Delivering Industry Best ETAs and In-Transit Data to Customers

Providing an Integrated Platform

Earlier this month, Chicago-based FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking and visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms, and Boston-based supply chain visibility services provider Tive announced that they have partnered up in an effort to provide an integrated platform for mutual customers that combines various types of in-transit data - beyond shipment visibility - that will give customers a more complete end-customer experience.

The types of in-transit data that comprise the platform include location, market-leading ETAs, and temperature and light exposure, shipper load location, and condition, according to FourKites and Tive.

What’s more, citing strained supply chains, coupled with increases in consumer packaged goods, the companies said that this platform will help to ensure shipments arrive on-time and in full.

FourKites and Tive said that the Open Visibility Network partnership and integration mesh FourKites’ capabilities with Tive’s real-time in-transit load sensing data to “deliver immediate value to the global supply chain.”

Tive’s Solo 5G trackers stream temperature, light, shock, and other critical real-time load sensing data to the Tive Data Cloud, they said, and FourKites’ connectivity to telematics and GPS providers, coupled with its market-leading machine learning-based ETA engine provides a true depiction of when freight will arrive.

“Although both FourKites and Tive provide visibility for in-transit freight, they are complementary in their offerings and value,” explained Nimesh Patel, VP of Global Business Development at FourKites.

“Tive provides real-time data of the product inside the trailer, which includes location, temperature, impact, and light exposure, through their proprietary multi-sensor trackers, while FourKites provides end-to-end predictive visibility and market-leading ETAs using machine-learning algorithms, which are then integrated into its yard and appointment management solutions. We found we had numerous mutual customers using our solutions for different reasons, which helped us realize there's a larger opportunity for our companies to partner to share data so customers could gain comprehensive in-transit visibility of their freight through a single dashboard. By sharing data, we can enhance each other's core offerings and drive more ROI for our customers.”

This is not the first time FourKites and Tive have collaborated, as Patel pointed a previous partnership in which they built a simple one-way integration, which was driven by a specific customer who wanted to collect temperature data for loads in the FourKites platform.

When asked what the primary benefits of this partnership are for shippers, Patel observed that the Open Visibility Network (OVN) is the logistics industry's first collaborative supply chain visibility partner program.

“It connects shippers, logistics service providers (LSPs), brokers, and customers through collaborative data sharing, adding a layer of in-transit visibility beyond what's available today and eliminating cumbersome data silos,” said Patel.

“The OVN enables providers and customers to collaborate with instant access to data from a network of leading supply chain visibility providers.”

Tive CEO and Founder Krenar Komoni added in a statement that collaboration and open access to visibility data benefits everyone in the supply chain.

"Tive trackers are deployed on shipments worldwide, which means insightful data on carrier and route performance is growing every second of the day,” said Komoni.

“We are excited to partner with FourKites, the visibility market leader in the Food, Beverage, and CPG industries, among others, where the condition of an in-transit load is paramount. I’m proud to partner with FourKites to bring the industry-best ETA to Tive customers."

Last year, FourKites released its next-generation yard management platform - Dynamic Yard - which is the first solution to incorporate real-time in-transit data with in-yard freight to provide true visibility from point of origin to final destination.

FourKites plans to integrate Tive’s capabilities into the Dynamic Yard platform, as well, to give customers an unprecedented advantage by enabling them to identify temperature excursions; know precisely when the doors of a load are opened at the dock, and prioritize yard movements that reflect the actual condition of inbound and outbound shipments.

About Tive

Tive is a leading provider of real-time supply chain visibility insights that help logistics professionals actively manage their in-transit shipments’ location and condition. With Tive, shippers and logistics service providers (LSP) eliminate preventable delays, damage, and shipment failures. Tive’s solution provides data generated by its industry-leading trackers allowing clients to actively optimize their shipments, improve their customers’ experience, and unlock supply chain insights in an actionable real-time manner.

About FourKites

FourKites is the largest predictive supply chain visibility platform, delivering real-time visibility and predictive analytics for the broadest network of Global 1000 companies and third-party logistics firms. Using a proprietary algorithm to calculate shipment arrival times, FourKites enables customers to lower operating costs, improve on-time performance and strengthen end-customer relationships. FourKites’ network spans millions of GPS/ELD devices in 176+ countries and covers all modes, including truckload, LTL, ocean, rail, air, intermodal, courier, and parcel, and extends real-time visibility into the yard. FourKites has 1 million loads and over $100 billion in freight under management at any given time. The platform is optimized for mobile and equipped with market-leading end-to-end security. 

Related Resources

A Supply Chain Leader’s Guide to Optimizing Food & Beverage Logistics
In this guide, you’ll discover how leading food and beverage brands are putting supply chain visibility technology to work in their logistics operations, and reaping the benefits of improved transparency and collaboration across their supply chains. Download Now!

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Optimizing Store Operations through Supply Chain Visibility
In this FourKites case study, we describe how by leveraging visibility and harnessing its own data, PetSmart successfully transformed a frustrating liability into a powerful asset to building a competitive advantage. Download Now!

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Supply Chain Agility Toolkit
Planning Templates & Guides: 5 resources to help you build your strategy for a more agile and efficient supply chain. Access Now!

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More Resources from FourKites

Related Article: Accelerating the Adoption of Best-in-Class Supply Chain Visibility Solutions