Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

Birthdays of logistics firms in 2019 show burst of innovation

Here are the ages in 2019 of companies providing supply chain services from freight brokering to robots, shipping visibility, transportation, systems integration, material handling, and retail.

Ben Ames
By Ben AmesJan 04, 2019
Ben Ames
Ben Ames has spent 20 years as a journalist since starting out as a daily newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania in 1995. From 1999 forward, he has focused on business and technology reporting for a number of trade journals, beginning when he joined Design News and Modern Materials Handling magazines. Ames is author of the trail guide "Hiking Massachusetts" and is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.
See Full Bio


A post went around social media over the New Year’s break, listing the ages in 2019 of a handful of consumer technology firms. The firms range from upstarts like the crowd-sourced, ride-hailing service Lyft (7 years) and the social network Snapchat (8 years) to stalwarts like personal computer pioneers HP (80 years) and IBM (108 years). The full list follows:

Clouds_dispatches_blog

Lyft: 7 years


Snapchat: 8 years
Uber: 10 years
Twitter: 13 years
Facebook: 15 years
Tesla: 16 years
Google: 21 years
Mozilla: 21 years
Netflix: 22 years
Amazon: 25 years
Apple: 43 years
Microsoft: 44 years
Intel: 51 years
HP: 80 years
IBM: 108 years

Source: Emil Protalinski, News Editor, VentureBeat

In the spirit of that exercise, we were curious about compiling a similar list for the logistics sector. Here are the ages in 2019 of companies providing supply chain services from freight brokering to robots, shipping visibility, transportation, systems integration, material handling, and retail.

The list reveals a burst of innovative data sharing and robotics products launched on the market in the past decade, as well as impressive longevity for software providers and traditional transport platforms.

What results will a similar exercise produce in another 10 years? At the rate our industry is creating clever solutions, the answer is sure to surprise. Check back in this column in 2029 for the big reveal…

Uber Freight: 2 years
Convoy: 4 years
RightHand Robotics: 4 years
6 River Systems Inc: 4 years
FourKites: 5 years
Fetch Robotics: 5 years
Project44: 5 years
Convey: 6 years
Transfix: 6 years
10-4 Systems: 7 years
XPO Logistics Inc.: 8 years
Uber: 10 years
Echo Global Logistics: 14 years
GlobalTranz: 16 years
Intelligrated (now a unit of Honeywell): 18 years
MercuryGate International Inc.: 19 years
Amazon.com Inc.: 25 years
Manhattan Associates: 29 years
JDA Software Inc.: 34 years
CMA CGM:  41 years
FedEx Corp.: 46 years
Penske Truck Leasing Co.: 50 years
Walmart Inc.: 57 years
J.B. Hunt: 58 years
Knapp AG: 67 years
UPS Inc.: 112 years
C.H. Robinson: 114 years
A.P. Moller-Maersk: 115 years
Swisslog Logistics Automation: 119 years
Union Pacific Railroad: 157 years
BNSF Railway: 160 years
Dematic (now a unit of Kion): 200 years

Blog
dispatches
Blog
dispatches

The Latest

graphic of coverage areas for US DOT
Article

Trump nominates former Wisconsin Congressman Duffy for DOT

screen shot of AI assistant
Article

Accenture and Microsoft launch business AI unit

penske truck leasing site with rooftop solar panels
Article

Penske activates solar panels at three truck leasing sites

retail store tech AI zebra
Article

Retailers plan tech investments to stop theft and loss

More Stories

5 scary thoughts about disasters and disaster relief

It’s almost Halloween, and if your town is anything like mine, your neighbors’ yards are already littered with ghosts, witches and tombstones. 

Clearly some of us enjoy giving other people a scare. Just as clearly, some of us enjoy getting a scare.  

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

freight at a sea port
Article

DOT delivers $580 million to boost port infrastructure

map of IMC drayage terminals in US
Article

Kuehne+Nagel acquires 51% of Tennessee drayage firm IMC

Stampin’ Up!’s Riverton, Utah, distribution center
Article

Picking reimagined

U.S. map with drought risk
Article

Everstream Analytics quantifies how climate risk affects supply chains

chart of global supplier capacity
Article

Suppliers report spare capacity for fourth straight month

Keep a clear focus on enterprise priorities.

"Spot solutions are needed to help a company get through a sudden shock, but the only way to ensure agility and resilience going forward is by addressing systemic issues in a way that is intentional and focused on the long term and brings together clear priorities, well-designed repeatable processes, robust governance, and a skilled team." - Harvard Business Review

From Low Cost to Best Cost

An article published by McKinsey & Co. in August observed, “over the past year, many companies have made structural changes to their supply networks by implementing dual or multiple sourcing strategies for critical materials and moving from global to regional networks.”

This structural change pivots on the difference between low cost and best cost.  The shift extends through Tier 1 Suppliers through lower tiers.  The intent of a low-cost supply chain strategy is to present a low price to customers. A best-cost strategy adds factors beyond cost to the equation, like risk, lead time, and responsiveness.

Keep ReadingShow less

Digital Freight Execution: Making Win-Win Connections

As global supply chains become increasingly complicated, there are now more digital connections and business collaborations in the global shipping industry than ever before. Holding freight data in opaque, disconnected silos and relying on outdated methods of communication is not just inefficient - it’s unsustainable.

The global supply chain is no longer a linear process. Whereas before it was simply about moving freight from point A to B, now there is now a multitude of options for transporting that freight, each with its own unique set of capabilities and constraints. 

Keep ReadingShow less

No wonder we are short of labor in the supply chain.

America’s posture in world trade, and the underlying supply chains, are more than robust.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the United States balance of trade in goods and services deficit dropped to $70.6 billion in July.  Exports hit the highest level in real dollars since tracking began over 70 years ago.  During the recovery from Covid,, with reshoring and shifting market demands, are holding imports flat..

This success is happening despite the global disruption caused by Ukraine.  Expect our labor shortages to continue.  Expect wage pressure to continue.  Expect inflationary pressures across the supply chain to continue.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2024.