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How to help carriers and shippers tackle supply chain challenges?
Global | Chicago

How to help carriers and shippers tackle supply chain challenges?

27 Apr 2022 · Prosperity

In the first of our new “meet our members” series, we talked to project44, who have recently joined IRU, to get to know them better.

Founded in Chicago in 2014, project44 now operates an end-to-end visibility platform that tracks over 1 billion shipments annually. Its name refers to Highway 44 in Chicago, which was opened as the first major bypass to the historic Route 66, one of America’s first east-west highways.

Using project44, shippers and carriers around the world drive greater predictability, resiliency and sustainability. 

Michael Miller, Executive Vice President of Global Network, tells us more about the company and its role in transportation and supply chains.

Who is project44? What do you do?

project44 is the world’s leading advanced real-time transportation visibility platform (RTTVP). It provides end-to-end, door-to-door supply chain visibility, removes blind spots and allows companies to make rapid decisions in response to unplanned or unexpected supply chain events. 

In addition, our platform provides life-cycle management of orders and process automation for companies to optimise inventory and improve strategic planning. 

We track more than one billion shipments annually for more than 1,000 shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers through our global network of 150,000 carriers across all modes and geographies. 

At the heart of our business is our carrier network – the source of the data we use to provide visibility to our customers. Carriers share their data to our platform via API, telematics or our DriveView app, which provides our customers with real-time visibility and precise ETAs. 

This means that carriers no longer receive repeated check calls asking where they are and what time they will arrive; it is a win-win for both sides.

What are the current challenges in the industry?

Global supply chains were built on the assumption of reliable parts and product deliveries. But as recent events have shown, unexpected events can wreak havoc on inventory management. Disruptions to supply chain operations and flows impact distribution, production, sales, and, ultimately, customer service. 

Most supply chains lack the resilience and agility to respond to these events and take corrective action to mitigate the impact of supply chain disruptions. By integrating our visibility platform with real-time data from carriers, we provide the shipment and order tracking to maintain inventory flows so factories keep running and store shelves are stocked.

How to help carriers and shippers tackle supply chain challenges?

How can project44 help?

project44 eliminates information blind spots for shipments and orders in transit. We seamlessly connect to carriers through their preferred connection setup, enabling us to provide shippers with real-time, geolocation of shipments and orders. 

By knowing the real-time whereabouts of shipments and being alerted to deviations in schedules, supply chain operations are no longer blindsided when deliveries do not occur as planned. 

Supply chain managers can be proactive and take action to mitigate the impact of off-schedule deliveries, adjust their production and distribution, or reallocate on-hand inventory as needed to more critical functions or customers. 

As our system updates their whereabouts automatically, carriers avoid manual updates and become more efficient and visible transportation partners. And, as I said earlier, they also benefit from reduced dwell times and check calls because we provide shipment location and estimated time of arrival automatically.

Any particular successes so far?

Our customers include many of the world’s leading brands operating the most complex supply chains on the planet, for example Amazon, Lenovo, P&G, Nestle & Walgreens, to name but a few.

By using project44’s advanced visibility platform, they can identify delivery exceptions, spot transportation problems in the making, take preventative action to maintain inventory flows, and avoid problems with manufacturing or distribution from delivery delays. 

What are your company’s plans for the future?

At project44, we are passionate about helping companies address the issue of measuring accurate, accredited carbon emissions and reducing them in supply chains. 

Most companies focus on improving facilities and electricity when those only account for 10% of their emissions… But with our technology, we can provide highly accurate and granular visibility of our customers’ transportation emissions.

We are also working to enable platform users to take action regarding the order lifecycle, helping to automate processes and remove manual effort for both carriers and shippers.

For example, last year, we rolled out a tool called “Over the Road Rating”. The idea is that, by accessing centralised information on truckload contract and spot rates, carriers receive automatic rate requests from interested shippers who can approve the rate instantly. This helps to streamline the freight-rate negotiation process and enable smarter buying decisions. 

Another project we recently launched is a slot booking solution, allowing carriers to book yard and facility appointments with project44 shippers free of charge based on site configuration. Shippers and carriers can also use our document management solution to upload and store all necessary shipment documents in one location, allowing carriers to receive payments faster. 

With no let-up in the level of supply chain disruption on the horizon, our mission is simple – we make supply chains work, optimising the movement of products globally, delivering better resiliency, sustainability, and value for our customers. We will continue to pursue our vision to improve lives everywhere by creating a connected, predictable, and sustainable world.

Learn more about project44’s Advanced Visibility Platform®

Learn more about the project44 carrier network