On September 25, 2025, LOGISTICS TODAY published an article titled “Zenport Takes on Unstructured Data Processing in International Logistics.” “ZenRead” is a service that uses AI to automatically read trade-related invoices and shipping documents, then adds a final human review to simultaneously achieve previously difficult levels of accuracy and efficiency.
Original article
https://www.logi-today.com/847763
Translation allowed by the media publisher
Zenport Takes on Unstructured Data Processing in International Logistics
Thursday, September 25, 2025
In the field of international logistics, a massive amount of “unstructured data” dependent on paper, PDFs, Excel, and other formats still exists. Enormous volumes of documents generated with every transaction—such as invoices, packing lists, bills of lading (B/L), and certificates of origin—have historically been processed based on manual data entry and verification. Zenport (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) is tackling this structural challenge, which lacks efficiency and has been a hotbed for human error, with its newly launched “AI-BPO” service.
▲Zenport CEO Fumiaki Ota
In September, the company released “ZenRead” as its first offering. It is a system that combines AI-based OCR with specialized human checks to convert unstructured data into structured data that can be linked to core systems. CEO Fumiaki Ota states, “This is not just an efficiency tool; it will become an industrial foundation that ensures the sustainability of international logistics.”
According to research by major US consulting firm Gartner, 80-90% of data handled by companies is said to be unstructured. This ratio is even higher in the logistics industry, where managing PDF email attachments, scanned paper documents, and manual tasks using Excel is commonplace.
Mr. Ota analyzes the current situation: “The information that moves supply chains (SC) spans all processes, including ordering, shipping, transportation, inventory, production, and sales. However, the data for each is not connected, leaving paper, email, and PDFs as the only way to bridge the gaps. That is precisely why trade documents have never been free from manual handling.”
To overcome this “wall” between data, the key is how accurately unstructured data can be structured. While AI-OCR reading has advanced, guaranteeing 100% accuracy is difficult. Zenport has adopted a “Human in the loop” approach, implementing a two-stage system where humans verify and correct the data processed by AI.
Zenport’s new service is integrated with its existing platform function, “SmartGrid.” This allows data to be extracted and used from different perspectives depending on the business operation, such as by order unit for the ordering staff or by B/L unit for the forwarder.
Mr. Ota emphasizes, “In the past, people on-site had to process Excel files and recreate data over and over. However, if they can freely extract from a single dataset, operations become dramatically more efficient. Zenport’s greatest feature is its ability to link order information, shipping information, and transportation information all together.”
This philosophy of “connecting” is also common to the company’s other developments, such as ZenConnect (an architecture that organically links all processes), ZenSync (a standard data linkage platform), and ZenGrid (a personalized UI/UX function).
Multiple players are already moving on the digitalization of international logistics. For example, services specializing in the “transportation domain,” including the digitization of B/Ls, and SaaS-type international logistics platforms have emerged, aiming to streamline specific processes. However, Mr. Ota points out, “Competitors only cover transportation and shipping, and they don’t link to order information.” He states, “Unless data across the SC can be managed in an ‘integrated, end-to-end’ manner, the true DX (Digital Transformation) of complex international trade cannot be achieved.”
▲While adopting digital tools makes some parts more convenient, data cannot be linked across the entire SC, requiring manual Excel files and other methods to piece it together.
Behind the new service are structural changes surrounding international logistics. The 30 years after the Cold War was a “golden age” during which the global SC expanded dramatically, but that premise is collapsing. “Since the Lehman shock, supply chains have lost stability, and geopolitical risks and population decline are accelerating that instability,” says Mr. Ota. If his analysis is correct, the conventional reliance on manual labor will no longer be viable. Mr. Ota added, “Unless we establish a system that can handle information in a labor-saving manner, the flow of goods cannot be maintained, and wealth creation will become difficult.”
Population decline is not just a domestic problem. Labor shortages at ports and warehouses are worsening on a global scale. Mr. Ota warns that the entire SC is “starting to fray.”
The company is looking beyond Japan to build infrastructure overseas as well. Mr. Ota revealed plans for an ultra-low temperature warehouse network in Southeast Asia in collaboration with the fisheries industry. The aim is to replicate Japanese-quality logistics operations locally and distribute frozen foods and marine products while maintaining their high quality. “Japanese automakers expanded their production bases overseas half a century ago and grew to a global scale. Japan’s high-quality fisheries and food industries should be able to do the same, taking the entire SC overseas. Our role is to support that foundation from a data perspective,” Mr. Ota says of his future vision. This concept could be described as a new form of “industrial export” for the logistics industry.
ZenRead is just the first step in the future vision that Zenport envisions. Starting with the automatic linkage of structured data, the company is looking ahead to advanced business automation by AI agents in the future. “If we have a mechanism to structure unstructured data and can share it seamlessly between companies, the entire supply chain will become a common asset. As labor shortages progress, the role of connecting data will take on even greater importance,” Mr. Ota concluded.
On October 21, 2025, BRIDGE published our article titled “Tackling the Reality of ‘80% Unstructured Data’ with AI-BPO: Zenport’s Steps Toward Supply Chain DX.” ZenRead is a service that uses AI to automatically read trade-related invoices and shipping documents, then adds a final human review. This achieves both accuracy and efficiency simultaneously—goals that were previously difficult to attain.
