route optimization Archives - Maritime Shipping News

Last mile isn’t enough anymore — it’s time to look at the last 100 feet

20 October 2022

If you live in an apartment building, chances are you know the pain of your delivery driver being unable to find your unit. You may have even had a package stolen because the driver couldn’t get into the building, instead leaving it on the front step.

These are the issues that have gone largely unaddressed by last-mile delivery and mapping companies like Google Maps. Akash Agarwal, founder and chief business officer of delivery startup Beans.ai, calls it “the last 100 feet problem.”

“[Google and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/last-mile-isnt-enough-anymore-its-time-to-look-at-the-last-100-feet

Logistics firm HyperTrack introduces last-mile metaverse

19 October 2022

Supply chains were never easy to figure out, and they haven’t become any more predictable. Some companies, though, are taking a technology-forward approach to anticipate what could go wrong, and when, and where.

Bangalore, India-based HyperTrack is among them, and the firm Wednesday launched a new solution that will take the last mile into the metaverse. The offering, called Playground, was added to HyperTrack’s BuilderX route optimization platform, announced last month, to allow users to test...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/logistics-firm-hypertrack-introduces-last-mile-metaverse

Chilean supply chain startup SimpliRoute expands to US

22 September 2022

Hundreds of U.S. companies are dedicated to solving the route optimization puzzle in logistics. If you live in America, it’s easy to get tunnel vision for the endless sea of innovative supply chain companies with U.S. roots, but companies all over the world are busy solving the same problem.

One of them, Chile’s SimpliRoute, this week announced its expansion to the U.S. The route optimization startup, which serves small businesses and big-name customers like Walmart in over 25 Latin American...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/chilean-supply-chain-startup-simpliroute-expands-to-us

Last-mile solution can optimize urban routes for an entire fleet

28 June 2022

Inflationary increases in grocery and household goods are some of the more noticeable rises hitting stores, and although consumers are just starting to feel it, logistics companies for some time have been grappling with the issues behind some of these price increases.

Prices of ingredients and raw materials have noticeably increased over the last year due to higher wholesale costs, especially in the consumer packaged goods sector. At the same time, transportation costs are also high in part due...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/last-mile-solution-can-optimize-urban-routes-for-an-entire-fleet

Onfleet raises $23M to grow last-mile software platform

7 June 2022

Once a cost base for businesses, last-mile delivery has gradually transformed from an afterthought into a nearly $200 billion industry. Investors, unsurprisingly, are taking notice.

Bay Area-based Onfleet is the latest last-mile company to pick up a lucrative funding round, raising $23 million in a Series B led by Kayne Partners with participation from existing investor Savant Growth. Onfleet will use the funding to expand its team and enhance its software platform with new technology and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/onfleet-raises-23m-to-grow-last-mile-software-platform

Route optimization vs. planning: What are the differences?

31 May 2022

Delivering consumer packaged goods the final mile to customers’ doorsteps is one of the most challenging aspects of the delivery process.

In today’s world, customers expect to know when their purchases will arrive down to the minute. Providing customers with wide delivery windows can result in frustration and lack of trust, jeopardizing future business with that customer.

Estimating a delivery time can be challenging, especially when factoring in all the elements of urban environments and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/route-optimization-vs-planning-what-are-the-differences

Descartes acquires route optimization firm Foxtrot

21 April 2022

Descartes continues to look for ways to improve the entire logistics supply chain, including the ever-important final mile. On Thursday, the company announced the acquisition of Foxtrot, a provider of machine learning-based routing solutions.

“Descartes has been a leader in using advanced technology to extend its world-class route planning and execution solutions for more than 20 years,” said Ken Wood, executive vice president of product management at Descartes. “Advances in artificial...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/descartes-acquires-route-optimization-firm-foxtrot

Intelligent route optimization key to helping shippers achieve ESG goals

30 July 2021

Environmental Protection Agency research concluded that the transportation sector produces more greenhouse gases than any other sector in the United States at 29%. Making matters worse, e-commerce shopping, which came to prominence during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is keeping shippers on their toes and pushing carriers to complete deliveries with greater efficiency.

In fact, it’s reported that Americans spent $78 billion shopping online in March alone, topping off 2021’s first quarter...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/intelligent-route-optimization-key-to-helping-shippers-achieve-esg-goals

In honeybee waggle dance, clues to last-mile route optimization

31 August 2020

Vancouver B.C. company draws on “bee algorithm” to make route optimization accessible for last-mile delivery fleets.

Matt Kuo was working for an investment bank in Hong Kong using algorithms to trade on the stock market when he decided he wanted to dedicate his energy and talent to a more socially responsible profession. So in 2016 he launched Routific, a route optimizaton company aimed at improving the efficiency of last-mile delivery, saving companies money, and cutting down on greenhouse...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/in-bee-waggle-dance-clues-to-route-optimization

Solving the recurring problem of mobile workforce optimization

17 July 2020

In the last-mile segment of logistics, delivery route planning and schedule optimization are predominantly human-driven tasks. Organizing workforce and determining delivery routes of the day is an exhaustive process, which can negatively impact bottom lines if handled inefficiently.

OptimoRoute, a route planning and schedule optimization platform, bridges this gap by leveraging technology. “We help companies organize their mobile workforce, building routes and schedules for them to increase the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/solving-the-recurring-problem-of-mobile-workforce-optimization