How a Regional Distribution Company Built a 12-Month AI Roadmap That Identified $1.4M in Operational Savings
The Problem
This third-party logistics provider was running route planning on spreadsheets and tribal knowledge. Warehouse picking accuracy was at 91%, costing them roughly $380K/year in re-ships and credits. They had been pitched by three AI vendors but had no way to evaluate what they actually needed versus what was being sold to them.
AI Audit
3 weeks
AI readiness assessment across warehouse operations, fleet routing, and client reporting. Interviewed dispatchers, warehouse leads, and account managers. Mapped 14 operational workflows and scored each for AI feasibility, data readiness, and projected ROI.
Custom Build
4 weeks
Delivered a prioritized 12-month AI roadmap with three implementation tiers, vendor evaluation scorecards, and a data infrastructure gap analysis.
AI roadmap & prioritization matrix
14 opportunities ranked by ROI, implementation complexity, and data readiness. Top 3 opportunities projected to recover $1.4M annually in fuel costs, re-ship losses, and labor inefficiency.
Vendor evaluation framework
Side-by-side scoring of 4 route optimization platforms and 3 warehouse AI tools against actual data maturity, integration requirements, and budget constraints. Saved an estimated $220K by eliminating an over-scoped vendor proposal.
Data readiness report
Identified that 40% of shipment data was siloed in driver text messages and email threads. Delivered a 6-week data capture plan to create the foundation for any AI implementation.
Executive business case
Board-ready presentation with projected ROI timelines, risk assessment, and phased investment schedule. Used to secure internal budget approval in under 30 days.
The Results
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Automation opportunities identified | 0 (no formal assessment) | 14 scored and prioritized |
| Projected annual savings (top 3) | — | $1.4M |
| Vendor evaluation time | 4 months of sales calls | 4-week structured evaluation |
| Data readiness gaps documented | Unknown | 7 gaps with remediation plan |
| Time to budget approval | Stalled for 6 months | 28 days post-roadmap |
“We had three vendors telling us three different things. Vista Logic gave us a framework to actually evaluate what we needed. The roadmap paid for itself when we killed a $220K platform deal that would have been wrong for our data maturity.”
— VP of Operations
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