FREIGHT
Einride | May 21, 2022
Swedish freight technology company Einride announced at Einride Mesh the unveiling of new product offerings to its hardware and software lineups including designs for an Einride Trailer and new features and functionality on the Einride Saga platform. These build outs of the Saga UI experience via new apps and a new API (application programming interface) developer platform, in addition to presenting what is possible for the future of Einride’s hardware, further underline the company’s deepening offering of freight mobility solutions for customers.
“By offering these latest product offerings with Saga and showcasing our latest designs for future electric freight hardware, we are able to tap into an even larger potential to help shippers transition towards electric and being able to cost competitively reach their sustainability goals, We’re looking at almost an entire sector that is still non-electric, and we want to speed up this transition by proactively seeking out what the future needs of the growing electric, autonomous shipping industry will be and creating the necessary solutions.”
-Robert Falck, Founder and CEO of Einride.
First of its kind electric semi-trailer: the Einride Trailer
Hardware designs for an all-new Einride Trailer, an electric road semi-trailer powered by Saga were unveiled as a solution to optimize fleet utilization and the total cost of operations. Designed for seamless integration with Einride electric and autonomous vehicles for optimal performance, the trailer will also be compatible with conventional electric semi-trucks. Enabled by Saga, the Einride Trailer will provide AI based insights into the cargo being transported by providing real-time data across key touch points including loading route planning, fill rates, cargo monitoring and preventative maintenance. An extended range of up to 650 km on a single charge will be possible with all-new Einride 320 kwh batteries that will be incorporated with the Einride Trailer production. The designs will continue further iterations, with plans to have production for initial piloting complete in 2023.
Einride Saga’s powering of electric fleets continues to expand
Saga’s all-encompassing digital platform features a suite of powerful apps for end-to-end electric and autonomous freight and was originally launched in 2021 in conjunction with the official Einride U.S. expansion. Today marked the first time an expanded and revised UI of the first original apps, Evolve, Explore, Book and Orchestrate, were showcased. Existing and new customers will have access to these latest features starting in October of this year.
Evolve: generates plans to electrification and automation by identifying electrification sweet spots and defining potential environmental impact
Explore: visualizes data across cost insights, fill rates, CO2 emissions, and more
Book: tracks shipments from creation to final delivery and can be integrated with shippers current order management system
Orchestrate: bridges communications between automated transport planning and human interaction to ensure the entire network of electric trucks and chargers are displayed in real time.
An API developer platform, Einride Extend, allowing access and scalable adoption of Einride’s software to a larger ecosystem of shippers was also unveiled, in addition to sneak peeks of three additional apps – Deliver, Dock, Own.
Einride Extend: the API developer platform will make use of Saga's models, data and intelligence available across open-source software. An alpha version of the Book API will be the first available offering on the platform, opening up a scalable way to order transport via Einride Saga. The platform will be available at the end of 2022 to existing customers.
Deliver, Dock and Own: further app features across driver instructions, connections between shipping terminals and profitability monitoring will be introduced in future platform updates. Apps will be officially released in 2023.
Inaugural Einride Mesh celebrates collaboration across tech, sustainability and culture
Einride Mesh 2022, hosted in Gothenburg, Sweden and streamed globally, was the first of a new annual event hosted by Einride celebrating the movers and shakers across tech, sustainability and culture. The day featured programming to encourage learning, networking and discussions, featuring keynotes from renowned entrepreneurs and innovators such as Olympian Nils van der Poel and leaders from other sustainable brands, X Shore, Heart Aerospace, Mimbly and CAKE, along with others. Full demos of the latest Einride products were also showcased by Einride leadership team members across Product and Tech.
“Our goal with the inaugural Einride Mesh was simple: create a platform for thought leaders to come together and share how we can create a better future, regardless of what industry we sit in, To see leaders, students, investors and culture influencers gather together is a true testament to the impact that is possible for creating sustainable futures when wider audiences collaborate together.”
-Linnéa Kornehed, co-founder and CMO of Einride.
