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How to Leverage Technology to Meet Your Sustainability Goals

The transportation industry is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. As companies launch internal sustainability initiatives, many forget that that road to sustainability remains a collaborative effort. For Earth Day this year, our CEO, Mustafa Azizi sat down with FreightWaves’ Kevin Hill for their “Put That Coffee Down” segment during the Net-Zero Carbon Summit to share how our technology helps companies measure and reduce their impact on the environment. 

First, Azizi introduces Project 72, specifically highlighting our Heal-O-Zone initiative & Corporate Responsibility efforts. Next, he shares examples of how ZUUM provides tools for all parties to monitor and manage their carbon footprint. For example, BEYOND TMS (our transportation management system for shippers) displays carbon emission hostposts based on their uploaded lane data. Carriers have access to our Backhaul Finder as a means to mitigate deadheading.

As freight technology companies race to develop a definitive solution for empty miles, Azizi expresses the necessary approach comes from the collective participation of all industry players. Enterprise shippers are already investigating how they can combine their lanes to reduce empty miles. 

In a perfect world, all shipper lanes would be aggregated and shared with all carriers to be organized and priced accurately, closing gaps in efficiency. However, the industry seems to be hesitant towards this type of concerted effort as it has the potential to create conflicts of interest among shippers. In an effort to dissipate this concern, we at ZUUM aim to lead by example and have therefore shared our technology with shippers, brokers, and carriers. Our goal is to unite all parties on one connected platform to drive greater efficiency for all.

Watch the video to learn about what’s next for ZUUM.

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Blog Events

From Paper to Platform: Venture Capitalist Panel

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

For our VC Panel, Taylor Oliver, the Supply Chain Fund Coordinator of Plug and Play moderated a discussion between Mike Zayonc, Founder of Plug and Play Supply Chain; Justin Young, Investment Manager of Prologis Ventures; Vince Monteparte, Venture Partner of Sway Ventures; and Jim Ferry, Vice President of Volition Capital about their outlook on the state of venture capital in the supply chain industry and their approach to working with their portfolio companies.

First they deliberated whether the increase in the number of SPAC (special purpose acquisition companies) deals had some staying power. Next, each panelist shared some key characteristics they saw across successful Series A companies. Young mentioned his team focused on evaluating product-market fit and whether there is a clear implementation process to achieve ROI; he uses this assessment for all venture-backed companies. Monteparte pointed out that some of the most successful companies he worked with embodied a clear strategy from the beginning. Zayonc shared his insight on why Plug and Play has invested in ZUUM,  noting executive team dynamics and their ability to convert corporate partners into customers.

Afterwards, Oliver asked the panelists how they split their time between working with their portfolio companies and sourcing potential investments. While most mentioned they rely on the expertise of their in-house analysts, the group as a whole recognized dispersing their time among the whole ecosystems equally results in having a comprehensive understanding of the market.

To close the discussion out, our moderator gave our speakers the opportunity to pitch themselves on why startups should work with their investment firms.

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Blog Events

From Paper to Platform: What the Supply Chain Industry Can Learn From Growth Hacking with Sean Ellis

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

Author of Hacking Growth, Sean Ellis took a moment out of his day to share how companies can rethink growth. Oftentimes, when businesses think of growth, they think of revenue growth. However, the concept of growth hacking is based on delivering more value for your customers.

He shares a few examples of companies who have incorporated growth hacking into their corporate strategy; a commonality among these companies is that they have also notably disrupted traditional industries. 

So how exactly does a company drive growth? Ellis shares that companies should be looking to make an impact on their customers’ lives. The first step is to view each area of your operation as an opportunity for improvement and run rapid experiments. By integrating the initiatives that have made minor improvements, companies are  positioning themselves for sustainable growth.

Ellis also advises companies to assign a North Star Metric to a KPI that truly equates to delivering more value for your customers. He warns that while revenue can be utilized as a North Star Meric, if your team focuses on growing revenue instead of value, it’s likely your revenue growth will crash as it is not sustainable. 

The last thing to keep in mind is that companies can apply growth experiments across all stages of the customer journey, not just in customer acquisition.

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From Paper to Platform: Fireside Chat with Saeed Amidi

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

For our first fireside chat, ZUUM’s COO,  Matt Tabatabai sat down with the Founder and CEO of Plug and Play Ventures, Saeed Amidid. They covered a range of topics from how Amidi got started in the tech industry to what his vision is for the future of Plug and Play.

