We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Logistics pros migrate toward cloud-based software to keep freight moving despite coronavirus closures

Logistics pros migrate toward cloud-based software to keep freight moving despite coronavirus closures

Cloud software vendors offer free access to products like transportation management, route optimization, last-mile visibility, remote robotic operations, inventory management platform.

March 20, 2020
Ben Ames
No Comments

Logistics professionals throughout the industry are changing their work habits in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as non-essential employees are told to work from home throughout Pennsylvania, New York, California, and in thousands of individual businesses across the country.

With many workers no longer reporting to the office, the transition is driving a spike in demand for cloud-based supply chain software as opposed to the on-premise platforms that typically run on a business’ own servers, many technology vendors say.

One example can be seen in transportation management software (TMS), according to InMotion Global Inc., the Tampa, Florida-based producer of the cloud-based product AscendTMS. New subscriptions to the AscendTMS platform are running 133% higher than the same period in 2019 as fleet carriers, brokers, third party logistics providers (3PLs), and shippers increasingly telecommute instead of head in to the office, the firm said.

In response to the trend, InMotion Global has dropped its subscription fee, making AscendTMS available at no cost to any company needing help for 30 days, the firm said Thursday. In addition to opening the platform to potential new customers, the move is intended to encourage the logistics community to follow “social distancing” procedures, the company said. Social distancing policies are intended to slow the spread of the virus and buy time for medical professionals to acquire the ventilators, hospital beds, and other equipment needed to treat the sickest patients.

“The rush by logistics companies to have their staff work from home has caused AscendTMS subscriptions to explode this month,” Chris Parker, COO at AscendTMS, said in a release. “It looks like the recent government mandates are being heeded as more and more companies are being forced to let their logistics teams working from home to avoid possible coronavirus infection from community spread.”

Another company seeing fast subscription growth is Route4Me, whose “Dynamic Route Optimization” software helps plan last-mile delivery routes. In the interest of public health and safety, the company said Wednesday it is now offering all its available services free of charge to all government agencies at the federal, city, and municipality level around the world. Route4Me says its service is being made available as an unlimited free subscription until the peak of the coronavirus public threat has passed. Public officials can sign up for a free trial, permitting any number of team members to be added to a trial account.

“Driver shortages existed before the pandemic, but things have gotten much worse,” Route4Me Founder and CEO Dan Khasis said in a release. “Our technology will help plan the shortest, fastest, and most optimal driving routes, and it will also help track the location and progress of each task and route destination. Gaining visibility into activities completed by employees, contractors, or volunteers is very powerful when every minute of activity helps others.”

Likewise, the logistics technology firm Convey Inc. said this week that it is now offering free access through the end of April to its “Predictive Insights” software product, part of the company’s “delivery experience management” platform for monitoring last-mile delivery and identifying network transportation issues, the company said.

Other examples include: 

  • formant.io, a San Francisco-based company whose platform allows users to observe, manage, and operate fleets of robots remotely. The firm is now offering free access to its platform to any organization working to fight the pandemic, saying it will also provide free technical consultation and support. formant.io has also extended the standard trial period of its observability and teleoperation platforms from 30 days to 90, saying the move can help accelerate robotics development while keeping the industry’s employees safe.
  • Elementum, a San Mateo, California-based provider of supply chain incident management solutions, that has invited supply chain organizations affected by disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic to use its “Elementum Essentials” product at no cost for the rest of this year. Teams can use the tool to track, manage, collaborate, and resolve supply chain disruptions even if teams and external partners are working remotely from their homes, the firm says.
  • Jump Technologies, an Eagan, Minnesota-based firm that has temporarily opened its inventory management platform to all hospitals at no cost, saying the move can help facilities ensure they have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and related COVID-19 supplies available for hospital workers.

We're offering all our available services free of charge to all government agencies at the federal, city, and municipality levels around the world in the interest of public health and safety. https://t.co/yX23ai4wT5#CoronaVirusUpdate #CoronavirusOutbreak #Corona #CoronaAlert

— Route4Me (@Route4Me) March 19, 2020
Technology Disaster Response Coronavirus Coverage
KEYWORDS AscendTMS Convey coronavirus covid-19 Elementum Formant InMotion Global Inc. Jump Technologies Route4Me Inc.
  • Related Articles

    Demand for inventory, e-commerce fuels long-term outlook for logistics real estate

    Port of New York and New Jersey expects “another strong week” amid Covid-19 pandemic

    Coronavirus closures hit logistics industry trade show calendar

Benames
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.

Recent Articles by Ben Ames

Jungheinrich buys Indiana warehouse automation vendor for $375 million

Shipping groups back bipartisan trucking overhaul bill

Walmart boosts investment in GoLocal delivery-as-a-service platform

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Big and bulky last-mile delivery segment set for hot growth

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • In Person: Steve Beverly of Penske

  • InPerson interview: Rob McKeel of Fortna

Now Playing on DCV-TV

89cfed30 8aac 4284 960d c8c8c1886e16

Have you checked your read rate lately?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
No reads. Unaccounted for boxes. Boxes sent to the wrong place. A logistics nightmare! But this nightmare doesn’t have to come true. SICK’s linear line scan camera is what dreams are made of for your logistics operations. And if you’re worried about motion and vibration from conveyor belts...well, there’s no reason...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing