project44, the Chicago-based advanced logistics visibility platform, on Tuesday announced enhancements to its Network Management Center (NMC), aimed at improving automation and connection for carriers, shippers and logistics services providers.
Transportation visibility depends on a vendor’s ability to integrate with its customer’s unique ecosystem of global carriers. Historically, however, these carrier networks have been cobbled together through cumbersome email surveys and manual phone calls.
The NMC, introduced last year, automated the North American and European truckload carrier onboarding process. And now, with the newly enhanced capabilities, shippers, logistics providers and carriers can increase their agility during periods of uncertainty, a press release from project44 stated.
Previously, the NMC focused on API connections through the carriers’ ELD or telematics devices. The new functions allow customers to view carriers in the NMC regardless of how they connect to project44’s network, and they can interact with carriers whose connection does not involve a third-party device integration.
These carriers represent a significant percentage of overall truckload shipping volume in North America, enabling shippers and logistics providers to view all of their carriers in a single place.
“Before partnering with project44, connecting our customers’ carriers was a very labor-intensive process. It could take weeks, even months, to fully tap into their network,” commented Matt Silver, CEO and Co-Founder of Forager, in a press release.
“p44’s NMC streamlines carrier onboarding, giving us status reports and automatically reminding carriers to complete the process,” Silver said. “Now we have the potential to add thousands of carriers to our network, all within a week of the initial invite.”
In addition to increasing the ways shippers and logistics providers can connect to carriers, the new application provides carriers with instant access to project44’s global customer base, improving efficiencies and opportunities for data sharing.
“The NMC has been a big value driver for our customers and carrier base since it launched in Europe in 2017, and we knew it would be a big focus for visibility investment in North America as well,” said Tommy Barnes, head of global network partnerships at project44, in the release.
“By providing one simple application that allows our customers to seamlessly interact with hundreds of thousands of carriers,” Barnes said, “we continue delivering on our commitment to end-to-end visibility, increased efficiency and profitability across the entire supply chain.”