For  those who are unfamiliar with Amidi’s story, his journey into the investment space began with a building he rented out for commercial space. One tenant in particular offered to pay several month’s rent in advance if Amidi would be willing to invest in his startup. That tenet was Peter Thiel, Founder of Paypal. Former tenants also included early-stage startups like Google, Logitech, and Danger.

Amidi has had the opportunity to meet and work with ambitious entrepreneurs worldwide. He aims to connect and expand their reach globally to help further their success. 

Prior to the pandemic, Plug and Play’s global offices were hosting in-person events on a regular basis. As lockdowns went into effect, the company needed to adapt quickly. Shortly  after, they moved all their events online. He noticed that their virtual events gained global attention and grew attendance by ten folds.

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Blog Events

From Paper to Platform: Industry Challenges Panel

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

During the Industry Challenges Panel, ZUUM’s Vice President of Business Development, Chris Lee led a discussion with Pat Martin, Vice President of Corporate Sales & Strategic Planning at Estes Express Lines; Dan White, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Coca-Cola; Robert Sutton, Executive Vice President of Innovation at BNSF Logistics; and Michael Ahmed, Chief Operating Officer of The Gorilla Glue Company. The industry leaders examined the barriers to tech adoption and explored opportunities for collaboration.

First they each shared their primary considerations for rolling out new technologies within their respective organizations. Ahmed expressed his focus on available resources, expected ROI, and anticipated adoption through his organization; the other panellists resounded in agreement. Sutton mentioned he also places an emphasis on measuring the ease implementation and the amount of time it takes to begin seeing ROI. Martin chimed in to acknowledge while there are a number of factors that go into evaluating such initiatives, it’s most important that the piece of technology addresses your core pain point.

During the second half of the discussion, the panellists reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of working from home. One panellist noted they had become much more productive since their team reduced the number of meetings their organization had, therefore giving him more time to focus on individual tasks. However, they all admitted they missed the daily interactions of an office environment.

In conclusion, while each organization will continue to pursue their strategic goals, it is difficult to ignore the interconnectedness between their operations and supply chains.  To break down the information silos that legacy processes have created, corporations and industry leaders need to come together to develop solutions that are beneficial to all stakeholders.

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From Paper to Platform: VC Investment in Supply Chain & Logistics with Craig Fuller

ZUUM Transportation hosted the webinar, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology Through Collaboration & Partnerships on March 11th, 2021 where they invited industry experts, venture capitalists, executives, and founders to share their insight. Watch the full recording on-demand here.

Following the opening remarks by Mustafa Azizi was founder and CEO of FrieghtWaves, Craig Fuller. He stopped by to share what he believes the future holds for the logistics industry. FrieghtWaves is the No.1 source for media and market analytics in the global freight industry.

There’s no arguing that the global pandemic emphasized the critical role of transportation and logistics in the economy. The unanticipated disruption revealed gaps in efficiency, making the industry ripe for innovation — and VC investment.

Fuller notes the level of investment going into the supply chain and logistics industry is unprecedented. While many incumbents are skeptical of the sustainability of the sheer volume of investments, he counters the suggestion of a growing tech bubble by referencing the origination of the fintech sector.

The next decade in logistics will be categorized by critical masses of acceleration and capital.

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Blog Events Supply Chain Expertise

From Paper to Platform Webinar Wrap Up

If you’ve had the chance to join one of ZUUM’s live webinars, you know they are always filled with energy, insight, and engaging conversation. The event took place on March 11th and was titled, From Paper to Platform: Adopting Logistics Technology through Collaboration and Partnerships, was no different.

Making time to tune into live webinars can be difficult; things come up all the time. That’s why we’ve made our webinar available for on-demand viewing here.

To kick things off, our very own CEO, Mustafa Azizi and COO, Matt Tabatabai opened the event. 

During the Future of Trucking Virtual Event, we found that embracing coopetition could be key in solving the fragmentation that exists in the logistics industry.

Watch the Future of Trucking highlights reel here.

VC Investment in Supply Chain & Logistics

Our first speaker, Craig Fuller from FrieghtWaves discussed VC Investment in Supply Chain and Logistics and compared the renaissance occurring in supply chain technology to the early days of the fintech industry.

Fireside Chat with Saeed Amidi

Next, Matt sat down with Saeed Amidi from Plug and Play Ventures to reflect on his investments and his vision for the logistics tech space.

What the Supply Chain Industry Can Learn From Growth Hacking

Afterwards, Sean Ellis, the author of the book Hacking Growth stopped by to demonstrate how companies can embody the notions of growth throughout their organizations.

