Route Optimization Cockpit: Smarter Transport Planning through Automation and Insight

3 min read

Log-hub and KNIME have joined forces to launch the Route Optimization Cockpit—an integrated solution designed to transform how companies plan, manage, and optimize their transportation networks.

Why Route Optimization Matters

For companies with complex distribution needs, daily route planning is a high-stakes, time-consuming task. Between balancing costs, coordinating multiple depots, and reacting to changing demands, logistics teams often face a time-consuming, manual process with limited visibility. The Route Optimization Cockpit automates and enhances this process, providing clear, data-driven visibility into transportation operations.

What the Route Optimization Cockpit Brings to Users

The Route Optimization Cockpit transforms the way logistics teams plan and manage transportation. It empowers supply chain professionals to:

✔ AUTOMATE ROUTE PLANNING to replace manual effort with intelligent workflows—each depot’s routes are optimized daily using Log-hub’s algorithms
✔ MINIMIZE TRANSPORTATION COSTS by modeling the most efficient delivery plans and comparing alternatives
✔ GAIN FULL VISIBILITY into operations through centralized KPIs and interactive dashboards
✔ ACCESS REAL-TIME INSIGHTS as Power BI updates automatically with route plans, performance metrics, and detailed delivery data
✔ MAKE BETTER DECISIONS FASTER by simulating multiple planning scenarios and selecting the best-performing strategy

For example, a company with multiple depots delivering daily to various customer locations can move from time-consuming manual planning to a fully automated process. The system optimizes each depot’s routes daily, aggregates the results, and presents all key data in a centralized cockpit. This approach adds strategic value by allowing teams to model and compare multiple scenarios, make informed decisions, and focus on execution and long-term improvement rather than operational guesswork.

How It Works: The Process Behind the Cockpit

At the core of the Route Optimization Cockpit is an end-to-end technology framework that brings together automation, analytics, and visualization.

Log-hub’s Supply Chain Apps provide the optimization engine, delivered through a custom-built KNIME node that executes advanced route planning algorithms.
KNIME serves as the workflow infrastructure, handling data ingestion, transformation, iterative planning, and storage. The system operates through a series of automated steps: input data is loaded from various sources, transformed into the required structure, and processed through a loop for daily or multi-depot planning. A custom KNIME node developed by Log-hub then triggers the optimization, aggregates the results, and stores them in a central database for easy access.
Power BI sits on top of this foundation, delivering clear, interactive dashboards that visualize route plans, KPIs, and scenario comparisons, making insights accessible across the organization.

This process is executed automatically on a scheduled basis, ensuring up-to-date insights for logistics teams without any manual intervention.

Inside the Route Optimization Cockpit

The cockpit itself is designed to provide both high-level oversight and deep operational insights. It includes:

• Management View – a high-level summary of the entire distribution plan, including key KPIs like total cost, distance travelled, vehicle utilization, and quantities delivered.
• Trend View – KPI evolution tracking over time — daily, weekly, or monthly — helping users track patterns and identify areas for improvement.
• Tabular View – a comprehensive, step-by-step route plan with route maps and granular delivery steps.
• Scenario Comparison – simulation and evaluation of different strategies side by side.
• Analysis View – detailed exploration of three core KPIs: cost, utilization, and distance metrics.

Final Thoughts

The Route Optimization Cockpit is more than just a digital tool; it’s a strategic enabler for logistics and supply chain teams. By replacing inefficiencies of manual planning with automation, it helps organizations optimize faster, plan smarter, and stay in control of complex transport operations, driving better outcomes.

Log-hub and KNIME will be showcasing this project at the Transport Logistic Fair in Munich, June 2-5, 2025. For a deep dive into how the optimization engine works in practice, visit their joint stand 611 at Hall B1.