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Sennder buys Uber’s European freight business

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Sennder buys Uber’s European freight business. Image: Sennder Founders
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sennder, Europe’s leading digital freight forwarder, announced today that it has acquired Uber’s European freight business in an all-stock transaction. The two companies have joined forces to further revolutionize the digital freight industry across Europe, the US and Canada. Uber will acquire a minority stake in sennder as part of this deal, and its European freight business will continue operating under the sennder brand.

This acquisition marks sennder’s further consolidation of the trucking market and extends the group’s local presence to include Amsterdam. It is sennder’s second transaction this year, having merged with French counterpart Everoad in June, and following a recently established Joint Venture with Poste Italiane, Italy’s largest logistics operator. Uber Freight’s European General Manager, Tom Christenson, will join sennder as Chief Operating Officer and Daniel Warner, currently Head of Shipper Operations, will join as Senior Vice President Commercial. The Amsterdam based Uber Freight team will join sennder once the transaction has closed, and sennder will establish a new office in Amsterdam.

Strategic partnership

As part of this deal, sennder and Uber entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to provide enterprise shippers with a market-leading level of service, efficiency and advanced technologies for freight logistics services across the US, Canada and Europe. The agreement includes a shipper referral program in which sennder will refer shippers seeking freight brokerage or similar services in North America to Uber Freight, and vice versa.

The deal strengthens sennder’s position as the largest digital freight forwarder in Europe and enhances its service capabilities across its key markets. Uber will continue to grow and invest in its Uber Freight business across the US and Canada, while Uber Freight will collaborate with sennder as leading digital logistics providers in North America and Europe. Through this agreement, Uber Freight will offer its customers substantially extended reach in Europe.

Acceleration of growth

Since its foundation in 2015, Berlin-based sennder has raised over €120m from leading investors including Accel, Lakestar, HV Ventures, Project A and Scania and demonstrated its ability to grow quickly and effectively. Following the closing of the transaction, sennder will have offices in 7 countries, with a team of over 500 people moving 50,000 loads across Europe a month.

Focused on modernizing the European freight market, an industry now valued at nearly €400bn, the company is very optimistic about its growth outlook for the foreseeable future. Through its proprietary technology sennder connects large enterprise companies with small trucking firms. This digital solution reduces inefficiencies in the shipping process: lowering costs for shippers, increasing revenues for carriers and reducing industry emissions.

David Nothacker, CEO and Co-Founder of sennder, said: “We are immensely proud to have created the leading digital road freight forwarder in Europe, moving more than 50,000 loads every month across 31 countries. This acquisition strengthens our position as Europe’s number one digital logistics provider. We also look forward to working with Uber Freight to bring further value to both companies’ customers.”

Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight, said: “We are proud of the incredible growth and success our Uber Freight team in Europe was able to achieve. This collaboration with sennder allows us to further extend our reach in Europe while doubling down on our Uber Freight business in North America, and to jointly push the digital freight industry forward.”

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Logistics & Supply Chain

Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley

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Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
Ryder establishes Baton, a Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Image: Ryder
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Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, announces the establishment of Baton, A Ryder Technology Lab, based in Silicon Valley. Baton’s mission is to pioneer a suite of groundbreaking customer-facing technologies designed to revolutionize how Ryder’s customers interact with their transportation and supply chain networks. These technologies will digitize and optimize networks at a level not currently available in the industry and will prepare Ryder for the coming artificial intelligence wave.

“The establishment of a Silicon Valley-based technology lab is a natural evolution for Ryder, as we build on the $1.3 billion in strategic investments we’ve made over the past five years to develop, acquire, and invest in innovative technologies, products, and services that help make our customers’ logistics networks more efficient and resilient,” says Karen Jones, CMO and head of new product development for Ryder. “To build on that success, it’s paramount we continue to invest in recruiting the brightest technology minds out there and provide them with a startup environment where they have the space and freedom to create, along with the resources of a $12 billion company.”

Leading Ryder’s innovation lab are Andrew Berberick and Nate Robert, co-chief product and technology officers for Ryder. The two founded San Francisco-based startup Baton, which was known for the development of a proprietary logistics technology focused on optimizing transportation networks. Ryder initially invested in Baton’s Series A funding round and then acquired the startup last year.

“What piqued our interest in Ryder then, and what keeps us excited today, is the fact that it’s the only fully integrated port-to-door logistics provider in North America managing the complex supply chains of many of the world’s biggest and best-known brands. That gives Ryder tremendous perspective and reach, and as engineers, it provides us with the unique opportunity to tackle some of the largest and most daunting problems in the industry today, while preparing Ryder and its customers for the coming AI wave,” says Berberick.

Baton’s first challenge is to create a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered digital platform and optimization engine that facilitates a new, integrated approach to managing transportation networks for customers where seasonality and fluctuating demand inhibit the continuous use of resources.

