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Day: 12 January 2022

project44 attracts $420m investment

Posted on by David Priestman

project44, a leading supply chain visibility platform, has received an investment totalling US$420m.  A syndicate led by Thoma Bravo, TPG and Goldman Sachs Asset Management with participation from Emergence Capital, Insight Partners, Chicago Ventures, Generation Investment Management, Sapphire and Sozo Ventures acquired equity interests resulting in a pre-money valuation of $2.2bn, and Sixth Street committed to make available additional funding, in support of the company’s strategic acquisition program and product development activities.

When combined with its $202m equity raise in May of 2021, project44 has set a funding record for Logistics Tech enterprise SaaS companies. These investments position project44 to accelerate its mission to help leading brands optimise the movement of products across supply chains, delivering better resiliency, sustainability and value for their customers.

“Today, project44 is helping companies solve supply chain challenges ranging from inflationary pressure and lockdowns to unpredictable weather and bottlenecks at ports,” said Jett McCandless (pictured), Founder & CEO of project44. “Our growth over the past year speaks to these macroeconomic tailwinds and the competitive edge we can provide to our customers. With ongoing support from our investors, we can offer even more value to our customers and solidify our position as the global network that powers the future of the supply chain.”

Throughout 2021, project44 cemented its position as the #1 company in supply chain visibility with global port-to-door coverage across all modes of transportation. The company now generates more than $100m in annual recurring revenue (ARR), the largest Generation 2 logistics tech in the world.

The most influential analysts within the logistics industry also rank project44 ahead of its competitors. Placing first in FreightTech 25, Gartner Voice of the Customer and G2 have all awarded project44 their highest honours. In addition, Chicago Inno named project44 among the best 100 places to work in the city.

“Supply chain visibility has become increasingly important as shortages, delays and bottlenecks ramp up.  project44’s potential to solve even the most complex of these issues is unparalleled,” said Robert (Tre) Sayle, Partner at Thoma Bravo. “By continuously evolving to meet customer needs, project44 has developed a revolutionary platform that adds significant value to the entire global supply chain.”

“project44 has been scaling at an impressive pace, executing decisively on its vision of a global end-to-end supply chain visibility platform,” said Malte Janzarik, Partner at TPG based in Europe. “Supply chain visibility has become a critical technology to solving large-scale problems in the world today, and project44 has emerged as the global market leader. The breadth of data project44 offers and ease of access for shippers, logistics providers and carriers are unmatched. We believe that project44’s next-gen platform and highly valuable network will continue to drive tremendous growth.”

TPG is investing in project44 out of TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD), an investment vehicle focused on flexible capital solutions for the technology industry.

Meeting critical need

As the supply chain connective tissue, project44 offers the largest carrier network of any supply chain visibility provider with more than 142,732 multimodal carrier integrations and 2.7 million trucks.  Shippers and logistics providers depend on project44 to help them navigate today’s increasingly complex supply chains, improving their sustainability, building transportation resiliency and meeting the evolving demands of their customers.  project44 supports more than 1,000 organisations across industries including leading brands such as Amazon, Baker Hughes, Coop, CNHI, Danone, Dollar General, FedEx, General Mills, Goodyear, Kuehne & Nagel, Lenovo, McKesson, Mondelez, Nestle, The Home Depot and Unilever.

project44’s momentum speaks to its differentiation and immense lead in the supply chain visibility space. Following an exceptional Q3 2021, project44 has landed $12.7m of newly-booked ARR in Q4. The company has closed 117 logos over that timeframe, contributing to YoY bookings increase of 170% and YoY logo growth of 216%.

In addition to new business wins, net retention for 2021 is at 133%, while annualised gross retention was 96%. project44’s ARR has reached over $100m with a subscription gross margin of 70%, which is up 3% year-over-year. To build on this success, project44 will be nearly doubling its investment in product and engineering in 2022 to deliver improved real-time visibility across more modes of transportation in more regions.

project44 continues to expand its international footprint, offering supply chain visibility in 166 countries. More than 1,000 team members work with project44 at its 17 global offices. Over the coming year the company plans to hire hundreds of new talented team members in China, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Japan.

project44 also hired its first director of diversity, equity, inclusion & culture executive, Ivana Savic-Grubisich. The company is committed to hiring team members who reflect the rich diversity of the communities in which it operates.

In 2021, project44 added five new executives to the team to manage its growing footprint. Charlie Ungashick joined as Chief Marketing Officer in February and Diane Gordon joined as SVP, Global Customer Success in March. In November, Elliot Rodgers joined as Chief People Officer, Jennifer Coyne was appointed General Counsel and Andy Grygiel returned as Chief Brand Officer. These experienced executives bring unique insight to accelerate project44’s growth.

Throughout 2021, project44 increased its value to shippers and logistics providers through acquisitions of leading companies in the market offering complementary solutions. The September acquisition of Convey has enabled project44 to extend real-time visibility and exception management to last-mile, including parcel, courier, white-glove doorstep delivery, and visibility into item returns.

Ocean Insights, acquired in March, brought much-demanded visibility into cargo at sea. ClearMetal, acquired in May, established project44 as the leader in artificial intelligence and machine learning with automation that reduces costs throughout the supply chain.

Customer quotes

“project44 has enabled us to meet our commitment to customers in a year of unpredictability,” said Pat Kenefick, Vice President, Global Distribution and Logistics at AbbVie. “With awareness of where our goods are located, we can adapt to interruptions and make proactive decisions to ensure that our distributors are stocked with inventory. Supply chain visibility is a game changer for our ability to drive growth and enhance patient experiences in a challenging economic environment.”

“Haribo is committed to delivering our beloved products on time and at the high level of quality our brand is known for,” said Stefan Sorce, Head of global logistics and managing director in the Haribo Logistics Company, at Haribo. “This is a core piece of what has allowed us to become a successful business. We benefit from being a global company with a decentralised manufacturing structure. A perfectly coordinated global supply chain is essential for us and that is why we continuously invest in it. We chose to work with project44, the leader in real-time transportation visibility. These insights will help us increase the resiliency of our supply chain and enable faster and smarter decisions that will get Haribo’s products into the hands of our customers.”

“The ongoing events of the last two years have placed unprecedented strain on the supply chains of consumer products manufacturers, and this has only served to highlight the critical need to mitigate risk and increase supply chain resilience,” said Alessandro Bonanno, Head of Global Logistics and Customer Service at Beiersdorf AG. “Partnering with project44 will provide Beiersdorf with improved visibility into our transportation flows and shipments, which will help us cope better with any future supply chain disruptions and fulfil consumer demand.”

“Our team brought on project44 because of its global visibility into import and export arrival and departures,” said Hiroshi Etani, Managing Executive Officer, at Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., Japan’s largest delivery company, “The broad network of multimodal transportation tracking brings more predictability to our business and helps us better communicate with our customers.”

project44 attracts $420m investment

Posted on by David Priestman

project44, a leading supply chain visibility platform, has received an investment totalling US$420m.  A syndicate led by Thoma Bravo, TPG and Goldman Sachs Asset Management with participation from Emergence Capital, Insight Partners, Chicago Ventures, Generation Investment Management, Sapphire and Sozo Ventures acquired equity interests resulting in a pre-money valuation of $2.2bn, and Sixth Street committed to make available additional funding, in support of the company’s strategic acquisition program and product development activities.

When combined with its $202m equity raise in May of 2021, project44 has set a funding record for Logistics Tech enterprise SaaS companies. These investments position project44 to accelerate its mission to help leading brands optimise the movement of products across supply chains, delivering better resiliency, sustainability and value for their customers.

“Today, project44 is helping companies solve supply chain challenges ranging from inflationary pressure and lockdowns to unpredictable weather and bottlenecks at ports,” said Jett McCandless (pictured), Founder & CEO of project44. “Our growth over the past year speaks to these macroeconomic tailwinds and the competitive edge we can provide to our customers. With ongoing support from our investors, we can offer even more value to our customers and solidify our position as the global network that powers the future of the supply chain.”

Throughout 2021, project44 cemented its position as the #1 company in supply chain visibility with global port-to-door coverage across all modes of transportation. The company now generates more than $100m in annual recurring revenue (ARR), the largest Generation 2 logistics tech in the world.

The most influential analysts within the logistics industry also rank project44 ahead of its competitors. Placing first in FreightTech 25, Gartner Voice of the Customer and G2 have all awarded project44 their highest honours. In addition, Chicago Inno named project44 among the best 100 places to work in the city.

“Supply chain visibility has become increasingly important as shortages, delays and bottlenecks ramp up.  project44’s potential to solve even the most complex of these issues is unparalleled,” said Robert (Tre) Sayle, Partner at Thoma Bravo. “By continuously evolving to meet customer needs, project44 has developed a revolutionary platform that adds significant value to the entire global supply chain.”

