate management transformation alone saved us countless hours every week. What used to take our team days of painful spreadsheet work now happens automatically, and we never have payment errors anymore.

— Finance Director

Validating invoices against contracted rates

The audit system automatically compares incoming invoices against contracted rates and flags discrepancies for review. Most invoices are processed without manual intervention, but when charges don't match contract terms or seem unusual, the system alerts the team to investigate before payment. This reduces processing time while catching billing errors.

Leveraging historical data for better decisions

The system analyzes past shipment performance to recommend optimal carriers and routes for similar future loads. It identifies patterns in delivery performance, cost effectiveness, and service issues to help the team make informed decisions. This historical analysis helps predict potential challenges and suggests alternatives when problems are likely to occur.

The transformation from their old SAP TM system to Pando's platform turned daily logistics headaches into smooth, automated operations. The company went from reactive firefighting to proactive planning, from guesswork to data-driven decisions, and from manual spreadsheet wrestling to hands-off automation. 

The numbers tell the story: 6% reduction in shipping costs, 90% increase in team productivity, and 4% fewer billing errors. But the real victory is that the logistics team can now focus on growing the business instead of just keeping it running. They've moved from being order-takers to strategic partners who actively contribute to the company's success. 

With operations running smoothly and costs under control, this family business is well-positioned to continue growing while maintaining the personal touch that has made them successful for six decades.