Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

GlobalTranz expands RPA capabilities

Freight technology vendor increases automation to create a more efficient, data-driven environment for customers.

Freight technology vendor and third-party logistics services (3PL) provider GlobalTranz Enterprises Inc. has expanded its robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities, creating a more efficient, streamlined, and data-driven environment for shippers, freight agents, and carriers, the company said Tuesday.

RPA allows structured and routine digital processes to be automated and managed, according to Russ Felker, chief technology officer for GlobalTranz. The RPA expansion builds on GlobalTranz’ ongoing efforts to minimize manual involvement in the execution and management of freight movement while providing optimal shipment visibility, the company said.


“GlobalTranz has expanded RPA capabilities to automate data movement, in turn removing human error and relaying accurate and fast shipment visibility for customers,” Felker explained.

The firm’s expanded deployment of RPA increases automation while also providing customers with actionable data insights to help improve supply chain, distribution, and last-mile management.

“The demand for deep insights into real-time supply chain visibility has reached a new level because the coronavirus crisis exposed vulnerabilities in highly complex global supply chains,” Felker said. “We have enabled shippers to gain greater visibility to freight movements and thus respond more quickly to risks throughout all stages of the supply chain.”

Using RPA, GlobalTranz has improved its up-to-the-minute information and insights on rates, the company also said.

“Rather than requiring customers to go to a platform to get information and insights, we use RPA to proactively provide data and insights they need for their unique supply chains,” he explained. “RPA allows us to use larger data sets to surface trends in supply chains that help robust contingency planning.”

The Latest

More Stories

image of board and prevedere software

Board acquires Prevedere to build business prediction platform

The Boston-based enterprise software vendor Board has acquired the California company Prevedere, a provider of predictive planning technology, saying the move will integrate internal performance metrics with external economic intelligence.

According to Board, the combined technologies will integrate millions of external data points—ranging from macroeconomic indicators to AI-driven predictive models—to help companies build predictive models for critical planning needs, cutting costs by reducing inventory excess and optimizing logistics in response to global trade dynamics.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

vecna warehouse robots

Vecna Robotics names Iagnemma as new CEO

Material handling automation provider Vecna Robotics today named Karl Iagnemma as its new CEO and announced $14.5 million in additional funding from existing investors, the Waltham, Massachusetts firm said.

The fresh funding is earmarked to accelerate technology and product enhancements to address the automation needs of operators in automotive, general manufacturing, and high-volume warehousing.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of sectors that lease warehouse space

3PLs claim growing share of large industrial leases, CBRE says

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers’ share of large real estate leases across the U.S. rose significantly through the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same time last year, as more retailers and wholesalers have been outsourcing their warehouse and distribution operations to 3PLs, according to a report from real estate firm CBRE.

Specifically, 3PLs’ share of bulk industrial leasing activity—covering leases of 100,000 square feet or more—rose to 34.1% through Q3 of this year from 30.6% through Q3 last year. By raw numbers, 3PLs have accounted for 498 bulk leases so far this year, up by 9% from the 457 at this time last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
A robot in every factory?

A robot in every factory?

In a push to automate manufacturing processes, businesses around the world have turned to robots—the latest figures from the Germany-based International Federation of Robotics (IFR) indicate that there are now 4,281,585 robot units operating in factories worldwide, a 10% jump over the previous year. And the pace of robotic adoption isn’t slowing: Annual installations in 2023 exceeded half a million units for the third consecutive year, the IFR said in its “World Robotics 2024 Report.”

As for where those robotic adoptions took place, the IFR says 70% of all newly deployed robots in 2023 were installed in Asia (with China alone accounting for over half of all global installations), 17% in Europe, and 10% in the Americas. Here’s a look at the numbers for several countries profiled in the report (along with the percentage change from 2022).


Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Webb of Sparck Technologies
Sparck Technologies

In Person: Sean Webb of Sparck Technologies

Sean Webb’s background is in finance, not package engineering, but he sees that as a plus—particularly when it comes to explaining the financial benefits of automated packaging to clients. Webb is currently vice president of national accounts at Sparck Technologies, a company that manufactures automated solutions that produce right-sized packaging, where he is responsible for the sales and operational teams. Prior to joining Sparck, he worked in the financial sector for PEAK6, E*Trade, and ATD, including experience as an equity trader.

Webb holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and an MBA in finance from Western Michigan University.

Keep ReadingShow less