“project44 has been scaling at an impressive pace, executing decisively on its vision of a global end-to-end supply chain visibility platform,” said Malte Janzarik, Partner at TPG based in Europe. “Supply chain visibility has become a critical technology to solving large-scale problems in the world today, and project44 has emerged as the global market leader. The breadth of data project44 offers and ease of access for shippers, logistics providers and carriers are unmatched. We believe that project44’s next-gen platform and highly valuable network will continue to drive tremendous growth.”

TPG is investing in project44 out of TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD), an investment vehicle focused on flexible capital solutions for the technology industry.

Meeting critical need

As the supply chain connective tissue, project44 offers the largest carrier network of any supply chain visibility provider with more than 142,732 multimodal carrier integrations and 2.7 million trucks.  Shippers and logistics providers depend on project44 to help them navigate today’s increasingly complex supply chains, improving their sustainability, building transportation resiliency and meeting the evolving demands of their customers.  project44 supports more than 1,000 organisations across industries including leading brands such as Amazon, Baker Hughes, Coop, CNHI, Danone, Dollar General, FedEx, General Mills, Goodyear, Kuehne & Nagel, Lenovo, McKesson, Mondelez, Nestle, The Home Depot and Unilever.

project44’s momentum speaks to its differentiation and immense lead in the supply chain visibility space. Following an exceptional Q3 2021, project44 has landed $12.7m of newly-booked ARR in Q4. The company has closed 117 logos over that timeframe, contributing to YoY bookings increase of 170% and YoY logo growth of 216%.

In addition to new business wins, net retention for 2021 is at 133%, while annualised gross retention was 96%. project44’s ARR has reached over $100m with a subscription gross margin of 70%, which is up 3% year-over-year. To build on this success, project44 will be nearly doubling its investment in product and engineering in 2022 to deliver improved real-time visibility across more modes of transportation in more regions.

project44 continues to expand its international footprint, offering supply chain visibility in 166 countries. More than 1,000 team members work with project44 at its 17 global offices. Over the coming year the company plans to hire hundreds of new talented team members in China, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Japan.

project44 also hired its first director of diversity, equity, inclusion & culture executive, Ivana Savic-Grubisich. The company is committed to hiring team members who reflect the rich diversity of the communities in which it operates.

In 2021, project44 added five new executives to the team to manage its growing footprint. Charlie Ungashick joined as Chief Marketing Officer in February and Diane Gordon joined as SVP, Global Customer Success in March. In November, Elliot Rodgers joined as Chief People Officer, Jennifer Coyne was appointed General Counsel and Andy Grygiel returned as Chief Brand Officer. These experienced executives bring unique insight to accelerate project44’s growth.

Throughout 2021, project44 increased its value to shippers and logistics providers through acquisitions of leading companies in the market offering complementary solutions. The September acquisition of Convey has enabled project44 to extend real-time visibility and exception management to last-mile, including parcel, courier, white-glove doorstep delivery, and visibility into item returns.

Ocean Insights, acquired in March, brought much-demanded visibility into cargo at sea. ClearMetal, acquired in May, established project44 as the leader in artificial intelligence and machine learning with automation that reduces costs throughout the supply chain.

Customer quotes

“project44 has enabled us to meet our commitment to customers in a year of unpredictability,” said Pat Kenefick, Vice President, Global Distribution and Logistics at AbbVie. “With awareness of where our goods are located, we can adapt to interruptions and make proactive decisions to ensure that our distributors are stocked with inventory. Supply chain visibility is a game changer for our ability to drive growth and enhance patient experiences in a challenging economic environment.”

“Haribo is committed to delivering our beloved products on time and at the high level of quality our brand is known for,” said Stefan Sorce, Head of global logistics and managing director in the Haribo Logistics Company, at Haribo. “This is a core piece of what has allowed us to become a successful business. We benefit from being a global company with a decentralised manufacturing structure. A perfectly coordinated global supply chain is essential for us and that is why we continuously invest in it. We chose to work with project44, the leader in real-time transportation visibility. These insights will help us increase the resiliency of our supply chain and enable faster and smarter decisions that will get Haribo’s products into the hands of our customers.”

“The ongoing events of the last two years have placed unprecedented strain on the supply chains of consumer products manufacturers, and this has only served to highlight the critical need to mitigate risk and increase supply chain resilience,” said Alessandro Bonanno, Head of Global Logistics and Customer Service at Beiersdorf AG. “Partnering with project44 will provide Beiersdorf with improved visibility into our transportation flows and shipments, which will help us cope better with any future supply chain disruptions and fulfil consumer demand.”

“Our team brought on project44 because of its global visibility into import and export arrival and departures,” said Hiroshi Etani, Managing Executive Officer, at Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., Japan’s largest delivery company, “The broad network of multimodal transportation tracking brings more predictability to our business and helps us better communicate with our customers.”

VisionNav introduces driverless forklifts to Europe

Posted on by David Priestman

VisionNav Robotics – the driverless, vision-guided industrial vehicle specialist – is bringing its range of fully automated, vision-guided forklift trucks and intelligent operating systems to the European market.

The VisionNav range includes driverless counterbalanced forklift trucks, reach trucks, stackers and tow tractors and, in keeping with the company’s global marketing strategy, VisionNav Robotics is looking to appoint distribution partners throughout Europe.

Nestle, DHL and Walmart are among the high-profile businesses to have already adopted the VisionNav driverless truck system, while countless small- and medium-sized forklift users are also benefiting from the solution.

In simple terms the ‘vision-based’ navigation technology at the heart of VisionNav’s operator-free forklifts uses a vehicle-mounted camera to sense the environment in which the vehicle is operating. Information concerning the structural design and storage system lay-out of the facility where trucks are deployed is stored as off-line maps which the visual navigation system matches with real-time images received from the camera to navigate the forklifts efficiently and safely around the store. With multiple vehicles controlled by the system, the trucks are directed to their next location via the shortest, fastest and safest route for optimum throughput performance.

Visual navigation technology is not only highly efficient, it is quick and easy to install and brings a rapid return on investment. The highly flexible technology allows driverless industrial trucks to be adopted with minimal disruption to a site’s existing intralogistics process and, typically, ROI is achieved after a period of 18-24 months.

Capable of operating outside and inside in even the most dimly lit buildings, VisionNav driverless forklifts undertake every type of task that would be expected of a traditional manually operated forklift – including vehicle loading and unloading, pallet put-away and retrieval in both standard and very narrow aisle racking configurations, as well as pallet and stillage movements throughout the warehouse.

In addition to the obvious savings in labour costs that driverless forklifts bring, other benefits delivered by VisionNav automated lift trucks include: reduced damage to goods, racking and trucks; greater picking accuracy; and more efficient use of the available storage space.

Established in 2016, VisionNav Robotics is among the fastest-growing operator-free industrial vehicle manufacturers in the world. Between the beginning of 2019 and 2021 the company’s turnover increased 10-fold while from 2020-21 order volume grew by more than 300% year-on-year. During the same period, VisionNav’s typical contract value increased by 150% with new business from existing clients accounting for nearly half of the company’s order intake.

Jason Zang, VisionNav Robotics’ Head of Sales – Europe, comments: “When it comes to running a lift truck fleet, the forklift driver is often the biggest cost. Salaries, bonuses, training and myriad other expenses combined with hidden extras such as the damage to goods or a building’s infrastructure caused by a carelessly driven truck or, worse still, injuries to personnel, all add up to a considerable sum.

“In addition, across the world there is a shortage of forklift drivers, so it is not surprising that more and more companies are adopting automated materials handling equipment (MHE) to optimise the efficiency of their warehouse intralogistics processes.

“The VisionNav range of driverless forklifts uses 5G communication and artificial intelligence to deliver flexible unmanned lift truck technology that can be easily adopted by every truck user to upgrade their warehouse operations.”

VisionNav introduces driverless forklifts to Europe

Posted on by David Priestman

VisionNav Robotics – the driverless, vision-guided industrial vehicle specialist – is bringing its range of fully automated, vision-guided forklift trucks and intelligent operating systems to the European market.

The VisionNav range includes driverless counterbalanced forklift trucks, reach trucks, stackers and tow tractors and, in keeping with the company’s global marketing strategy, VisionNav Robotics is looking to appoint distribution partners throughout Europe.

Nestle, DHL and Walmart are among the high-profile businesses to have already adopted the VisionNav driverless truck system, while countless small- and medium-sized forklift users are also benefiting from the solution.

In simple terms the ‘vision-based’ navigation technology at the heart of VisionNav’s operator-free forklifts uses a vehicle-mounted camera to sense the environment in which the vehicle is operating. Information concerning the structural design and storage system lay-out of the facility where trucks are deployed is stored as off-line maps which the visual navigation system matches with real-time images received from the camera to navigate the forklifts efficiently and safely around the store. With multiple vehicles controlled by the system, the trucks are directed to their next location via the shortest, fastest and safest route for optimum throughput performance.

