Good
day,
European supply chain visibility
platform Shippeo has snared
$22 million in a Series B funding round co-led by NGP Capital and ETF Partners.
Bpifrance Digital Ventures and Partech also participated.
Shippeo, based in Paris, provides
predictive and real-time visibility into goods delivery. Founded in 2014,
Shippeo now employs 80 people in seven office locations throughout Europe.
“Welcoming top-tier investors is a
great source of pride for Shippeo. Their international reach and strong
experience in the mobility sector will be a major asset when implementing our
ambitious strategy to become the global leader of a $6 billion market,” said
Pierre Khoury, CEO, and Lucien Besse, COO, in a joint statement. “By
revolutionizing supply chain visibility, Shippeo aims to unlock value for
shippers and carriers, and in the long run, reinvent freight transport.”
Shippeo said the funding will be
used to expand its customer base; add up to 150 employees in data science, IT,
sales and operations; and triple its research and development in artificial
intelligence and automation.
“Working with great entrepreneurs
is our core mission at NGP Capital and we are honoured to join Pierre, Lucien
and the talented Shippeo team in their continued journey. The supply chain
industry is ripe for increased digitization and we look forward to adding value
to the company through our global model and network,” said Bo Ilsoe, partner of
NGP Capital.
Did you know?
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo
plans to double truck tolls in some locations as the state continues to battle
the trucking industry over the legality of the tolls. Officials said the
increases are necessary to compensate for fewer toll locations being installed.
Quotable:
“With key freight-generating
sectors of the economy starting to mend, we are reminded that freight cycle
troughs tend to last around two years. With the current cycle dating from
Q4’18, we have entered the sixth quarter of what is typically an eight-quarter
process. We would note that only once in the 2000s has a freight-cycle trough
persisted beyond two years, 2007-2009.”
— Kenny Vieth, ACT Research president and senior analyst, on the outlook for the freight market
In other news:
Global container movement falls for 2019
Tariffs helped drive down demand
for international goods in 2019, with container trade falling 1%, its worst
performance since 2009. (Lloyd’s List)
Container line tests hydrogen
CMA CGM will test a
hydrogen-powered vessel that uses seawater and renewable electricity in a
round-the-world trip. (Seatrade Maritime News)
Nikola unveils electric pickup
Nikola Motor, already building a
hydrogen-electric-powered Class 8 truck, has launched an electric pickup to
compete with Tesla, Rivian and Ford. (AutoX)
Volvo hosts engineers of tomorrow
Volvo Trucks hosted STEM students
at its assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia, giving the aspiring engineers a look
inside the facility and insight into the types of jobs available in engineering
and robotics. (WFXR)
Coronavirus muddles air cargo outlook
Airfreight volumes continue to
decline because of the coronavirus, and the outlook moving forward is
uncertain. (Air Cargo News)
Final thoughts
ACT Research has just put out its
latest North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook, and it is loaded with good
news for trucking. The outlook notes the industry is in the sixth quarter of a
freight downturn and that no downturn has lasted more than eight quarters. Many
of the publicly traded carriers have been saying the second half of 2020 is
looking better than the first half, and experts at the Katz, Sapper, Miller 2020
Trucking Owners and Leaders Roundtable last week echoed those sentiments. For
carriers that have weathered the past year-plus, it appears good times are
nearly here again.
Hammer down, everyone!
