Satalia, a company specialising in AI-driven logistics and supply chain optimisation, has announced the release of its latest solution.
Founded in 2008 by Dr. Daniel Hulme, Satalia evolved from a University College London spin-off into a company that specialises in enterprise AI solutions.
With a team of more than 200 professionals, including more than 20 PhDs and MScs, Satalia’s solutions address the growing complexities of last-mile deliveries and large-scale enterprise logistics.
These solutions leverage AI to help businesses overcome critical challenges – enhancing customer experience by maximising speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of delivery.
“We take a customer-centric approach to logistics, developing custom AI-powered solutions that solve specific operational challenges,” says Daniel Hulme, CEO at Satalia.
“Our AI systems optimise routing, reduce operational costs, and even increase customer satisfaction, delivering 200x ROI for our clients.”
Addressing a challenge in scheduling
Typically, businesses replacing scheduling systems often face challenges that can ultimately impact customer satisfaction.
They may encounter issues where they overcommit to orders or play it too safe, both of which have negative consequences.
Satalia’s solutions are designed to address pain points in scheduling within logistics like these.
“So, we’re talking about the time when you stop offering delivery slots,” says Paul Hart, Logistics Lead
at Satalia.
“You say, ‘Sorry, customers, no more slots available for tomorrow,’ or it could even be for the same day.
“For instance, you might cut off bookings in the morning for afternoon deliveries.
“That cut-off point – from removing the slots on the website to delivering to the customer – is quite compressed.”
As Paul says, there’s a lot that needs to happen in that time. Orders need to be picked, packed, marshalled for the vehicles, and loaded efficiently.
“If you’re spending an hour of that limited window just on scheduling, it creates significant challenges,” he says.
“Alternatively, companies may undercommit, accepting fewer orders – perhaps 180 instead of 200 – to avoid potential complications.”
The process becomes more challenging during high-pressure periods.
From the time slots are closed for new orders to when deliveries must be made, there is a narrow window to get the job done.
If the scheduling system takes an hour to process during this critical period, it adds another layer of inefficiency.
In markets like Australia, where customer expectations are high for same-day or next-day delivery, the ability to order and receive goods with minimal lead time is essential.
Businesses must optimise scheduling dynamically and avoid delays to maintain competitive customer offerings.
Satalia Delivery
Satalia’s custom offerings, built using advanced technology, are tailored to meet the unique needs of each client.
“Whether it’s creating digital twins for scenario planning or optimising delivery schedules to reduce costs and improve customer experiences, we deliver bespoke solutions that work in real-world environments,” says Daniel.
“Our goal is not only operational efficiency but to improve the lives of our clients’ customers.”
The company’s flagship product, Satalia Delivery, is designed to optimise last-mile logistics, particularly for Satalia’s grocery retailer clients.
“We’ve engaged with several clients in Australia, including Woolworths,” says Paul.
Image: Maksym/stock.adobe.com
“It began with an engagement with UK grocery retail giant Tesco, where we developed its last-mile solution.
“From that project, we built out the product, which is now used in the UK by companies like DFS, a furniture retailer, and HSS Hire, a tool hire company.
“While the solution is primarily aimed at the grocery market, it can be utilised by any business with its own vehicle delivery fleet.”
How it works
The system optimises order scheduling by determining which orders go into what vehicles and their delivery times.
Utilising advanced AI, it powers delivery slot availability for customers in real-time.
For example, when a customer visits a grocery website to check delivery options, the system continually re-optimises the orders in the background. This ensures the displayed slots are accurate and optimised for efficiency.
“It’s pretty much instantaneous. Satalia Delivery is capable of operating in sub-seconds,” says Paul.
“From the moment you hit the button to check available slots, it performs the calculations – not just for optimisation but also for distance and time.”
By continually adjusting schedules, the system offers customers greater flexibility and choice while preventing overcommitment.
Unlike traditional methods, where companies might estimate the number of orders they can handle – risking either overloading or underutilising resources – the system dynamically balances capacity.
This approach ensures no order is rejected due to poor allocation while optimising vehicle usage and operational efficiency.
Proven results
Clients leveraging Satalia’s solutions have experienced a wealth of benefits.
For example, a prominent Australian supermarket chain achieved a 30 per cent increase in delivery capacity, resulting in an additional $91 million in revenue.
Additionally, Satalia’s solutions continue to save clients 11 million delivery miles annually, reducing operational costs while cutting fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
By streamlining processes and leveraging automation, the company has also achieved efficiency gains equivalent to the output of 139 full-time employees, enabling labour cost savings without compromising productivity.
New services
Satalia is expanding its focus to include new projects that go beyond its core expertise in last-mile delivery, tackling more complex and bespoke challenges in broader distribution networks.
The company aims to strengthen its reputation as a versatile solutions provider by delivering tailored systems designed to meet diverse needs across the end-to-end supply chain.
“We have a strong specialisation in last-mile delivery, but we also provide tailored services for companies with highly specialised problems that don’t fit into off-the-shelf systems,” said Paul.
“In these cases, we can either repurpose assets we’ve already developed – like our routing engine, which calculates time and distance for a variety of applications – or build entirely bespoke solutions.”
For instance, some of Satalia’s clients use large car transporters capable of carrying up to 12 vehicles, depending on their size.
Larger vehicles, such as SUVs, reduce the capacity to 8–9 vehicles.
Loading these transporters is akin to playing Jenga, requiring the larger cars to be placed on the bottom deck and the smaller ones on top, all while adhering to delivery time slots and optimising travel distances.
Adding to the complexity, the drivers are typically on the road for four days at a time, picking up and delivering vehicles throughout their routes.
Existing systems can address parts of these challenges, but this client had relied on manual planners to bridge gaps.
“That’s where we stepped in, providing a customised solution that met their unique needs,” said Paul.
“This example highlights our ability to work beyond grocery delivery and last-mile logistics.
“We’re expanding our expertise into broader distribution challenges, building a reputation for delivering solutions across the entire supply chain.”
To read more about Satalia, click here