Visual navigation technology is not only highly efficient, it is quick and easy to install and brings a rapid return on investment. The highly flexible technology allows driverless industrial trucks to be adopted with minimal disruption to a site’s existing intralogistics process and, typically, ROI is achieved after a period of 18-24 months.

Capable of operating outside and inside in even the most dimly lit buildings, VisionNav driverless forklifts undertake every type of task that would be expected of a traditional manually operated forklift – including vehicle loading and unloading, pallet put-away and retrieval in both standard and very narrow aisle racking configurations, as well as pallet and stillage movements throughout the warehouse.

In addition to the obvious savings in labour costs that driverless forklifts bring, other benefits delivered by VisionNav automated lift trucks include: reduced damage to goods, racking and trucks; greater picking accuracy; and more efficient use of the available storage space.

Established in 2016, VisionNav Robotics is among the fastest-growing operator-free industrial vehicle manufacturers in the world. Between the beginning of 2019 and 2021 the company’s turnover increased 10-fold while from 2020-21 order volume grew by more than 300% year-on-year. During the same period, VisionNav’s typical contract value increased by 150% with new business from existing clients accounting for nearly half of the company’s order intake.

Jason Zang, VisionNav Robotics’ Head of Sales – Europe, comments: “When it comes to running a lift truck fleet, the forklift driver is often the biggest cost. Salaries, bonuses, training and myriad other expenses combined with hidden extras such as the damage to goods or a building’s infrastructure caused by a carelessly driven truck or, worse still, injuries to personnel, all add up to a considerable sum.

“In addition, across the world there is a shortage of forklift drivers, so it is not surprising that more and more companies are adopting automated materials handling equipment (MHE) to optimise the efficiency of their warehouse intralogistics processes.

“The VisionNav range of driverless forklifts uses 5G communication and artificial intelligence to deliver flexible unmanned lift truck technology that can be easily adopted by every truck user to upgrade their warehouse operations.”

Supply chain crisis drives consumers to buy locally

Posted on by David Priestman

As the global supply chain crisis continues to disrupt the retail industry, consumers are being forced to change their shopping habits and buy local (within their own countries) for speed and availability, new global research from SOTI has found.

Consumers are feeling the effects of supply chain issues first-hand, with over half (57%) of global consumers (58% UK) saying they have recently experienced one or more items not being available, have had to purchase alternatives when preferred products were not available, or have had to go to different retailers to find items in stock. Worse still, over one third of shoppers (35% global/38% UK) said items they wanted to purchase have not been available at all.

Compounding these supply issues, more than a third (34% global/30% UK) said they feel delivery times have been slower than usual and more than half (53% global and UK) said that shipping/delivery time is the most frustrating aspect of ordering online.

Unwilling to compromise on speed and availability, consumers are now paying special attention to the purchasing journey. More than a third (36% global and UK) said that if delivery or pick up of an item takes longer than two days, they will look elsewhere. Meanwhile, with deliveries from outside their own country now taking longer to arrive, more than half of consumers (52% global/60% UK) have changed their habits, saying they are now less likely to order an item that requires shipping from overseas than they were a year ago.

As part of the From Clicks to Ships: Navigating the Global Supply Chain Crisis 2022 Report, SOTI surveyed 10,000 consumers across the UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Sweden, France and Australia to understand how consumers are responding to the supply chain crisis, as well as their expectations of brands and retailers to cope with it.

It’s clear from the findings that consumers are unwilling to give retailers any leeway. When asked about their expectations and intentions:

  • Over two-thirds (68% global and UK) agreed that they now expect to know where their order is throughout the delivery process at all times
  • More than half (61% global/60% UK) agree they are continuing to shop with brands that can deliver goods the fastest
  • More than half (52% global and UK) agree they would be more likely to shop from a retailer’s store if multiple return points were offered
  • Over one third (35% global and UK) agreed that knowing who a retailer’s delivery partner is has resulted in them not completing an order with that retailer

The onus is now on retailers to adapt to these behaviours and match up with consumer preferences.

“Brands and retailers are having to rethink how they approach customer relationships and go-to-market strategies in response to this state of flux,” explains Sarah Edge, Director of Sales, UK and Ireland at SOTI. “It’s imperative they have the right data at their fingertips to cater to these changing consumer preferences. The brands that have the flexibility that allows them to provide the best possible customer experience, no matter how or where customers shop, will be the most resilient.”

