SUPPLY CHAIN
Blume Global | October 19, 2021
Blume Global, the leading provider of supply chain execution and visibility solutions, is proud to be the first to deliver logistics execution and supply chain visibility solutions completely native to Google Cloud Platform. Customers that use Blume's digital operating platform with Blume Maps can access these solutions from a cloud-native platform.
Blume's digital supply chain operating platform with Blume Maps, a digital twin of the supply chain, was born on GCP in 2018. Blume's digital operating platform and solutions are used by some of the largest freight railroads, container steam-ship lines, logistics service providers and shippers in the world to manage and track the movement of freight and transportation assets in more than 130 countries. Blume leverages GCP's services to collect, clean and provide access to high quality and accurate logistics data, enabling Blume's high-value solutions including Blume Maps; international, intermodal and domestic transportation management; transportation asset management; supply chain visibility; order orchestration; and control tower, which were also born on GCP.
"Organizations today require solutions that help them manage and optimize their logistics strategies with data. We're pleased that Blume has chosen to run its platform on Google Cloud and provide customers with the solutions they need to succeed."
Hans Thalbauer, managing director, Google Cloud Supply Chain.
Blume's digital operating platform goes beyond the TMS status quo. Its supply chain digital twin, Blume Maps, is modeled after Google Maps. Consumers use Google's map tool to find locations, generate directions and provide feedback on each journey. With Blume Maps, planning a freight shipment's route, tracking the shipment's progress and ETA, and changing course during the journey if problems arise, is as natural as using Google's navigation app during a family road trip. The solution allows customers to generate accurate lead times, real-time shipment location, and ETAs for road, ocean, air, and railroad. Blume Maps can also provide alternative modes, carriers and routes when shipments are behind schedule, enabling unrivaled supply chain agility.
"When considering where we wanted to build Blume Maps, we made a very conscious decision to go with GCP instead of other cloud providers because of their commitment to making a difference in the supply chain space," said Blume Global CEO Pervinder Johar. "At Blume, we're building the digital supply chain operating platform for the next 50 years, and our partnership with Google Cloud Platform has enabled that mission."
About Blume Global
The supply chain technology provider Blume Global aims to remove $1 trillion of waste from the global supply chain, making logistics processes more agile, dependable and sustainable with innovative logistics execution and visibility solutions. Blume's digital platform goes beyond the transportation management status quo, empowering users to quickly predict the impact of disruptions and react in real time before minor issues become major problems. With one of the most extensive networks among logistics technology providers, Blume Global's direct connectivity to the ocean, air, rail, parcel, LTL and truckload carriers combines with Blume Global's solutions and 27 years of industry data to give customers the intelligence needed to maximize transportation spend, improve customer service and reduce carbon emission.
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LOGISTICS
PLS Logistics Services | September 23, 2021
PLS Logistics Services, a leading, technology-driven, third-party logistics company has acquired D&L Transport, a transportation brokerage headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.
D&L Transport will continue to operate under its authority and remain an independent subsidiary of PLS, leveraging PLS's advanced technology and national carrier network while maintaining its independent operations. Brian DeFrain, a 10-year veteran of D&L Transport, will remain in the role of President of D&L. All existing management and employees will remain with the organization following the acquisition.
Greg Burns, Chief Executive Officer of PLS Logistics, said, "D&L Transport through its national agent network has developed a broad range of services, with particular strength in the dry van, flatbed and refrigerated modes, and an outstanding reputation for customer service."
Brian DeFrain, President of D&L Transport, remarked, "We are excited to partner with PLS Logistics and get immediate access to its broad service offering and industry-leading technology, while maintaining our independent operations."
Founded in 2004, D&L Transport is a non-asset provider of Truckload solutions in North America. D&L Transport brings a strong management team and talented sales agents to PLS, as well as a robust network of shippers and carriers.
Effective with this transaction, PLS will have an annual revenue run rate of $950mm and expects annual revenue of approximately $1.2 billion in 2022.
About PLS Logistics Services
PLS Logistics Services is a leading provider of logistics management, brokerage and technology services for shippers across all industries. PLS handles over a million loads annually across all major freight modes: flatbed, van, LTL, rail and barge, air and ocean. The PLS carrier network consists of over 65,000 pre-qualified trucking companies along with Class-1 railroads and major barge companies.
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TRANSPORTATION
nuVizz | August 31, 2021
nuVizz, a leading network-based last mile delivery & transportation management and customer experience SaaS platform, introduces Platform 2.0, which helps organizations tackle the most challenging transportation routing and scheduling issues. Leveraging AI and machine learning, Platform 2.0 builds on the nuVizz real-time transportation visibility technology to create an intelligent delivery ecosystem that helps clients deliver next level customer service. The company also celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a newly branded website.
“The demands of the transportation and delivery ecosystem are growing daily, and we are thrilled to introduce nuVizz Platform 2.0 to bring much needed new capabilities to market,” said Guru Rao, CEO of nuVizz. “With a decade of experience, nuVizz has a depth of business and technology expertise that enables us to meet the broad-ranging needs of our hundreds of customers worldwide. Platform 2.0 leverages AI and machine learning to create an active learning and self-correcting ecosystem that delivers predictive estimated time of arrival (ETA), dynamic routing and scheduling, and advanced data-driven workflow. These build on the platform’s foundation, which increases operating efficiencies through business process automation.”
nuVizz Platform 2.0 capabilities include:
• AI & ML application to intelligently route and schedule orders, helping drastically reduce the manual labor involved in the process
• Industry-first active learning algorithms that take the best of both end-user business knowledge and machine learning capabilities to improve overall delivery efficiency
• Quality data modules that fix common data issues at the source, reduce delivery exceptions, and improve customer service
• Advanced workflow automation engine that takes away the need for manual involvement at every step of the delivery lifecycle
According to Gartner, “advances in AI and ML provide new opportunities and improvements for transportation management systems (TMSs), vehicle routing and scheduling (VRS) solutions, real-time transportation visibility platforms (RTTVP), as well as other transportation technologies.”*
Shippers, 3PLs and Transportation companies benefit from a wide-range of nuVizz Platform features:
• As a network-enabled solution, it brings all stakeholders of the delivery ecosystem on a single platform with 100% real-time visibility
• The advanced dynamic and real-time optimization capabilities improve asset utilization by more than 30-40%
• Its self-serve appointment scheduling and customer communication modules reduce manual labor by more than 40%
• As a completely automated delivery process, it eliminates paper and provides significant cost savings
• The advanced billing and settlement module reduces the billing cycle by more than 50% and improves the cash cycle
• Its best-in-class customer engagement capabilities improve customer satisfaction scores by more than 15 points
“Ten years ago, nuVizz set out to create a technology platform that helped move goods, services, and people more efficiently, and it has been gratifying to see that vision come to fruition,” added Guru. “This has only been possible because of the dedication of our associates and trust our customers and partners placed in us over the years. We pride ourselves in being innovative and nimble, and look forward to what the next 10 years will bring.”
About nuVizz
nuVizz lights the way to better delivery and transportation logistics. From the first mile to the last mile—and everything in between—we’re trailblazers in supply chain optimization and digitization. Infinitely flexible, the nuVizz SaaS platform drives visibility, control, cost savings, and a better customer experience across the fulfillment lifecycle. Our single-minded mission: simple, sustainable transportation solutions for every business on the planet. Go further, grow faster.
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