LOGISTICS
prweb | May 02, 2023
Outrider, the pioneer in autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, announced the release of automated trailer inventory capabilities for distribution yards. Part of the Outrider System, this patent-pending trailer inventory technology provides real-time tracking of trailers and containers in yards. With this enhanced visibility into asset and freight locations, logistics-dependent enterprises will increase the efficiency of their yard operations.
Large distribution yards contain thousands of trailers that are moved many times for unloading, cleaning, loading, staging, and storage. As a result, trailers can easily be lost. Today, yard personnel – either on foot or by driving a vehicle – manually update trailer locations in the yard. This data collection process is tedious, error-prone, and quickly outdated, which causes shipping delays especially when over-the-road truckers are unable to find their trailers.
“Misplaced trailers, containers, and chassis are a universal pain point of yard operations and over-the-road trucking,” said Andrew Smith, Founder and CEO of Outrider. “This new technology will be celebrated by logistics center operators and the 3.5 million over-the-road semi-truck drivers in North America who waste hours each week looking for trailers. Our trailer inventory solution brings much-needed visibility and insight to maximize productivity and yard throughput.”
Outrider uses technology already installed on its autonomous electric yard trucks to collect the locations of parked trailers during routine operations or as a dedicated function. Sophisticated sensors and proprietary computer vision algorithms enabled by deep learning detect vacant or occupied parking spots, capture trailer identification numbers and standard carrier alpha codes (SCAC codes), as well as multiple other trailer characteristics.
“Outrider’s automated trailer inventory uses a full stack of technologies to dynamically confirm trailer and container locations in distribution yards,” said Luciano Spinello, Senior Director of Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence at Outrider. “As our autonomous vehicles operate in yards, they use computer vision to capture and relay trailer data into our state-of-the-art deep learning software models. Advanced algorithms process the data, turning it into valuable information for customers to streamline their yard operations.”
Trailer inventory is enabled, managed, and recorded in Outrider’s cloud-based management software, which helps yard dispatchers, warehouse operators, and transportation managers improve decision-making and overall efficiency. Outrider shares this real-time inventory with customers’ warehouse, yard, or transportation systems via its application programming interface (API).
Since its founding, Outrider has focused on automating the manual, repetitive tasks involved in yard operations. Trailer inventory management, a core piece of Outrider’s intellectual property, enables Outrider to deliver network-wide benefits to enterprise customers and third-party shippers, including optimizing traffic flows in and out of the yard and reducing dwell time of over-the-road semi-trucks.
The commercial release of trailer inventory follows the announcement of multiple advanced yard technologies, including deep-learning based robotic brake line connections, high-precision articulated backing, and autonomous hitching for diverse trailer weights and orientations. Outrider is the first-to-market yard automation solution that performs fully autonomous, zero-emission trailer moves. The company holds an extensive intellectual property portfolio for these technologies.
The company is advancing autonomous yard operations across many fronts. In January 2023, Outrider raised $73 million in a Series C round, bringing its total funding to $191 million. Outrider works with customers in industries, such as consumer packaged goods, retail and eCommerce, package shipping, manufacturing, and intermodal rail. It operates the first-in-industry test site dedicated to yard automation that mimics its customers’ distribution yards. Outrider was recognized in Fast Company’s prestigious 2022 World’s Most Innovative Companies list, placing in the top 10 in the Logistics category.
About Outrider
Outrider, the pioneer in autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, helps large enterprises improve safety and increase efficiency. The only company exclusively focused on automating all aspects of yard operations, Outrider works with logistics-dependent enterprises to eliminate manual tasks that are hazardous and repetitive. Outrider’s mission is to drive the rapid adoption of sustainable freight transportation by deploying zero-emission systems. With its customers representing over 20 percent of all yard trucks operating in North America, Outrider is a private company backed by NEA, 8VC, Koch Disruptive Technologies, FM Capital, and other top-tier investors.
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SUPPLY CHAIN, TRANSPORTATION
Prnewswire | April 03, 2023
Pritchard Commercial, an industry leader in commercial and fleet vehicle sales, is excited to announce a distribution partnership with ZEVX™, Inc., the worldwide leader in intelligent EV systems. Through this partnership, Pritchard Commercial may now begin nationally selling ZEVX's series of premier battery electric powertrain and power system products. This allows traditional Class 2-5 commercial and fleet vehicles to upgrade to zero carbon EVs.