Looking to the future, when asked if they would consider using any of the following alternative delivery options in 2022, 63% (global and UK) said they would consider in-store delivery/collection (“click and collect”/buy online and pick up in-store) and half (50% global/46% UK) would consider delivery to a designated drop-off point.

Consumers are also open to even more significant changes in the way they receive their goods as technology advances. Almost half (46% global/45% UK) said they would consider either autonomous vehicles to deliver larger packages to their home or other convenient location, or delivery drones to deliver small packages (43% global/39% UK).

“Having the right mobile technology will help retailers to improve both their communications and customer experience across all their channels. Ensuring they have mobile-enabled operational intelligence, will give brands and retailers the ability to diagnose problems quickly and adapt fast to meet ever-changing consumer needs and preferences. The only certainty is uncertainty in this current retail environment. But, by ensuring their consumers have choice and flexibility, brands and retailers, as well as their logistics partners, can prepare themselves for all eventualities,” concludes Edge.

CLICK HERE to read the full report

Supply chain crisis drives consumers to buy locally

Posted on by Keith McKinley

As the global supply chain crisis continues to disrupt the retail industry, consumers are being forced to change their shopping habits and buy local (within their own countries) for speed and availability, new global research from SOTI has found.

Consumers are feeling the effects of supply chain issues first-hand, with over half (57%) of global consumers (58% UK) saying they have recently experienced one or more items not being available, have had to purchase alternatives when preferred products were not available, or have had to go to different retailers to find items in stock. Worse still, over one third of shoppers (35% global/38% UK) said items they wanted to purchase have not been available at all.

Compounding these supply issues, more than a third (34% global/30% UK) said they feel delivery times have been slower than usual and more than half (53% global and UK) said that shipping/delivery time is the most frustrating aspect of ordering online.

Unwilling to compromise on speed and availability, consumers are now paying special attention to the purchasing journey. More than a third (36% global and UK) said that if delivery or pick up of an item takes longer than two days, they will look elsewhere. Meanwhile, with deliveries from outside their own country now taking longer to arrive, more than half of consumers (52% global/60% UK) have changed their habits, saying they are now less likely to order an item that requires shipping from overseas than they were a year ago.

As part of the From Clicks to Ships: Navigating the Global Supply Chain Crisis 2022 Report, SOTI surveyed 10,000 consumers across the UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Sweden, France and Australia to understand how consumers are responding to the supply chain crisis, as well as their expectations of brands and retailers to cope with it.

It’s clear from the findings that consumers are unwilling to give retailers any leeway. When asked about their expectations and intentions:

  • Over two-thirds (68% global and UK) agreed that they now expect to know where their order is throughout the delivery process at all times
  • More than half (61% global/60% UK) agree they are continuing to shop with brands that can deliver goods the fastest
  • More than half (52% global and UK) agree they would be more likely to shop from a retailer’s store if multiple return points were offered
  • Over one third (35% global and UK) agreed that knowing who a retailer’s delivery partner is has resulted in them not completing an order with that retailer

The onus is now on retailers to adapt to these behaviours and match up with consumer preferences.

“Brands and retailers are having to rethink how they approach customer relationships and go-to-market strategies in response to this state of flux,” explains Sarah Edge, Director of Sales, UK and Ireland at SOTI. “It’s imperative they have the right data at their fingertips to cater to these changing consumer preferences. The brands that have the flexibility that allows them to provide the best possible customer experience, no matter how or where customers shop, will be the most resilient.”

Looking to the future, when asked if they would consider using any of the following alternative delivery options in 2022, 63% (global and UK) said they would consider in-store delivery/collection (“click and collect”/buy online and pick up in-store) and half (50% global/46% UK) would consider delivery to a designated drop-off point.

Consumers are also open to even more significant changes in the way they receive their goods as technology advances. Almost half (46% global/45% UK) said they would consider either autonomous vehicles to deliver larger packages to their home or other convenient location, or delivery drones to deliver small packages (43% global/39% UK).

“Having the right mobile technology will help retailers to improve both their communications and customer experience across all their channels. Ensuring they have mobile-enabled operational intelligence, will give brands and retailers the ability to diagnose problems quickly and adapt fast to meet ever-changing consumer needs and preferences. The only certainty is uncertainty in this current retail environment. But, by ensuring their consumers have choice and flexibility, brands and retailers, as well as their logistics partners, can prepare themselves for all eventualities,” concludes Edge.