Venture Capitalist Panel

For our first discussion, Taylor Oliver from Plug and Play invited Volition’s Jim Ferry, Prologis Ventures’ Justin Young, Sway Ventures’ Vince Monteparte, and Plug and Play Ventures’ Mike Zayonc to examine their approach to sourcing potential investments, supporting their portfolio companies, and navigating the current landscape.

The Effects of Digitization on Supply Chain Management

Our VC Panel was followed by Dean Matthew Waller from the University of Arkansas highlighting the number of digitization initiatives that were thrusted into “forced experiments” brought on by the global pandemic.

Industry Challenges Panel

For our second panel discussion, our Vice President of Business Development, Chris Lee led the conversation on the industry’s challenges. Joining him was Robert Sutton from BNSF Logistics, Pat Martin from Estes Express Lines, Dan White from Coca-Cola, and Michael Ahmed from The Gorilla Glue Company where they explored how widespread tech adoption relies heavily on end user experience.

What Global and Domestic Logistics Technology Ecosystems Can Learn From One Another

Next up we had Eric Johnson from Journal of Commerce sharing his insight on what global and domestic logistics technology ecosystems can learn from one another. While the location of a logistics tech firm may seem insignificant in a post-COVID world, the access to talent, domain expertise, and potential end users will be critical to the success of logistics companies.

Solutions Panel

For our final panel discussion, Johnson was joined by Mustafa Azizi from ZUUM Transportation, John Fitzgerald from Project44, Bobby Harris from BlueGrace Logistics, and Kurt Hoppe formerly from General Motors. The panel of tech industry experts analyzed what elements are necessary for tech adoption. They also uncovered how close collaboration among competitors and between shippers, brokers, carriers, and technology providers will be crucial in developing logistics technology solutions for tomorrow.

Achieving Rapid System Integration via LPA (Logistics Process Automation)

To close things out, Tabatabati sat down with Everest’s Kam Hosn to discuss how robotic process automation (RPA) can be applied to supply chain and logistics.

All in all, we had great time hosting this webinar and hope everyone enjoyed tuning in or watching it on-demand.

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Blog Logistics News

ZUUM Transportation Exhibits New Tech at FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week

ZUUM Transportation joined experts across the world of freight and for the FreightWaves Global Supply Chain Week. The 8-day virtual conference featured new technologies, industry leaders and keynote speakers to discuss the biggest topics in the supply chain industry. 

Live Interview with Mustafa Azizi 

On Day 2, attendees had the opportunity to watch Andrew Cox and Seth Holm from the ‘Great Quarter, Guys’ podcast interview our CEO, Mustafa Azizi. He celebrates the strides ZUUM has made since its inception. Focusing on product development that truly solves our customers’ pain points has allowed us to release solutions for shippers, brokers, carriers, and drivers that are both modular and scalable. Azizi also suggests a more cooperative approach to data and capacity aggregation among logistics technology providers. His vision manifests itself in tech partnerships between ZUUM and (what some would  consider) our competitors. As this initiative gains traction, he predicts the industry will evolve into a more productive, efficient, and profitable space for both logistics technology providers and users. 

Rapid-Demo with Matt Tabatabai

On Day 3, our COO, Matt Tabatabai demonstrated how the First Logistics Super Platform optimizes every part of freight management, from planning and decision-making to analysis and reporting. Tabatabai along with others showcased FreightTech needed for future supply chains. What’s especially unique is that ZUUM offers solutions for shippers, brokers, carriers, and drivers on one platform and can be deployed via PaaS or SaaS. We strongly believe the way forward will rely on the freight industry’s ability to collaborate more effectively and efficiently. 

Meet the First Logistics Super Platform

Throughout the event, attendees were able to catch a glimpse of our commercial. 

Connect with ZUUM at our Virtual Booth

We connected with attendees through our virtual booth, where they could learn more about ZUUM and browse our decks and documents.

Ultimately, we had had a great time meeting everyone and sharing all of the exciting news news coming from ZUUM.

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Blog Shipper News

ZUUM Transportation Launches ZUUM BEYOND TMS for Shippers

ZUUM BEYOND TMS for Business and Enterprise shippers can extend and enhance existing transportation management systems – or work as a complete standalone system. With real-time visibility, workflow automation, and connected data flow, ZUUM BEYOND TMS delivers capacity access, actionable intelligence and freight network control beyond traditional TMS capabilities. Shippers can digitally aggregate capacity, reduce freight spend and improve service levels. Operations are managed more efficiently. Actionable intelligence and automated digital notifications provide better control of freight networks through universal API and EDI integration and a user-friendly interface – all currently without upfront cost.