“There is a massive amount of waste when supply chains do not communicate. We believe we can change that and bring deep transformation to an entire sector,” says Robert. “That’s why we’re now actively recruiting talented technologists from some of Silicon Valley’s most respected technology firms to help solve some of the most complex problems plaguing the nearly $2.5 trillion North American transportation and logistics industry. We’re looking for engineers excited by the challenge and who want the autonomy and nimbleness of a startup environment but with the power, reach, and stability of a highly respected industry titan.”

Berberick holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for Google, Accenture, and Mindtribe; Robert holds a bachelor’s degree from MIT and master’s degree from Stanford University and worked for BuildZoom and Bain & Company, prior to cofounding Baton. Other key members of the Baton technology lab bring experience from Apple, Meta, OpenAI, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tesla, Loadsmart, Kinema Systems (acquired by Boston Dynamics), PlayStation, Zynga, and LinkedIn.

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Logistics & Supply Chain

Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals

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Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
Rail freight on track for record volumes at APM Terminals. Image: APM Terminals
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Rail is acknowledged as the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land, with a gallon of fuel stretching an average of 500 miles, according to the Association of American Railroads. In July this year the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) endorsed the push for freight railroads, stating that the transport mode can play a key role in the solution to climate change.

That assessment is something that APM Terminals has been fully on board with for some time. We’re committed to raising the standards of responsibility by offering low or zero carbon solutions for customers and consumers through our decarbonisation efforts and increasing rail transport options.

Record loads in India

Take for example APM Terminals Pipavav, which has taken nearly 50,000 containers off the road to substantially reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Just last month the port handled 206 trains – the highest number this year so far, pulling significantly ahead of its previous loading record of 157 double stack trains in a month in 2020.

Carbon-conscious in the US

Pipavav is not an exception. A few months ago, our operations in Mobile Alabama announced a bumper $60 million rail expansion in response to demand from increasingly carbon-conscious customers.

According to EPA data, freight railroads account for just 0.5% of total US emissions and only 1.7% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Added to this, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) states: “Moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers GHG emissions by up to 75%, on average”.

Sustainability with speed

The benefits of rail extend even beyond important net zero targets, as APM Terminals Americas Head, Leo Huisman acknowledges: “Our customers are looking for expanded options for their supply chains so we are focusing on faster connections to rail providers into inland markets.” The APM Terminals Mobile rail facility will therefore enable faster rail loading and departures.

Eyes trained on the future

Customer demand for sustainable and fast transport in the US and India is mirrored in Europe, where our colleague Homam Mansour is keeping his sights on the future of intermodal transport in his role as Rail Planner in our Gothenburg terminal, Sweden. Under his watch, Gothenburg has set an ambition to never refuse extra trains. Says Mansour: “We kept this promise throughout 2022, receiving and handling 84 extra trains requested by our customers at short notice”.

The commitment to rail has seen the volume of containers transported by rail via APM Terminals Gothenburg increase by 13% this year compared to 2021. More than 55% of all goods now reach the port by rail.

At APM Terminals globally, we train our sights on customer-focused, environment-friendly, and speedy supply chain solutions, and those priorities will continue to gain momentum.

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Environment

Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains

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Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
Hapag-Lloyd partners with DB Schenker to decarbonise supply chains. Image: Hapag-Lloyd
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Hapag-Lloyd has entered into a partnership with DB Schenker for the purpose of decarbonising supply chains. Following the launch of “Ship Green” in May, the renowned logistics provider has selected Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainable transport solution as part of its sustainability initiatives.

DB Schenker and Hapag-Lloyd have signed an agreement for emission-reduced container transports with a waste- and residue-based biofuel. By end of 2023, DB Schenker plans to claim approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions avoidance. This is based on at least 1,000 tonnes of pure biofuel.

“We are excited about this new partnership with DB Schenker as we share the common goal of making logistics more sustainable. Collaborations like these set a clear signal in the industry and are another example of a step-by-step approach to further decarbonise supply chains”, said Henrik Schilling, Managing Director Global Commercial Development at Hapag-Lloyd.

“I am very pleased that together with Hapag-Lloyd we are setting another example for sustainability in our industry. This partnership further enlarges our global biofuel offer in ocean freight. With this commitment we are one step closer to our goal of becoming carbon-neutral”, said Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker.

Hapag-Lloyd has launched the Ship Green product to offer its customers emission-reduced ocean transports. Based on biofuel, customers of Hapag-Lloyd can add Ship Green as an additional service to their existing bookings – thereby avoiding CO2e emissions. Using the so-called “Book & Claim” chain of custody, Hapag-Lloyd can attribute avoided emissions to all ocean-leg transports, regardless of the vessel and route used. Ship Green is available for all shipments containing standard, hardtop or tank equipment. By offering Ship Green, Hapag-Lloyd is continuing along its path towards achieving climate-neutral fleet operations by 2045.

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