Danish logistics giant Maersk has laid out the three visibility trends it expects to see in logistics during 2025.

Having a complete view of an arriving package or something being sent across the globe has become expected. That is why visibility across logistics and supply chains has gained increasing popularity over the years.

The three trends Maersk sees are the rise of data aggregators, predictability and actionability, and tactical and strategical visibility.

Last year, the rise of data aggregators was the first highlighted trend within logistics visibility. This trend will continue to be relevant in 2025, becoming more powerful. Over the past 12 months, many businesses have partnered with data aggregators to add layers of data to their offerings coming from different sources.

“Through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, data captured across many different sources, including multiple data aggregators, ports, vessels, GPS and carriers, can be triangulated into the most accurate, reliable and predictive dataset to drive the optimal intelligent decision making,” said Jacco Weterings from Maersk (www.maersk.com).

He said 2025 would also see more aggregators that were specialised in certain markets, such as air freight and trucking, gathering quality data on specific lanes.

During 2025, the focus will not merely be on visibility. Instead, visibility will be seen as the enabler for predictability and actionability. Having a plethora of data sources inserted into a process flow will determine what is the actionability (the next step to take) and the predictability (what can be seen before and avoided) using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Due to the incessant increase of black swan events, a particular growth will be observed in the area of visibility dedicated to disruptions. Sophisticated prediction data on geopolitical issues, climate-related crises, seasonal patterns and so on will provide insights fuelling opportunities for actionability and predictability.

For instance, if a delay is observed, the tasked team can act and change the production schedules in factories, adjust the warehousing and distribution schedules, and so on. With predictability and better alerts, dynamic transit times will be also benefit, allowing for different transit times, adding options for speeding up and slowing down a container while it’s en route.

To do that effectively, visibility on what is happening in the wider supply chain will be essential. In summary, having better visibility, that allows for predictability and actionability, will allow understanding not only of what is happening in logistics but also of the product supply and demand for an overall better planning experience.

On top of logistic visibility that is operational, 2025 will present more interest in tactical and strategical visibility. Connected to the point on disruption data and predictability, visibility on longer-term events will be important to make the right decisions to optimise a brand’s logistics. This type of view will give a better understanding of products within supply chains, moving away from optimising only the logistics.

Essentially, visibility will not only be about tracking containers but also about making the right tactical and strategic decisions for the whole cargo journey.

This year will see companies striving for higher quality data and visibility that allow them to gain resilience and predict future actions in case of need, says Maersk. Connecting all the data available will be key through the help of integrated providers that know what good visibility means for shipments and how data can be used as a service, enabling not just a control tower but a fully managed smart service.