O New York Times, in partnership with the company CB Insights, released in February 2019 a list of the 50 start-ups with the greatest potential to become the new unicorns (designation created for start-ups that manage to reach a valuation of 1 billion dollars). Among the Brazilian companies that have been included in this select group in recent years are Nubank, 99, PagSeguro, among others. In the new list released for 2019, there are two logistics and supply chain companies: the Brazilian CargoX and the American Embark Trucks.
CargoX is a start-up from São Paulo that uses big data and machine learning technologies to connect trucks and shippers. Through the application, truck drivers can join the other 150 already registered on the platform and offer transport services to customers, from small businesses to large companies such as Ambev, Unilever and Votorantim. Among its competitors, TruckPad stands out, which similarly to CargoX has an application that connects truck drivers and cargo owners. The service offered by the companies generates several benefits, such as reducing idleness of assets, increasing revenue from truck drivers and reducing costs for cargo shippers, in addition to offering visibility and tracking of cargo in real time.
Figure 1 – Cargo X, Brazilian start-up for cargo transportation.
Source: CargoX/Disclosure
Embark Trucks is a company that focuses on the development of autonomous truck technology for transporting cargo on American highways. A Fernanda and Alexandre already talked a little about the development and application of autonomous vehicles, but it is worth mentioning that Embark is a company that has stood out in this scenario. Unlike competitors that are also developing autonomous vehicles, such as Uber and Waymo (owned by Alphabet, which owns Google), Embark's focus is on the long leg of transportation. That is, transfers between DCs, for example, which occur with larger trucks and on large highways. And the company is already transporting cargo along a large American highway. In partnership with Electrolux and the carrier Ryder, Embark makes a route between Texas and California of almost 1.000 km with an autonomous vehicle, although they use a driver to take control if something does not work correctly. The experience gained has helped Embark expand its operations, and Alex Rodrigues, the company's CEO, believes that in a few years there will be fully autonomous trucks transporting cargo in the US.
Video 1 – The world's largest autonomous freight route operated by Embark
Source: Embark.
Both CargoX and Embark use innovative technologies to create systems that make it possible to offer a differentiated service. These disruptions promise to reshape supply chains and challenge various sectors and industries.
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Henry Alvarenga
He has been working in consultancy for 7 years, with experience in more than 20 Demand Planning and S&OP projects, Logistics Network Design, Logistics Master Plan, Inventory Policies, Operations Strategy and Market Intelligence
