Aditi Kapildev Vatse’s work shows how automating complex logistics workflows can turn slow, manual yard transfers into fast, reliable digital processes—improving efficiency, accuracy, and operational resilience at scale.
In large logistics operations, moving assets from one location to another is rarely simple. What appears to be a basic transfer often involves multiple teams, paperwork, phone calls, and coordination between facilities. In industries that manage thousands of physical assets, such as vehicles or heavy equipment, these manual steps can slow operations and increase the risk of errors.
This challenge has led many companies to rethink how internal processes are managed. Instead of relying on manual coordination, organizations are building digital systems that automate routine workflows. At Copart, a global online vehicle auction company, one such effort resulted in a platform that can complete yard transfers in seconds, without any human intervention. Product leader Aditi Kapildev Vatse played a key role in designing and launching the system.
Vatse works in operational technology—digital tools designed for internal teams who manage day-to-day logistics. During her time at Copart, she advanced from Product Analyst to Senior Product Analyst, gradually taking ownership of a broader operational product portfolio. She has contributed to a great number of software releases across markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Middle East.
Her work often involves bringing operations teams and engineering groups together. “One of the biggest lessons in building operational systems is that technology has to mirror real-world workflows,” Vatse said. “If the product doesn’t reflect how teams actually work on the ground, it won’t solve the problem.”
One example of this approach is an internal vehicle transfer platform designed to streamline operations between locations. Before the system existed, transferring vehicles between yards could take hours, requiring staff to coordinate through calls, paperwork, and manual updates across multiple systems. Delays and misplaced information were common, particularly during high-volume periods.
The platform replaced this process with an automated workflow. Once a transfer is initiated, the system synchronizes vehicle records across locations and completes the transaction almost instantly. “Our goal was to remove friction from the process,” she explained. “When routine operational work becomes automated, teams can focus on decisions that actually require human judgment.”
The results were substantial. Administrative work tied to yard transfers dropped drastically, and incidents involving misplaced vehicles also saw a significant fall. Additionally, paper
documentation was eliminated entirely, creating a more reliable digital record of every transfer.
The project faced an unexpected test before its launch. As development was nearing completion, the product’s original lead left shortly before hurricane season in Florida, when disaster-response logistics place heavy demands on the organisation’s operations. Vatse stepped in to guide the system through its final development stages and coordinate closely with engineering and operations teams.
“When the leadership transition happened, the focus was making sure the system would still launch on time,” she recalled. “It needed to perform reliably when operations were under the most pressure.” That pressure arrived during the 2024 hurricane season. During disaster response operations, many of thousands of vehicles were transferred using the platform, helping teams manage a surge in logistics activity without the delays that previously slowed the process.
Another challenge involved translating operational knowledge into technical requirements. Disaster logistics teams understood their workflows deeply, but turning those processes into software specifications required close collaboration. The professional organized workshops where operations staff walked engineers through real-world scenarios.
“These conversations were critical,” she said. “Operations teams knew exactly what happens during a disaster response. Our job was to turn that experience into a system that could support them in real time.” Because real disasters cannot be easily replicated during development, the team also ran simulations based on historical hurricane data. These tests helped validate that the platform could handle high-volume transfers under intense operational pressure.
Beyond these technical contributions, the expert has also written about lessons from building operational technology systems. In her paper “Exploring Go-to-Market Strategies for Operational Technology Products,” she examines how internal platforms should be introduced to employees in the same structured way companies launch products for external customers. Her research on “Beyond the Snapshot: Leveraging Temporal KPIs Across the Product Lifecycle” explores how operational products should be measured over time, rather than at a single launch moment. She has also written about risk planning in product teams through “Pre-Mortems in Product Management: Psychological Safety and Risk Anticipation in Technology Teams,” which discusses how teams can anticipate operational risks before they occur.
Across logistics and asset-heavy industries, projects like the one Vatse shared illustrate a broader shift toward automated operational platforms that reduce manual coordination.“The future of operational technology is about building systems that remove complexity instead of adding to it,” she added.