ZEVX is a rapid innovator in battery electric power systems and data intelligence for e-mobility applications. The company has a series of premier battery electric powertrain and power system products that quickly migrate Class 2-5 commercial fleet assets and auxiliary power tools to zero carbon. ZEVX's platinum service mission starts with customers, operating through a deep partner network using existing automotive service infrastructure and tier 1 fleet management companies (FMCs).
"Since our founding in 1913, Pritchard Companies and later Pritchard Commercial have been dedicated to offering our trucking and fleet customers the premier parts, services and solutions for all of their needs," said Ryan Pritchard, founding family, fifth generation. "The ZEVX promise of electrifying today's trucks and fleets is nothing short of astonishing. However, it was seeing firsthand what ZEVX has accomplished, while so many others have not, that sold us on a bright future with the company."
Pritchard Commercial is a subsidiary of Pritchard Companies, which includes a variety of vehicle offerings. As a national transportation enterprise, Pritchard Commercial supplies everything from chassis to upfitting, registration to logistics, and will now also begin selling ZEVX's battery electric powertrains. With the proof-of-concept stage completed in 2022, Pritchard Commercial is now engaged in an operational trial of the ZEVX intelligent EV power systems in six states, ahead of its broader rollout.
"ZEVX electric power systems are helping commercial fleets embrace the future with solutions to lower carbon emissions, improve daily economics and extend the life of existing fleets and vehicles," said Don Listwin, CEO of ZEVX. "Pritchard Commercial, leveraging 110 years and counting of powering our nation's trucks and supply chain, is an ideal partner to increase our speed of fleet modernization and electrification nationwide."
About ZEVX
ZEVX™ is the worldwide leader in delivering intelligent EV systems powering commercial class 2 to 5 vehicles, power takeoff, reefer refrigeration, and EV infrastructure such as charging stations. ZEVX has a series of battery electric powertrain and power system products that quickly migrate commercial fleet assets to zero carbon. ZEVX has a service mission to support customers through a deep partner network using existing automotive service infrastructure. This provides rapid adoption through our service network to install and deliver advanced data intelligence from fleet asset customers to optimize their carbon transition.
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LOGISTICS
businesswire | May 09, 2023
Everstream Analytics, the global supply chain insights and risk analytics company, today at Gartner Supply Chain Symposium 2023, announced the launch of Everstream Connect. Powered by Everstream’s end-to-end supply chain risk management platform, Connect delivers intelligent mapping and visibility into logistic network flows. It provides dynamic risk assessment and analytics, and alerts users to the downstream impacts of upstream risks from extreme weather, labor shortages, strikes, environmental impacts and other potential disruptions to the network.
When combined with Discover — the company’s sub-tier supplier network visualization — and Everstream’s industry-leading risk scores, Connect’s logistics mapping capabilities create the only solution capable of predicting and mitigating risk while uncovering optimization opportunities from procurement through logistics and all stages of planning and execution.
“In the last year alone, we've seen catastrophic delays to shipments, as well as shortages of critical materials and components that have threatened the success of countless businesses,” said Julie Gerdeman, Chief Executive Officer, Everstream Analytics. “Collectively, Discover and Connect will provide organizations with visibility into their complete supply chains and the network’s risks and limitations - permitting them to make data driven decisions that mitigate risk, reduce emissions, and enhance resiliency throughout the value chain.”
“Traditional transport management systems (TMS) take an operational point of view and look primarily at logistics on a shipment-by-shipment level,” continued Gerdeman. “Connect compliments a customers’ TMS, enabling a complete contextual understanding of the risk impacting locations, lanes, and related shipments by looking at the network dynamically. This helps to inform short-term planning and longer-term strategic transportation optimizations to lower costs, reduce carbon emissions, and increase supply chain resilience.”
Connect enhances the company’s offering to give shippers, carriers, and ports a 360-degree view of their carbon emission footprint. The platform provides a digital representation of the flow of goods through networks by mapping logistic network flows, identifying risks and limitations impacting the network, and making recommendations to reduce risk. With access to proprietary data, organizations can use Everstream Connect to uncover structural hazards and evaluate downstream impacts of upstream disruptions.
About Everstream Analytics
Everstream Analytics sets the global supply chain standard. Through the application of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to its vast proprietary dataset, Everstream delivers the predictive insights and risk analytics businesses need for a smarter, more autonomous and sustainable supply chain. Everstream’s proven solution integrates with procurement, logistics and business continuity platforms generating the complete information, sharper analysis, and accurate predictions required to turn the supply chain into a business asset.
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