Supply chain

Traction for some of the biggest names in the logistics software startup world means partnering with the old guard to drive access to shippers.

The partnership with JDA is the latest sign of how Maersk is seeking to become an integrator, deepening its reach into landside transport, customs brokerage, and distribution.

Bold new emissions-cutting initiatives are being announced almost weekly as global impetus builds in the campaign to cut out carbon from international shipping.

Less-than-truckload carrier Estes Express Lines is working with software provider DDC FPO to deliver more accurate, timely information through the automation of freight bill processing.

A discussion on the benefits of adopting smart container technology at the JOC Container Trade Europe conference this week yielded a wide range of projections for what percentage of the global dry container fleet might actually be equipped with such devices in the near future.

The threat of a no-deal Brexit is spurring shippers to nail down ocean options that will avoid the dominant road-ferry routes carrying much of the UK-Europe trade.

The acquisition of two Van Soest Coldstores facilities complements Lineage’s existing network of refrigerated sites across Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Olaf Merk of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said a ruling by the European Commission’s college of commissioners was expected by the end of September.

Shippers wanting to access quotes for truckload capacity through new digital platforms often struggle with pulling the quotes and related tendering into a single system, something software provider project44 is trying to tackle.

The differentiators going forward will be adaptability and agility, and not just an openness to technology, Marc Meier, managing partner and CEO of the forwarder Fr. Meyer's Sohn, said at Container Trade Europe.

The US Department of Agriculture has approved nine new locations for its longstanding in-transit cold treatment program in the southern and western parts of the country.

Chicago-based Forager last week became the latest logistics technology startup to take aim at the increasingly complex US cross-border trucking market.

Older logistics outsourcing models are being replaced by collaboration among multiple partners on specific, high-priority projects as technology advances.

Stakeholders say they need more warehouse capacity in Bangladesh to make trade more efficient and ease congestion in ports.

The adoption of blockchain-based container shipping software may depend on the efficacy of associated identity management and data security components.

DHL Supply Chain will connect with the truckload freight network of Seattle-based broker Convoy and San Francisco-based collaborative software provider Turvo, startups that have raised more than $355 million in combined funding.

Despite being incredibly complex and heavily reliant on personal relationships, certain elements of project cargo logistics can be streamlined through digitization.

The definition of visibility is stretching beyond container or truck tracking to bundle more supply chain activities.

The Hamilton Container Terminal in Ontario, Canada, is attracting business by offering a portfolio of niche services for exporters and providing a drop-off and distribution terminal for cargo coming by truck from New York and New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

CEVA joins Maersk and Toll in an e-commerce portal that gives customers 24/7 access to their shipments.

“We don’t think about our supply chain as a collection of technologies, but as processes,” Abir Thakurta, vice president of global supply chain for the Atlanta-based furniture retailer, said in a keynote address to the conference. “For us, it’s about supply chain performance. I’m interested in outcomes. If you’re a technology provider, think outcomes, not solutions.”

So much of the discussion around international logistics technology is focused on so-called disruptors and the vast amounts of money behind them, but the reality is that disruption isn’t where the action is taking place.

INTTRA and CargoSphere vet seeks to provide container lines and freight forwarders with a new crowd-sourced path to innovating solutions for systemic container shipping problems.

The California state legislature is on track to pass a bill, which the governor intends to sign into law, that could fundamentally alter the relationship between shippers, trucking companies, and port truck drivers. It's expected to be signed before an intermodal conference this month in Long Beach.

Digital freight broker Loadsmart is adding to the list of startups aiming to revamp way shippers can procure drayage capacity in an effort backed by sizable investment from Maersk and Ports America.

The Swiss freight forwarder and Singapore’s investment arm are teaming up to fund logistics-focused startups at the Series A and B stage, building on a partnership they started in January 2018.

While some liner shipping parties questions the wisdom of container lines alone developing data standards, the speed with which the DCSA unveiled its first set of standardized process maps suggests maybe fewer parties are better suited for such sweeping initiatives.

Maersk’s latest digital product is part of its ongoing push to become a global logistics integrator.

A container shipping consortium of nine carriers designed to create common data standards in the industry released its first set of digital process guidelines governing the journey of shipments, containers, and vessels.

Data from the spot freight procurement platform Cargobase finds shippers should consider a limited number of quotes and the right timeline to solicit.

The low-cost transportation execution provider AscendTMS is partnering with EDI connectivity platform Kleinschmidt to help its broker, shipper, and carrier users digitize basic processes like load tendering and payment.

Wide-ranging software development — from in-house teams to fostering startups — in Bangalore shows Maersk is putting resources toward its stated intent to become a global logistics integrator.

JOC Senior Technology Editor Eric Johnson talks about what the introduction of three new carrier-developed digital entities — TradeLens, the Global Business Shipping Network, and the Digital Container Shipping Association — means to the liner shipping industry.

A logistics collaboration software provider debuts a new freight payment capability that’s tied directly to the shipment, a process that’s unusual for shippers except in situations where a TMS provides such capability.

Digital freight broker Loadsmart has built an extension to its platform to allow shippers using shareable spreadsheets to request rates and book truckloads directly within those documents.

JOC event in Mumbai highlights the number of companies targeting container logistics in a country known for its relatively light use of containerized supply chains.

Supply chain software providers are using application program interfaces (APIs) to connect previously disparate data sources and systems, potentially ushering a new strata of neutrality in freight transportation.

Digital freight broker Transfix is banking on a former eBay executive and venture capital investors to differentiate the company among a crowded field of brokers, digital and otherwise.

The inefficiencies inherent in the Mexican customs process could be reduced through reforms, including a more standardized interpretation of customs laws, stakeholders say.