Three of Top 10, including Number 1, are Supply Chain Technology Providers

CNBC is fresh out with its 10th annual Disruptor 50 list, from which you meet the next generation of Silicon Valley - and beyond.

Things have sure changed. Now, the list of 50 companies disrupting business models is full of supply chain providers – including the top ranked company, new age freight forwarder Flexport.

Supply Chain Digest Says...   CNBC says that “Flock Freight bridges the gap between the 60%-70% that has commonly been defined as “full” in the freight trucking business and 100%-fully loaded trucks through an algorithmic-driven creation of shared trailers." What do you say? Click here to send us your comments   Click here to see reader feedback

Here is a quick summary of supply chain and logistics firms on the list:

#1 Flexport (up from #41 last year): The company is a new age freight forwarder, digitizing the long-time approach to matching shipments with carriers, and performing various services to manage the complexity of international shipments.

“The company’s freight forwarding and brokerage services are in the cloud, enabling it to analyze costs, container efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions quickly and with more accuracy than legacy systems,” CNBC says,

Flexport has more than 10,000 clients and carriers in its network, located in 112 countries. It doubled its revenue last year, bringing in $3.2 billion.

#3 Lineage Logistics: It’s really something if a 3PL can be ranked the #3 disruptor. Lineage Logistics operates a global network of temperature-controlled cold-storage facilities – but adds a lot of technology to the traditional mix.

It has a proprietary technology for “blast freezing” products at temperatures as low as -25 to -35 Fahrenheit, treating up to 5 million pounds of product a day at a single facility. CNBC says it can also design warehouse racks that store products as efficiently as possible.

Lineage operates 400 warehouses, represent more than 2 billion cubic feet of capacity in 19 countries. In April it acquired Canada-based VersaCold, adding another 114 million cubic feet.

The firm has acquired over 70 companies and grown its real estate by an incredible 60% annually since its first warehouse in 2008.

#6 Convoy: This company – founded by former Amazon executives - describes itself like a neural network for the freight industry, applying technology and data across its network of carriers to save shippers money and increase earnings for truckers.

CNBC says Convoy’s digital trucking network links tens of thousands of small trucking companies and owner-operators via mobile phones as a way to digitize what historically has been a fragmented market that lead to empty miles and less than full trailer loads.

It also offers a “drop-and-hook” service called Convoy Go, designed to reduce time spent waiting at docks to load and unload, using machine-learning to route and locate drivers to hook up to a preloaded trailer.

#14 Flock Freight: The company is based on the concept of shared truckload shipping (sometimes called collaborative logistics), pooling freight from multiple shippers onto a single, multi-stop truckload and optimizing shipments for the best possible route so freight never loads or unloads between pickup and delivery.

One-third of freight truck trailers often aren’t close to full. In effect, the customer is “paying to ship air,” Flock Freight’s founder says.

CNBC says that “Flock Freight bridges the gap between the 60%-70% that has commonly been defined as “full” in the freight trucking business and 100%-fully loaded trucks through an algorithmic-driven creation of shared trailers."

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# 18 CloudTrucks: This company, just started in 2019, claims to bridge the technology gap for small trucking businesses and entrepreneurs while also lowering the barrier of entry for new trucking drivers, providing tools that help them make the most of their runs and produce more revenue. It is also helping drivers or small carriers get to paid faster, alleviating and cash flow constraints.

CNBC says the company’s app allows drivers to instantly book truckloads aggregated from brokers and shippers across the country, helping to optimize the driver’s schedules around their preferences.

#27 GoPuff: Ultrafast ecommerce delivery companies abound, but unlike most others, such as DoorDash and Instacart, Gopuff doesn’t gets goods for orders from retailer stores. Instead, it has its own network of micro-fulfillment centers. It sells more than 4,000 items. from pet food to baby products to alcohol and more. CNBC says contract workers pick up the orders and deliver them to customers in about 30 minutes.

The Philadelphia-based company now delivers to over 1,000 cities throughout the US and abroad.

# 29 Zipline: This company is a drone system provider that got its start delivering blood and other time sensitive medical supplies in Ghana and Rwanda, dramatically reducing time and cost and allowing hospitals to rely on a centralized inventory.

Last November, Zipline marked the first time it delivered something directly to consumers’ homes as part of a trial with Walmart. In the Pea Ridge, Arkansas, area, residents can place orders online for a variety of health and wellness products and have them delivered by Zipline’s drones on the same day.

CNBC says that after a customer orders a product through the Zipline app, a Walmart associate picks and packs the product and gives it to the Zipline staff. The drone is then loaded and launched and the product is dropped off in a cardboard box that is supported by a paper parachute.

#46 Exotec: This French company provides a storage and robotic picking system that moves shuttles around a grid. In 2021, it released the Skypicker, an articulated arm that can move items up to 4.4 pounds, allowing for simultaneous preparation of four orders. Using a software system powered by high-res cameras and visualization algorithms, the Skypicker can reach outputs of up to 600 items per hour.

So, 8 out of the top 50 are clear supply chain or logistics firms, and 3 of the top 10. We arguably could have added TruePill, a sort of 3PL for the pharma industry.

A fine showing indeed.

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