To learn more about Einride please visit https://www.einride.tech/. For shippers or developers working with road freight and interested in finding out more about Saga and applying for early access, visit www.einride.tech/saga.
About Einride
Einride is a leading freight technology company providing digital, electric, and autonomous shipping. It was founded in 2016 and became the world’s first company to operate an autonomous, electric freight vehicle on a public road in 2019. Einride´s award-winning technology and products enable users to execute on electrification and automation, order and track shipments, oversee routes and assignments, visualize data and gain insights. For more information, please visit einride.tech.
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LOGISTICS
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc | June 20, 2022
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULH) announced the preliminary results of its modified "Dutch auction" tender offer to repurchase up to 100,000 shares of its outstanding common stock, which expired at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.
Based on the preliminary count by Computershare Trust Company, N.A. ("Computershare"), the depositary for the tender offer, approximately 164,189 shares were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at or below the expected final purchase price of $28.00 per share, including shares that were tendered through notices of guaranteed delivery.
In accordance with the terms and conditions of the tender offer, the Company expects to acquire 164,189 shares at a final purchase price of $28.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.6 million. These shares represent approximately 0.62% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares as of May 12, 2022. The total amount of shares expected to be purchased in the tender offer includes the Company's right to increase the tender offer by up to two percent of the Company's outstanding shares and also includes a total of 5,000 shares tendered by Mr. H.E. "Scott" Wolfe, a director of the Company. The determination of the final number of shares to be purchased and the final price per share is subject to confirmation by Computershare of the proper delivery of the shares validly tendered and not withdrawn.
The number of shares to be purchased and the price per share are preliminary and are subject to verification by Computershare and subject to change for a number of reasons, including if some or all of the shares tendered through notices of guaranteed delivery are not delivered within the applicable two trading day settlement period. The actual number of shares to be purchased and the final price per share will be announced following the expiration of the guaranteed delivery period and completion of the confirmation process by Computershare. The final results are not expected to be announced until at least June 21, 2022. Promptly after the announcement, Computershare will issue payment for the shares validly tendered and accepted for payment under the tender offer and will return shares tendered and not purchased in the tender offer.
The Company may purchase additional shares in the future in the open market subject to market conditions and through private transactions, tender offers or otherwise. Under applicable securities laws, however, the Company may not repurchase any shares until June 30, 2022. Whether the Company makes additional repurchases in the future will depend on many factors, including the number of shares purchased in this tender offer, its business and financial performance and situation, the business and market conditions at the time, including the price of the shares, and other factors the Company considers relevant.
The Company has retained Georgeson LLC as the information agent for the tender offer. All questions regarding the tender offer should be directed to the information agent at 866-695-6074 (toll free).
About Universal
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. is a holding company that, through its consolidated subsidiaries, is a leading asset-light provider of customized transportation and logistics solutions throughout the United States, and in Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. The Company's operating subsidiaries offer customers a broad array of services across their entire supply chain, including truckload, brokerage, intermodal, dedicated, and value-added services.
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SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY
Rockwell Automation | August 16, 2022
Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, finds that digital transformation, sustainability initiatives, and customer experience (CX) improvements are among the top priorities driving the development of new corporate supply chain strategies, according to a new study conducted by Forrester Consulting.
The study, Increase Brand Loyalty and Generate ROI with Improved Traceability, was commissioned by Rockwell Automation to understand the degree to which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments, external regulatory demands, and brand reputation drive private-sector interest in supply chain traceability solutions.
According to the survey, Asia-Pacific companies (62%) are most focused on the digital transformation of their supply chain, and 59% said their company wants to implement or improve sustainability initiatives.
While compliance remains a key driver of new investments in supply chain management, demands related to sustainability and customer experience have propelled these strategic shifts. In fact, 57% of supply chain decision makers have already implemented or are expanding initiatives that will reduce waste within their supply chain.
Forrester Consulting's research on behalf of Rockwell Automation is based on a January 2022 survey of 307 global supply chain decision makers about their use of or interest in traceability and serialization solutions to optimize their supply chain. To download a copy of the full report, click here.