Original article
https://thebridge.jp/2025/10/ai-bpo-zenport-supply-chain-dx-unstructured-data
Translation allowed by the media publisher
Tackling the “80% Unstructured Data” Reality with AI-BPO — Zenport’s Steps for Supply Chain DX
Mr. Fumiyuki Ota, CEO of Zenport, who participated in the press briefing.
This article features entrepreneurs who gathered at a meetup co-hosted by BRIDGE and MUFG Innovation Partners. The next event is scheduled for December. Those wishing to be invited or attend the press briefing can register here.
Zenport, provider of the “ZENPORT” data hub to companies with global supply chains, released the AI-BPO service “ZenRead” in September. This service, which supports the automation of import document processing that has long been done manually, is a stepping stone towards the coming era of AI agents. We spoke in detail with CEO Fumiyuki Ota at our magazine’s press briefing.
“ZENPORT” Adoption Accelerates Among Large Enterprises
Zenport provides a data hub that can centrally manage all data handled in the global supply chain. It connects data across the entire supply chain process—from ordering, shipping, transportation, and inventory to production and sales—providing companies with an environment where they can visualize and operate everything on a single screen.
Adoption by large corporations is currently accelerating. According to Mr. Ota, the service is gaining high praise, with utilization expanding to include overseas bases at major food manufacturers, global consumer goods manufacturers, and major logistics companies.
The background to this is the drastic change in the supply chain environment since the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand forecasting has become difficult, and transportation itself has become a risk due to conflicts and tariff issues in various regions, forcing companies to build new supply chains. However, much of this work is still being done in Excel.
ZENPORT automatically captures internal and external data, including master data, Excel files, and emails, allowing for real-time visibility of outstanding orders, delivery delays, and more. Furthermore, its patented automatic data matching function eliminates manual tasks such as transcribing packing lists and checking schedules on shipping company websites, achieving significant labor savings.
The ability to flexibly adapt to each company’s business flow with a customizable screen function is cited as a reason for its support from large enterprises.
“We are being evaluated for our ability to manage the complex organizational connections and data intricacies unique to global supply chains, and adoption by large companies is steadily advancing,” says Mr. Ota.
An AI-BPO Service That Tackles Long-Standing Manual Work
The newly released “ZenRead” is a service that tackles the “final manual tasks” remaining in this environment.
It is said that 80-90% of data handled by companies is unstructured data, such as emails and various documents, and the same issue exists in global supply chains. Particularly serious is the processing of PDF documents that occurs during importation.
Despite standardized processes worldwide for documents like invoices, packing lists, bills of lading (B/L), and certificates of origin, the work of entering this information into a company’s own core system relies on manual labor.
“Importers open their core system, visually check the data received from exporters, and manually type it into Excel. Then they go to the shipping company’s website to check information and type that into Excel as well. They do this endlessly,” says Mr. Ota.
ZenRead is an AI-BPO service that supports the automation of this import document processing.
Through a series of steps—reading with AI-OCR technology, verification and correction by specialized staff, and automatic integration into core systems—it transforms unstructured data into structured data, making it usable for operations.
What’s important is the recognition that, given the 100% accuracy required for corporate data structuring, there are limits to automation with current AI technology. The company ensures accuracy with a Human-in-the-Loop approach. By collaborating with external BPO partners, they also flexibly respond to fluctuations in data volume.
Aiming for Global Expansion with a Palantir-style Model
This AI-BPO service is positioned as the first step towards building future AI agents. Mr. Ota points out that while AI will become capable of customizing UIs and other elements, the structured data in core systems will remain as an “immovable presence.”
“How do we connect the unstructured data incidentally generated through inter-company communication and other processes with the structured data required for each corporate operation? Especially in BtoB, 100% accuracy is required, making it difficult for AI to handle everything. In terms of being the gateway, hub, or platform for that—SaaS, though it might not be SaaS anymore—that part will not die,” says Mr. Ota.
What is crucial is preparing the foundation for AI agents to operate smoothly. The core of the company’s strategy is to “strengthen the groundwork” by clearly defining data structures and providing appropriate instructions.
One of the features of Zenport’s organizational structure is that it has built an international team from its inception. Seventy percent of its employees are foreign talent, and the official company language is English. They actively hire domestic and international personnel familiar with large corporations and the manufacturing industry.
Currently, 70-80% of users within client companies are based in Japan, but the remaining 20-30% are using the service at overseas bases in North America, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia. The company aims for global expansion using a solution engineer model, similar to Palantir.
“There’s talk of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE), but we aim to provide a service that properly fits each customer while having a standardized system base. By considering the combination of AI and people on that premise, we believe we can dramatically improve both productivity and quality. We want to be able to do that globally,” says Mr. Ota.
In the supply chain domain, data inefficiency has long been accepted as “unavoidable.”
However, with the advancement of AI technology, a realistic method for finally addressing this deep-rooted problem is coming into view. Zenport’s initiative looks to be a touchstone for the entire industry as it moves to the next stage of digitalization.