Intent-Driven Optimization: Rethinking Efficiency, Scalability, and Results

Avlino is proud to announce its featured session at TOC Europe 2025, taking place at the TECH TOC Conference lineup in Rotterdam. This session will challenge conventional thinking around terminal software, digital transformation, and the future of operational performance.

For years, the industry has been promised fully autonomous systems and self-optimizing workflows that would redefine efficiency. Yet the reality for many terminals has been far less revolutionary. Automation solutions wrapped in buzzwords, still dependent on manual intervention and limited by rigid, rule-based frameworks.

This session takes a candid look at why those promises fall short, and what needs to change. Tracing the evolution of digital transformation in supply chains, we’ll explore how management consulting, digitalization, and big data gave rise to workflow-heavy systems that struggle to deliver true operational agility.

Now, a new paradigm is gaining traction. Intent-driven optimization is shifting the conversation from process execution to business outcome alignment. This approach is designed to understand intent, resolve trade-offs between conflicting KPIs, and deliver scalable results across terminal operations.

Attendees will hear real-world examples of how intent-driven optimization is being applied today, including in critical areas like container stacking and resource allocation. The discussion will also address common operational challenges and local optimizations that lead to global inefficiencies, and how a shift in system design can address them.

Topics that will be covered include:

• The limitations of hyped technology and why it hasn’t led to transformation
• The difference between local optimization and system-wide efficiency
• Why the next era of terminal software must prioritize business outcomes over features
• What the shift from traditional rule-based systems to intent-driven frameworks really looks like in day-to-day operations

This panel promises not just a critique of the past but a forward-looking framework for what’s possible. Whether you’re a technology leader, operator, or innovator, this session will reshape how you think about transformation, procurement, and the next generation of terminal systems.