Irvine, California (BUSINESS WIRE) – Today, logistics technology innovator, ZUUM Transportation, launched ZUUM BEYOND TMS with ZUUM Business and ZUUM Enterprise, expanding the modular product line of their Logistics Super Platform. ZUUM Business and ZUUM Enterprise combine a freight marketplace and load management system with mobile functionality, providing real-time actionable intelligence, real-time visibility, and digital freight network control. They are connected to ZUUM’s Logistics Super Platform, which integrates all products for shippers, brokers, and carriers. It will join ZUUM Capacity Pro in ZUUM’s product line for shippers. 

Following the disruption in 2020, companies faced immense pressure from customers, partners, and shareholders to digitize their supply chains. A Logistics Tech Trends Report noted that “the TMS market [is] flooded with options — thousands at the last count,” but many systems either fail to deliver robust solutions that can manage complex supply chains or offer complicated tools that ignore the shipper’s core pain points. FreightWaves recognizes the untapped value ZUUM’s technology is bringing to the logistics industry and dubbed ZUUM as part of “the next class” of innovative solutions for the logistics industry.  ZUUM was also recently named one of Food Logistics’ 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers.

Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA acknowledges ZUUM’s efforts in pursuing their mission “ZUUM is a phenomenal partner. From our perspective, in addition to quality capacity, ZUUM has the best logistics and transportation management software available, and the organization has a customer and partner first approach” says Larian.

“The journey to scaling an organization can be ambiguous. Minimizing friction, bridging gaps and implementing quickly are at the core of hyper growth” says Matt Tabatabai, COO and Co-Founder of ZUUM Transportation. “Launching ZUUM Business and Enterprise has been a huge milestone for us in creating solutions that deliver true value for our customers. Along with providing access to additional capacity and lowering freight costs, we canvassed the market to provide a comprehensive solution that is both user-friendly and easy to deploy with its design, architecture, and available integrations.” 

In his latest interview with FreightWaves, Matt Tababatabai “emphasized the need for systems to include value-adding tools in order to help shippers manage their current and future supply chain needs.”

Since its founding in 2016, ZUUM has grown to become a validated top-tier service provider that delivers thousands of freight-loads per month for more than 250 enterprise shippers, including several Fortune 500 companies. ZUUM provides critically needed efficiency, real-time visibility, and higher productivity during each stage of freight management.

ZUUM Business was created to meet the needs of SMB and Mid-size shippers. It offers access to reliable capacity instantly, whenever and wherever you need it. It provides an alternative to resource-intensive manual processes through automation and provides insights that help them scale their businesses. ZUUM Enterprise was designed for organizations that may be locked into contracts with existing systems but are looking for better solutions with a relevant feature set and easy usability, that can be used in tandem with those systems. ZUUM Enterprise manages and optimizes your freight network on one platform through advanced intelligence and automation. ZUUM delivers value of data analysis in decision making. The features exclusively offered in ZUUM Enterprise are tailored for companies that want to identify new areas of opportunity for efficiency, productivity, and cost-savings. 

The release of ZUUM Business and ZUUM Enterprise will include the following capabilities. 

  • ZUUM Capacity Pro: Users gain immediate access to ZUUM’s 11,800 vetted carriers nationwide
  • Internal Shipper Marketplace: Users can leverage insights and an easy-to-understand user interface to optimize collaboration with their existing logistics partners.
  • Carrier & Broker Onboarding: Easily onboard carriers and brokers so that tendering freight becomes a two-click process that only takes seconds, instead of hours.
  • Carrier & Broker Management: ZUUM Enterprise simplifies administrative tasks, enabling users to better manage their internal freight networks.
  • Instant Smart Pricing: ZUUM’s proprietary algorithm provides recommendations for freight rates for a given date and lane.
  • Lane Management: Multiple lanes can be uploaded with an excel document to expedite manual entry. This tool is best utilized when a customer needs to cover shipments for repeated lanes.
  • Reports and Analytics: Basic and advanced reports on shipment activity, freight spend, load details, carrier spend, and carbon footprint. ZUUM Enterprise provides an even more comprehensive analysis of these metrics for larger companies.
  • Smart Dashboards: Customizations to Shipments Dashboards to monitor key metrics more easily.
  • Digital Load Tendering: Users can post their shipment details once, and get carrier bids from ZUUM’s Capacity Pro and their internal freight network simultaneously.
  • Financial Management: A database and payment module that includes Accounts Payable and Bills.
  • Smart Map: A live map view of all active/booked shipments and each of their transit milestones.
  • Full Shipment Management: The ability to edit shipment details at any time, manage the assigned carrier, view a detailed tracking page and more.
  • Integrations: ZUUM partners with external enterprise-class TMS systems through an open API to offer modular technology.
  • Deployment: The cloud-based technology allows the fastest deployment in the industry – with no upfront cost so shippers can begin shipping faster than with any other TMS on the market today.
  • Dynamic RFP: Shippers can create and run multiple RFP events to reduce their tender rejection rate and secure dependable carriers for dedicated lanes. ZUUM Enterprise and Business support dynamic RFPs so businesses can remain flexible in volatile markets.