CLICK HERE to read the full report

Teletrac Navman signs telematics deal with ASCO

Posted on by David Priestman

Teletrac Navman, a global market leader in telematics technology, has secured a contract with logistics and materials management company, ASCO, to supply its mobile asset and fleet management technology for the optimisation of a 350-strong fleet of vehicles in the UK.

Headquartered in Dyce, Aberdeen, ASCO provides logistics and materials management services, operating across markets including new energy, decommissioning and oil and gas. The company required a telematics solution for its fleet, that would increase business compliance through tachograph downloads, increase safety with driver behaviour monitoring and reduce fuel speed and CO2 output.

ASCO selected Teletrac Navman’s TN360 AI-powered vehicle tracking software due to its ability to deliver telematics functionalities in real-time and provide simplified, smart, predictive, and actionable insights. Included within the platform is an ‘Insights’ tool, which provides platform users with visibility into business and fleet operations, to make meaningful and critical business decisions. It can be voice activated – using natural language search terms – so that users can ask a question and receive visuals results in response, enabling teams to share data and identify anomalies and patterns in their data, to make fast, efficient business decisions.

Rebecca Ogg, Buyer at ASCO, said: “We operate a large-scale and fast-paced business and needed to find a holistic telematics solution that would accommodate varied assets needs, from trucks, vans, trailers and fuel tankers. We really valued the fact that Teletrac Navman’s TN360 solution provides a much greater level of visibility into the data we capture from our fleet. And as a result, we believe this technology will provide us with a more transparent way of working with our customers and will allow both parties to be more informed, so that we can turn data into decisions that benefit both our business and our customers.”

The package includes the Pre-Trip checklist app, which simplifies the capture of maintenance and compliance information. Drivers can complete digital checklists via the app, such as vehicle pre-trip inspections and driver fit-for-duty assessments and data is automatically captured within the telematics platform. In addition, the EasyDocs app enables businesses to upload, store and share important documents across entire fleets and mobile workforces. This cloud-based filing system is specifically designed for fleets and enables staff to save time looking for documents.

Peter Millichap, Marketing Director at Teletrac Navman UK, said: “Our primary aim is to ensure that our customers can access the most relevant and accurate telematics data from their fleets, without the complexity and inefficiency of paper or spreadsheets. As the world advances across all areas to become more digital, and the transport and logistics industry pushes towards a safer and more sustainable future, it’s imperative that fleet managers can access data and make decisions for the betterment of their business and the industry as a whole. We are thrilled to have been awarded the contract with ASCO and look forward to working with them.”

ASCO has approximately 90 drivers in the UK – split between Scotland and England – and 60 personnel who will require access to the solution, ranging from admin to IT and operations to managers. All of whom will receive virtual training on the telematics solution with Teletrac Navman, which is scheduled to go live on the 1st November.

Ogg added: “As we look ahead to meeting our Net Zero Green House Gas emissions by 2040 target and make the switch to electric vans, we also see Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool being a very useful addition to our platform.”

Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool analyses all telematics data to provide operators with detailed recommendations of where electric vehicles could be adopted into their operation. Moreover, the smart algorithms behind the tool not only tell you the feasibility of switching, they also calculate the total cost of ownership of an EV switch versus the existing fleet (purchase price, residual value, taxes, insurance, maintenance, electricity costs), as well as the total CO2 and fuel savings the business would make.

Teletrac Navman signs telematics deal with ASCO

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Teletrac Navman, a global market leader in telematics technology, has secured a contract with logistics and materials management company, ASCO, to supply its mobile asset and fleet management technology for the optimisation of a 350-strong fleet of vehicles in the UK.

Headquartered in Dyce, Aberdeen, ASCO provides logistics and materials management services, operating across markets including new energy, decommissioning and oil and gas. The company required a telematics solution for its fleet, that would increase business compliance through tachograph downloads, increase safety with driver behaviour monitoring and reduce fuel speed and CO2 output.

ASCO selected Teletrac Navman’s TN360 AI-powered vehicle tracking software due to its ability to deliver telematics functionalities in real-time and provide simplified, smart, predictive, and actionable insights. Included within the platform is an ‘Insights’ tool, which provides platform users with visibility into business and fleet operations, to make meaningful and critical business decisions. It can be voice activated – using natural language search terms – so that users can ask a question and receive visuals results in response, enabling teams to share data and identify anomalies and patterns in their data, to make fast, efficient business decisions.

