Alvaro Stein

AI · Logistics · How businesses change

More tools. More AI. More advice.
More chaos?

The possibilities keep growing. Making them work together in the business takes decisions about how work flows, which information to trust, and who is responsible for what.

I work on those questions from inside the business. I'm a partner at Agencia Stein, a customs brokerage in Chile, and a former CEO of Decapack, an international moving company. Today I work with our development team and build applications with AI, starting with the work people need to get done.

Let's talk ↓
Alvaro Stein
Alvaro SteinLicensed customs broker
Southern California · Chile

Projects & experience

Decisions made in real operations.

Inside an operation, across companies, and in the decisions that keep a business running.

In use at Agencia Stein · AI-assisted development

Port Operations System

Connecting the vessel, its cargo, and the customs work behind each delivery.

Explore the case →

A shared application for following port operations across shipping documents, customs files, containers, and tasks. Built around the relationships operators need, and connected to Agencia Stein's existing systems.

Workflow design · Application development · Integration

The system holds 19,531 customs files linked to 844 vessel calls across 7 customs offices.

For arrivals recorded January 1–September 24, 2026. Scope and definitions →

Ongoing work · Agencia Stein

Making the next change easier

When each application defines the business differently, connecting workflows means reconciling those differences. Adding another tool can add another version of the same information.

I work with our development team on shared definitions, information, and rules that new workflows can reuse, while existing systems keep running. The aim is to make each change build on work the company has already done.

What we're building on →
Industry work · IAM / ONE Record pilot

Sharing information across companies

Moving companies work with the same cargo, documents, and events, but their systems can describe them differently. Connecting those systems takes agreement on what the information means and how it will be shared.

I led IAM's pilot exploring IATA ONE Record, combining data mapping, technical trials, and coordination between companies. The pilot did not continue into sustained use; its approach to modeling logistics informs my work at Agencia Stein.

The pilot and the thinking behind it →
Business leadership · Decapack

Running the business behind the systems

As Decapack's Managing Partner from 2010 to 2019, I worked on how information, management routines, and software supported the operation.

Our team introduced cash forecasting and financial reporting to help plan collections and payments. I also formed an internal team to build operational applications. Some became part of the business; others were replaced or never adopted. That experience informs how I judge a tool's fit, maintenance, and adaptability.

Decisions from running the operation →

All work & experience, including TrackMove →

My perspective

Building a tool is one part of changing the work.

AI lets me work directly on software in a way I couldn't before. The decisions around it still need people who understand the business: what to improve, which information to trust, who keeps it current, and how to tell whether the change works.

My starting point is a real piece of work. I follow it from the moment it begins through the people, systems, and decisions it needs. That's where the missing connections become visible.

Read my perspective on AI and workflow ↗

Industry work

Working across company boundaries.

From January to December 2024, I chaired the International Association of Movers' Data Solutions initiative, exploring data exchange between moving companies.

I also contributed to the 2024 revision of FIDI's Professional Cooperation Guidelines as a committee member. These set out how moving companies work together, including communication, charges, and responsibilities.

Writing

Questions I keep coming back to.

How work moves inside a company, and how information moves between companies.

2026 · LinkedIn

AI Makes Workers Faster. It Doesn't Make Work Flow.

Why automating individual tasks can leave the coordination between people, information, and systems unresolved.

 January/February 2024 · The Portal, IAM

Handshakes and System-shakes: The Future of Trust in Moving

How the systems a company uses, maintains, and connects become part of the trust between moving partners.

More articles & reflections →

Let's talk

What are you trying
to change?

You may be connecting systems that don't share information, deciding what to build, or trying to turn an AI experiment into something people can use across the business.

Bring one process you'd like to improve. We can look at where it gets stuck, what you've tried, and what a useful next step could be. I'll bring what I've learned from running operations and building inside them.

Send me a short note about the situation, and we can arrange a conversation around that process.