CEO of ZUUM Transportation, Mustafa Azizi highlights ZUUM’s efforts to enable opportunities for growth and promote healthy competition among shippers. “This year has brought new challenges and magnified long-standing inefficiencies throughout the industry. But where adversity appears, innovation follows. I’m proud of how fast my team has managed to produce these new tools that allow companies to take their destiny into their own hands.” says Azizi.

ZUUM expects tens of thousands of shippers to take advantage of these cloud-based transportation management technologies, building a massive global community where ZUUM can efficiently match capacity to demand across supply chains on one Logistics Super Platform. 

The unexpected events in 2020 launched a race towards digital transformation throughout the logistics and transportation industry. Existing protocols and legacy systems were stretched to  their limits, exposing the difficulty of oversight and management of unforeseen circumstances.

The last round of funding of $8.58 million completed early 2020, for a total raise of $12.58 million, accelerated the company’s technology and product development. The release of ZUUM Business and ZUUM Enterprise initiates the expansion of the logistics super platform that is continuing throughout 2021. 

About ZUUM Transportation

ZUUM Transportation, Inc. is a rapidly growing tech startup transforming the logistics industry. Their vision is to optimize logistics and streamline supply chains globally with one efficient, automated, and easy-to-use super platform. Centralized information flow provides actionable intelligence, capacity aggregation provides instant access to vetted carriers, and back office automation reduces errors and maximizes productivity. ZUUM combines a digital freight marketplace with a shipper TMS, broker SaaS, carrier TMS, and mobile driver app.

ZUUM – AUTOMATE YOUR FREIGHT™

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Blog Supply Chain Expertise

Valentine’s Day by the Numbers

Like every holiday during the past year, Valentine’s Day will look a little different this year. Based on the National Retail Federation and Insights & Analytics’ annual Valentine’s Day survey, “consumers plan to spend an average $165 on Valentine’s Day gifts and celebrations.” While this figure has actually decreased from last year’s average Valentine’s Day spend of $196 per person, this year’s celebration follows “a record-setting winter holiday season.”

On top of that, the NRF also highlighted that 46% of respondents are “actively avoiding in-person gatherings” leading to a $1.5 billion drop in Valentine’s Day spending this year. Some ways Americans are celebrating valentines days during this age of lockdown gifting boxed Chocolates, preparing at home meal Kits, and sending floral arrangements.

Having roses delivered to your special someone is a highly coordinated logistics effort as the average lifespan of a rose once it has been cut is 19 days. The restricted delivery window is the very reason why “Valentine’s Day — not Christmas — is when UPS moves the most freight out of Colombia,” one of the U.S.’ largest importer of roses.

Due to rising demand for inexpensive roses and the expansion of U.S. trade agreements, “US-produced roses sank by 7.5% while imports from Colombia jumped by 33.4%.” American growers are simply unable to compete with Columbia’s blooming flower industry.

The director of packaging at Elite, a leading grower in Columbia highlighted that a majority of the roses that are grown at his facility are consumed internationally, with  “80% [going] to North America and the rest to Europe.”

Americans are expected to spend “an estimated $2 billion” roses and $21.8 billion on Valentine’s day altogether. The NRF anticipates spending for next year’s activities to return to expected levels when businesses reopen.

Sources:

https://nrf.com/blog/3-ways-covid-19-changing-valentines-day-plans-year

https://www.supplychain247.com/article/the_logistics_of_valentines_day_during_covid19

https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/news-valentines-day-logistics/

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-valentines-day-roses-travel-from-colombia-your-doorstep-2019-2