Rebecca Ogg, Buyer at ASCO, said: “We operate a large-scale and fast-paced business and needed to find a holistic telematics solution that would accommodate varied assets needs, from trucks, vans, trailers and fuel tankers. We really valued the fact that Teletrac Navman’s TN360 solution provides a much greater level of visibility into the data we capture from our fleet. And as a result, we believe this technology will provide us with a more transparent way of working with our customers and will allow both parties to be more informed, so that we can turn data into decisions that benefit both our business and our customers.”

The package includes the Pre-Trip checklist app, which simplifies the capture of maintenance and compliance information. Drivers can complete digital checklists via the app, such as vehicle pre-trip inspections and driver fit-for-duty assessments and data is automatically captured within the telematics platform. In addition, the EasyDocs app enables businesses to upload, store and share important documents across entire fleets and mobile workforces. This cloud-based filing system is specifically designed for fleets and enables staff to save time looking for documents.

Peter Millichap, Marketing Director at Teletrac Navman UK, said: “Our primary aim is to ensure that our customers can access the most relevant and accurate telematics data from their fleets, without the complexity and inefficiency of paper or spreadsheets. As the world advances across all areas to become more digital, and the transport and logistics industry pushes towards a safer and more sustainable future, it’s imperative that fleet managers can access data and make decisions for the betterment of their business and the industry as a whole. We are thrilled to have been awarded the contract with ASCO and look forward to working with them.”

ASCO has approximately 90 drivers in the UK – split between Scotland and England – and 60 personnel who will require access to the solution, ranging from admin to IT and operations to managers. All of whom will receive virtual training on the telematics solution with Teletrac Navman, which is scheduled to go live on the 1st November.

Ogg added: “As we look ahead to meeting our Net Zero Green House Gas emissions by 2040 target and make the switch to electric vans, we also see Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool being a very useful addition to our platform.”

Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool analyses all telematics data to provide operators with detailed recommendations of where electric vehicles could be adopted into their operation. Moreover, the smart algorithms behind the tool not only tell you the feasibility of switching, they also calculate the total cost of ownership of an EV switch versus the existing fleet (purchase price, residual value, taxes, insurance, maintenance, electricity costs), as well as the total CO2 and fuel savings the business would make.

Randex announces enhanced integration

Posted on by David Priestman

Vertical storage lift company Randex has revealed the latest integration of its ‘Compact’ automated storage technology with an ERP system – the IFS, or Industrial and Financial System.

‘Compact’ can now be integrated with over 20 established enterprise systems including IBM Maximo, SAP, JDA, Red Prairie and Blue Yonder.

“Integrating these two core technologies optimises picking and replenishment, including pick to light, setting the industry standard. Users can achieve this using their existing IT environment,” says Randex director James Roberts. Organisations report productivity improvements of up to 400% following a successful integration using its simple API, says Randex.

‘Compact’ vertical storage lifts save up to 90% of floor space compared to standard shelving and pallet racking. They can manage loads of up to 100 tonnes and enable warehouse operatives to complete up to four times more picks than in a traditional warehouse, with goods automatically presented to the picker.

Randex Ltd is the sole UK distributor for Compact Vertical Storage Lifts, manufactured in Sweden by Weland Solutions, a member of the privately owned, global group Weland AB. Randex customers include Bombardier, DHL, Fujifilm, Howdens, Hutchison Ports, Jaguar Land Rover, Ministry of Defence, P&G, Pfizer, Rolls Royce and Specsavers.

Randex announces enhanced integration

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Vertical storage lift company Randex has revealed the latest integration of its ‘Compact’ automated storage technology with an ERP system – the IFS, or Industrial and Financial System.

‘Compact’ can now be integrated with over 20 established enterprise systems including IBM Maximo, SAP, JDA, Red Prairie and Blue Yonder.

“Integrating these two core technologies optimises picking and replenishment, including pick to light, setting the industry standard. Users can achieve this using their existing IT environment,” says Randex director James Roberts. Organisations report productivity improvements of up to 400% following a successful integration using its simple API, says Randex.

‘Compact’ vertical storage lifts save up to 90% of floor space compared to standard shelving and pallet racking. They can manage loads of up to 100 tonnes and enable warehouse operatives to complete up to four times more picks than in a traditional warehouse, with goods automatically presented to the picker.

Randex Ltd is the sole UK distributor for Compact Vertical Storage Lifts, manufactured in Sweden by Weland Solutions, a member of the privately owned, global group Weland AB. Randex customers include Bombardier, DHL, Fujifilm, Howdens, Hutchison Ports, Jaguar Land Rover, Ministry of Defence, P&G, Pfizer, Rolls Royce and Specsavers.

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