go figure …
40. 6
The percentage of the nation’s 3. 5 million truck drivers who
identify themselves as minorities.
SOURCE: CONVOY
E2open acquires shipping
platform Inttra
Supply chain planning software developer
E2open Inc. continues to consolidate its position in the logistics tech market with yet
another acquisition. The Austin, Texas-based
software company announced last month that
it had bought the ocean shipping network
provider Inttra Inc. in a move to build an
integrated global supply chain information
network.
The acquisition follows E2open’s purchase
of transportation management software
developer Cloud Logistics at the beginning of
the month. In 2017, E2open acquired Zyme, a
provider of a channel data management platform that improves visibility between trading
partners, and merged with business process
software provider Steelwedge Software Inc. In
2016, the firm acquired Terra Technology, a
provider of demand-forecasting tools.
Inttra, with headquarters in Parsippany,
N.J., is a software and information provider
that supports an ocean carrier and shipper
network. E2open said that combining that
network with its own platform will create
a combined system that strengthens connections and streamlines information flow
among manufacturers, suppliers, shipping
service providers, ocean carriers, and other
global trade partners. Specifically, Inttra will
add its logistics execution features to E2open’s
existing capabilities in providing visibility,
forecasting, collaboration, and planning tools,
E2open said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The
transaction is expected to close by the end
of 2018, pending regulatory approval.
Following completion of the deal, Inttra will
operate as its own business unit, focused on
the freight forwarder and carrier communities, while E2open retains its focus on serving
shippers and beneficial cargo owners (BCOs),
E2open CEO Michael Farlekas said in an
interview.
By expanding the range of supply chain data
stored natively on its cloud-based platform,
E2open expects to offer its clients improved
visibility over freight and inventory movement as well as enhanced decision-making
capabilities through its forecasting, planning,
and collaboration tools, he said.
Digital freight brokerage startup Loadsmart said last month that it
had raised $21.6 million in funding, led by container shipping giant
Maersk, and plans to use the capital to scale up its operations team
and boost investment in products and engineering. The funding was
led by Maersk Growth—the venture arm of A.P. Møller-Maersk—
together with Connor Capital SB and Chromo Invest. This brings the
total investment in Loadsmart to date to $34.7 million.
The deal is the latest example of venture capitalists’ writing
large checks to logistics technology startups that have targeted the
freight matching and load brokering sector. Other examples include
Convoy, Transfix, Shipwell, and Cargomatic.
In a statement, New York-based Loadsmart said its platform leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to automate truckload booking flow,
providing instant prices to shippers with capacity guaranteed on all
U.S. lanes.
As the floodwaters from Hurricane Florence continued to
recede in Wilmington, N.C., the online retailer Amazon.com Inc.
installed a pop-up pickup location where residents displaced
by the flooding could receive parcel deliveries.
Located in the parking lot of one of the e-commerce giant’s
Whole Foods Market stores, the site consisted of an Amazon Prime
delivery van, a temporary tent, and enough staff to handle the
incoming packages filled with items needed for storm recovery,
Seattle-based Amazon said. The site operated for just two weeks
and received deliveries for both residents and nonprofit disaster
recovery agencies.
Even three weeks after Hurricane Florence made landfall, that flexible parcel delivery service was important because so many residents
were still living in shelters or other temporary housing, Kathy Fulton,
executive director of the disaster relief support group American
Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), said in an e-mail. “Early on in the disaster—when roads are still flooded and power is still out—the issue is the
ability to get deliveries to the address,” Fulton said. “The primary
issue at this point in the disaster is individuals and families that
are still displaced due to damage to their residences. This solution
[offers] them a secure place to receive packages.”
Maersk leads group investing $21.6 million in
digital brokerage startup Loadsmart
Amazon opens pop-up parcel delivery site in
flooded Wilmington, N.C.
