Supply Side: COAST/Nexxiot, FourKites

COAST Autonomous, Inc. (COAST) and Nexxiot announce a strategic partnership to enhance port and rail yard operations. Also, FourKites launches an Inbound Visibility solution to enhance end-to-end shipment.

COAST/Nexxiot

COAST, an AI and autonomous systems company, and Nexxiot, a Zurich, Switzerland-based digitized supply chain company, announced Nov. 14 that they have entered a strategic partnership to “improve efficiency, security and safety in logistics operations.”

This partnership, the companies say, “unites COAST’s award-winning autonomous technology with Nexxiot’s expertise in digitalizing shipping containers and railcars to optimize Port and Rail Yard operations,” and aims to “offer faster handling and high-quality cargo processing to the benefit of the broader logistics industry.”

COAST deploys fleets of self-driving vehicles to solve industrial use cases, such as transporting crews, delivering equipment and supplies, and moving shipping containers. COAST has developed the Harvester (pictured above) from the ground-up to deliver real-time, location-accurate inventories of shipping containers, trailers and automobiles. The Harvester, COAST says, “also serves as an invaluable force multiplier to enhance around-the-clock security for industrial and sensitive locations by monitoring fence lines and identifying intruders.” COAST’s proprietary Autonomous Systems include mapping, robotics, AI, fleet management and supervision.

Nexxiot, known for its digitalization of shipping container and railcar asset fleets, offers a network of self-powered sensors and analytics that provide essential insights into supply chain operations. Integrating data from Nexxiot’s intermodal and rail assets with COAST vehicles, “is set to dramatically improve visibility in ports and rail yards,” said the companies, adding that the partnership “will deliver commercial benefits to multiple stakeholders in the logistics industry, by enhancing real-time data fusion.”

“We are combining data streams in innovative ways,” said Nexxiot CEO Stefan Kalmund. “For instance, sensors can automatically request a COAST vehicle in response to an unexpected opening, providing real-time video data for inspection. We will also use the partnership to offer precise location services to large ports and terminals, including the confirmation of rail car locations and container positions within stacks.”

“We have a range of autonomous vehicles performing a variety of mission critical use cases at industrial locations across the U.S.”, said COAST Chairman and CEO David M. Hickey. “It makes perfect sense for the Harvester to fuse data from the Nexxiot sensors to identify railcars and specific containers even when stacked.  It also makes sense for the Harvester to operate missions seamlessly when requested by Nexxiot to locate a container or railcar and transmit real-time images and location details to the customer.  This functionality will allow our customers to inspect assets remotely from the safety of their facilities.  We are thrilled to work with Nexxiot and believe this is the beginning of an exciting partnership to provide end-to-end visibility of assets for shipping and rail clients.”

FourKites

Supply chain visibility provider FourKites announced Nov. 9 the availability of a new Inbound Visibility solution that provides with “a highly predictive, accurate and seamless way to manage all inbound order and shipments across all modes, through the entire order lifecycle.”

By analyzing real-time data throughout the freight journey, FourKites says the solution “enhances a company’s ability to manage all inbound shipments and orders accurately.” Moreover, the company adds, “it helps users across an organization identify disruptions and prioritize actions based on those that will have the highest impact on the business.”

“When it comes to inbound shipment visibility, companies today are hindered by outdated information, delayed shipment updates and manual processes that result in wasted resources, costly expedites and disappointed customers,” FourKites stated in a release. “For updates to their inbound shipments, shippers rely on manual analyses that take over a day to complete; carrier updates that come only in the last leg of a shipment’s journey; and expensive solutions to mitigate any disruptions that may have occurred in transit.”

FourKites says it is “changing that paradigm” with its Inbound Visibility solution that provides deep inbound shipment- and order-level insights across all modes to all stakeholders in a secure, integrated platform. With tracking that starts before a shipment is even tendered, users can access actionable data across each stage of an order’s lifecycle and can identify if an order is late or short-filled up to four weeks before delivery, allowing ample response time. Moreover, any disruptions detected are assigned a dollar amount to help teams prioritize their actions based on business impact.

“Our Inbound Visibility solution is a high-impact innovation to tackle one of the most complex, enduring challenges in the industry,” said FourKites Chief Product Officer Priya Rajagopalan. “As the only real-time visibility provider that offers true order lifecycle visibility, starting before a shipment is even tendered to the carrier, we are uniquely positioned to connect the dots at the order level all the way across the supply chain, giving each stakeholder the information they need to take action, and creating even greater value for our customers.”