How Kinaxis Maestro is Driving Smarter Procurement Decisions

Kinaxis has launched Maestro Agent Studio, a new platform enabling procurement and supply chain teams to build company-specific AI agents that streamline decision-making and reduce manual workloads across operations.

The supply chain orchestration specialist's latest innovation represents the next phase of its AI agent strategy, Maestro.

The studio allows organisations to design AI agents tailored to their specific operating contexts, using existing data, workflows and tools that planners already rely on daily.

For procurement professionals, this development could signal a shift in how supply chain decisions are managed. The platform aims to free up teams from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus expertise on high-impact decisions while AI agents handle routine processes.

The studio integrates with large language models, including OpenAI's GPT and Google Gemini, while maintaining Maestro's own intelligence and governance frameworks.

Addressing the decision-making gap

Recent volatility in global supply chains has forced organisations to redefine their operational strategies. While some decisions require human reasoning and judgement to adapt to changing conditions, other actions can be automated.

However, despite widespread AI adoption across supply chains, only 20% of organisations use AI to support real-time decision-making, according to 2024 research from ISG.

Maestro Agent Studio seeks to close this gap by combining decision automation with intelligent agents, creating more autonomous supply chain operations.

The platform enables procurement teams to evaluate trade-offs and coordinate decisions using real-time business intelligence, without extensive data preparation or system overhauls.

Andrew Bell, Chief Product Officer at Kinaxis, says: "AI creates real value in supply chains when people can shape how decisions are made and keep them aligned as conditions change. With Maestro Agent Studio, we're giving customers the freedom to create their own agents, so AI works the way their supply chain does.

"Because those agents are built on the same platform, data and intelligence that teams already rely on every day, customers don't need to rework or prepare their data before using AI and can adapt decisions with confidence as conditions change."

The AI agents developed through the studio offer several capabilities relevant to procurement operations. They can evaluate priorities, constraints and trade-offs to maintain decision alignment across the supply chain.

The agents also guide and plan actions in response to current conditions, potentially accelerating response times and execution.

For procurement governance, the platform maintains human-in-the-loop oversight, providing transparency around the reasoning behind automated decisions. This addresses concerns around accountability and control in AI-driven procurement processes.

Organisations are already applying these agents to examine forecast quality and demand signals, identifying new opportunities and response actions.

In supplier management contexts, agents can identify delays and create mitigation strategies by helping procurement teams understand how disruptions impact the wider supply chain.

All supply chain, sustainability, Scope 3 and net zero leaders should attend:

• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Sustainability LIVE, these events brings together CSCOs, CSOs and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Expanding enterprise capabilities

The introduction of agents to established enterprise software platforms could significantly expand their functional scope, particularly for operational use cases requiring orchestration across people, processes and complex data.

Robert Kugel, Executive Director at ISG Research, adds: "Adding agents to mature enterprise software can significantly expand what those systems are able to do.

"This is especially valuable for operational use cases that require orchestration across people, processes and complex data. In supply chains, where organisations must balance planning, execution and day-to-day decisions, agent-based approaches can help teams act with greater consistency and confidence."

Kinaxis plans to develop the platform further, with future innovations focused on strengthening supply chain agentic orchestration.

The company aims to develop agents capable of coordinating across concurrent supply chain workflows while preserving shared context, governance and human oversight through connections between Maestro Agents, external agents and systems.

The long-term vision centres on coordinating multiple agents to enable faster, more confident action across the entire supply chain.