"While companies are already seeing some success from serialization initiatives, those that invest in more comprehensive traceability solutions often see improved data ownership, cost savings from reduced counterfeiting and grey market diversion, and higher customer satisfaction,"
-Christine Akselsen, CEO of Kezzler.
Rockwell Automation's supply chain capabilities combined with Kezzler's cloud-based traceability technologies help customers connect suppliers, manufacturing, logistics, and consumers into one real-time traceability platform. Rockwell and Kezzler have already created traceability solutions for customers like FrieslandCampina, one of the world's largest dairy companies.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 25,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise® to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com
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SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY,FREIGHT
Transfix, Inc | August 12, 2022
Transfix, Inc. ("Transfix"), the Intelligent Freight Platform™, today announced Tony Tzeng has joined as the company's first-ever Chief Product Officer. He will lead product strategy, execution, and innovation serving shippers and carriers across the Transfix portfolio. Tzeng's expertise is in enterprise AI, and he joins Transfix from UiPath, a leading enterprise automation software vendor, where he served as VP of Product Management for AI products. Prior to that he served as Principal Lead Product Manager at Microsoft.
"When your goal is to revolutionize the supply chain, you need big thinkers, innovators and operators who make it a reality for your customers. Tony is one of those executives who has it all, His experience driving product and platform strategies, coupled with his AI and ML expertise, will help to accelerate our vision of delivering an Intelligent Freight Platform that powers modern, reliable, and resilient supply chain performance at scale"
-Lily Shen, CEO and President of Transfix.
Tzeng brings 20 years of product and strategy development experience. Most recently, at UiPath, he oversaw the full product life cycle from assessing product/market fit to incubation, product vision, roadmap, launch, and acceleration. While leading the product division for AI-driven automations and a Machine Learning operations platform, he launched new products and grew the portfolio to multi-million dollar businesses that are now growth engines and differentiators for UiPath.
At Microsoft, he led the product team developing cloud and AI solutions for next-gen virtual customer service, giving AI bots groundbreaking levels of accessibility. He also incubated enterprise AI solutions as part of AI+ Research, leading product teams that contributed useful features to well-known software like Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Office. Tzeng also held senior-level positions at McKinsey & Company and Deloitte Consulting.
Transfix has all the pieces for an iconic success story– talented and passionate people, outstanding engineering practices, a data-driven product suite, and a winning corporate culture,said Tzeng.I'm proud to be a part of that story, and I look forward to creating a smarter, more sustainable future for freight.
Tzeng earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Stanford University and his Masters of Business Administration with Honors at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.
As announced on September 21, 2021, Transfix has entered into a definitive business combination agreement, as subsequently amended, with G Squared Ascend I Inc. ("G Squared Ascend I") (NYSE: GSQD), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by affiliates of G Squared, that is expected to result in Transfix becoming a publicly listed company. Completion of the business combination is subject to customary closing conditions.
About Transfix
Transfix drives modern supply chain impact at scale with its Intelligent Freight Platform™. By combining enterprise-grade, machine-learning technology with intuitive software and dedicated supply chain experts, Transfix is enabling organizations to deliver with high performance and high reliability, drive long-term strategy and capacity planning, take empty miles off the road, and optimize their networks, at scale. Today, Transfix connects shippers to nearly 30,000 carriers with real-time, many-to-many freight matching and the visibility they need to make their supply chains more efficient and environmentally responsible. Learn more at Transfix.io.
About G Squared
G Squared is a global venture capital firm that partners with dynamic companies throughout their life cycles as a complete capital solutions provider, working to create value for companies, investors, employees, and other stakeholders. The firm focuses on investments in growth-stage technology companies and has invested in over 100 portfolio companies since it was founded in 2011. The firm's affiliate, G Squared Ascend I Inc. ("G Squared Ascend I"), offers transformative private companies a path to public markets via SPAC. For more information on G Squared and its portfolio, visit: www.gsquared.com. For more information on G Squared Ascend I, visit: www.gsquaredascend.com.
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