Supply chain pressures and future promise
Supply chains are under immense pressure in 2025, driven by inflation, volatile trade policies, rising tariffs, and geopolitical instability. Businesses must rethink strategies to navigate cyber threats, fraud, labor shortages, and natural disasters. Now, resilience and adaptability are survival imperatives. Despite these challenges, groundbreaking technology offers a path forward, redefining logistics with agility and innovation. The future holds immense promise. And C.H. Robinson is leading the way in the industry—here’s how.
AI and evolutionary change
In the last three decades, I have watched technology transform industry after industry—but agentic artificial intelligence is different. It’s not just another innovation; it’s a revolution. Unlike past advancements that augmented human capabilities, agentic AI redefines process automation and how tools will impact the human experience. It marks an evolutionary shift, expanding the boundaries of possibility. Machines are no longer just tools, they are active participants in our world, driving change at scale.
Large language models (LLM) certainly provide meaningful change, but agentic AI is igniting a revolution—empowering systems to think, adapt, and act. This is more than progress; it is the dawn of intelligence that works alongside us.
Unlike LLMs, which generate rapid answers using probabilistic methods, AI agents plan, reason and execute according to given goals allowing execution of complex workflows. These agents can tackle business processes that once seemed impossible to automate. The era of transformation is not approaching—it has arrived. Using our fleet of generative AI agents, C.H. Robinson is already leveraging this technology to automate over 3 million shipping tasks across the entire lifecycle of a shipment and do what we do best—deliver logistics like no one else.
A new era has arrived: Tailored solutions
This transformative technology empowers logistics leaders to rethink the commercial solutions we deliver to the marketplace. With these innovations in hand, we are transitioning into a bold era of logistics. New technology, paired with the lessons of the past, provides a pathway to rethink commercial solutions addressing logistics challenges.
Today, when we assess industry capabilities, we see an industry approaching modern problems with past solutions. Our industry perpetuates frameworks and terms that lead to confusion and often creative stagnation. The last few decades logistics providers have put forward a maze of terminology and commercial solutions—LLP, LSP, TMS, 3PL, 4PL, and now even 5PL. Each of these terms holds the potential to mean different things to different people. As a provider of logistics solutions, these terms are useful for initiating a commercial dialogue, however they also can limit creativity and prevent breakthrough thinking.
Undoubtedly, the past experiences of our industry have shaped the foundation of where we stand today. But the challenges of today demand more. Simply put, supply chains must evolve beyond tradition. While we honor our past industry solutions, we cannot be bound to them if we are to reinvent the commercial solutions we provide shippers. And Gartner research makes it clear: shippers need more than just a provider; they need a true partner—one that seamlessly connects them to an increasingly intricate logistics and supply chain ecosystem, ensuring resilience, adaptability, and success in this new era.*
Why we created C.H. Robinson Managed Solutions™
While we honor past industry capabilities, we recognize that the future requires a new way of thinking. That is why we launched C.H. Robinson Managed Solutions. We see a path that builds on the lessons of our industry’s past, leveraging our talent and infusing modern technology.
We see a future where shippers break free from rigid industry models like 3PL, 4PL, and TMS. Instead, platform-enabled solutions will provide a dynamic, tailored menu of services, allowing businesses to adapt faster—adding and adjusting capabilities as their needs evolve.
Imagine a world where a shipper seamlessly connects to a technology platform and taps into the best features of these historical models—tailored to their needs with the ability to evolve dynamically. A complex global shipper, for instance, might deploy a technology-only solution in Europe, operated by their own personnel, while in other regions, integrating capabilities traditionally provided by a 3PL or 4PL are now managed by a fleet of AI-driven agents configured to their unique requirements.
Leveraging our past to inform future innovation
Our industry's legacy is not just history; it is the foundation upon which we build the future. We take pride in the past, recognizing that decades of insights fuel the next wave of innovation. As our Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Arun Rajan, shared in his recent blog, industry incumbents—not flashy startups—are best positioned to drive disruption. The launch of C.H. Robinson Managed Solutions is proof of that vision in action.
It is the culmination of hard-earned knowledge, deep industry expertise, and unrivaled scale—a powerful foundation from which we are reshaping the marketplace with transformative solutions. We have entered a new era of innovation—one where AI-driven solutions transcend previous limitations, moving beyond legacy models and enabling agility like never before. No longer confined by outdated frameworks, shippers can harness intelligence at scale, anticipate disruptions, and drive productivity.
As Matt Cole, director of transportation at Hasbro, one of our valued customers, expressed, “In the ever-changing and unpredictable landscape of global trade, the flexibility and adaptability of C.H. Robinson services have been nothing short of invaluable. Their tailored solutions and expert guidance have empowered us to swiftly and efficiently navigate complex challenges, ensuring we consistently meet and exceed customer demand.”
This is where experience meets innovation. C.H. Robinson Managed Solutions transforms logistics to deliver future-ready solutions today.
*Gartner, Market Guide for 4PLs, Matthew Beckett, David Gonzalex, Michael Dominy, 19 September 2023
