Logistics Technology News

FourKites has landed a $100 million funding round, led by industrial investors, to use visibility data to drive strategic supply chain insights by linking hardware and software-derived data.

A veteran of freight broker GlobalTranz has landed an $8 million funding round to enhance a multi-carrier marketplace and transportation management system for less-than-truckload shippers.

SAP’s transportation management integration with Sedna, which helps companies reduce their volume of emails, is a further sign of software partnerships blossoming in logistics and addressing a need to make inter- and intra-company communication more efficient.

Decarbonization goals at global shippers is pushing the industry toward more granular scrutiny of supply chain-related emissions, a task that’s being helped by emergent technology and a focus on shipper collaboration.

Vessel call and berth optimization software provider Portchain has added to its roster of carrier and port clients with the addition of the terminal operator at two container terminals in St. Petersburg.

A partnership between TMS provider SupplyStack and visibility company project44 is emblematic of a growing need for European shippers to embed visibility into their shipment management workflow.

Modal-switching technology tested by MIT and broker GlobalTranz is showing that shippers can save costs by grouping less-than-truckload linehaul freight to multi-stop truckloads.

A $31 million investment into Los Angeles-based technology provider Flowspace is the latest example of e-commerce growth whipping up investor interest in new warehousing and fulfillment models.

Agriculture shippers have an opportunity to tap the growing market for high-value US crops and produce, but equipment shortages hinder that, a USDA report said.

Traditionally seen as tactical partners engaged to help a shipper reconcile rates with invoices, freight audit and payment (FAP) vendors say they also can help increase the efficiency of payment processes and catch bill of lading errors before they reach the invoicing stage.

BluJay Solutions’ new global trade management platform is designed to use automation to assist trade compliance professionals in managing ever-changing global customs regulations and an expected deluge of declarations associated with e-commerce growth.

ShipBob is adding capacity to its fulfillment network and boosting its delivery options by building out a last-mile delivery network for e-commerce customers.

Maersk’s small shipper offering Twill and logistics software provider Freightos are testing a new workflow that will for the first time redirect shippers from the Freightos rate marketplace to a service provider’s shipment management platform.

Two new funds have emerged targeting investment in logistics and supply chain startups, increasing the number of vehicles for early stage technology companies to get access to capital.

Technology incubator ZeBox chose Virginia to locate its third branch to foster maritime and logistics startups based on the state’s burgeoning tech ecosystem and its corporate partner’s broader economic development in the state.

The race for multimodal visibility is heating up as project44, fresh off a $100 million funding round, acquires container visibility specialist Ocean Insights for an undisclosed amount.

Descartes has acquired foreign trade zone software specialist QuestaWeb as the global trade management solutions market continues to consolidate.

A panelist at JOC’s virtual TPM21 suggested that tasks traditionally offshored to save money, such as invoicing, invoice management, and documentation, could be automated for additional savings.

One TPM21 panel speaker said it is rare that he comes across companies with good data quality even though he considers that a basic necessity, particularly when it comes to negotiating with carriers

Online ocean freight quotes became a lifeline for forwarders during COVID-19, yet also highlighted risks of uncertain capacity and volatile rates

The case for container lines to invest in sensor hardware to provide visibility to shippers has been made easier by a profitable 2020 and a greater need to track scarce container assets.

Truckload carrier Werner Enterprises is expanding its Edge technology platform to brokerage partners and shippers, tightening its focus on landside logistics after offloading its ocean and air forwarding unit.

ReverseLogix’s cloud-based automation platform can help reduce the cost of merchandise returns by as much as 15 percent, according to founder and CEO Guarav Saran.

A global scarcity of containers could push cargo owners to invest in so-called shipper-owned containers, but the majority of forwarders surveyed by container selling and leasing platform Container xChange weren’t able to supply such a service.

Financial services group ODDO has invested in shipment management software provider BuyCo as part of a broader aim to tether logistics data to new trade finance products intended to provide an alternative to letters of credit.

The head of Maersk’s venture capital arm, and his counterpart on the business side of the container line, are starting a new independent fund to invest in later stage supply chain and logistics startups.

Relay Payments is expanding its "lumper payment" platform, allowing truck carriers and brokers to automate the settlement of cargo unloading fees to receiving facilities.

A trade finance startup this week got $7.8 million venture capital investment to arm exporters and logistics providers in Mexico with access to working capital.

The field to supply the shipping industry with container level visibility is getting more crowded, with Bay Area-based Vizion API getting seed funding to build more complete container status data.

Cross-border carriers lack a load board analogous to the widely-used tools available to drivers on US domestic moves, something the broker and technology provider Forager is attempting to address.

Flexport has developed its own spin on an age-old forwarding solution, the purchase order management system, by focusing on messaging between importers and suppliers.

DSV said it is becoming a sustainability consultant for shippers as it put forth carbon reduction goals last week that govern both emissions it controls and those it doesn’t.

RIM Logistics turned to an early stage forwarding software provider to help it migrate internal data into customer dashboards so it could avoid losing business to forwarders with intuitive user interfaces

Forwarders are viewing traditional backbone operating systems not as a one-stop technology shop, but rather as a vehicle to attach complementary tools that help them serve shipper customers better.

Instant freight quoting is becoming a divided market, with one end focused on large shippers and the other on small and medium-sized businesses, according to Freightos’ annual State of Online Freight Sales survey.

Investment continues to surge into technologies that enable small truckload carriers to improve administrative and operational aspects of their businesses, with SmartHop’s $12 million funding round the latest example.

E2open returned to the public markets Friday after a six-year absence, a move that will allow the supply chain software provider to continue to grow organically and through acquisitions.

Momentum toward digital quoting and booking in ocean shipping is undeniable, but it remains to be seen whether shippers and forwarders will demand — and container lines are actually capable of delivering — truly dynamic pricing.

Container visibility provider ClearMetal said demand for its product aimed at helping shippers improve shipment delivery date accuracy ballooned in 2020 as “customer promise date” becomes a more important logistics metric.

Given the challenges around container tracking data collection and quality, forwarders could one day become the clearinghouse for all the various components of an end-to-end visibility picture, as well as the provider of quality control for that data.