ZF Acquires Bestmile’s Technology to Lead the Digital Transformation of Transportation Services
- Bestmile’s Orchestration technology is an industry leading digital solution that automatically optimizes the routing, dispatching, and matching of large fleets of vehicles in real time
- ZF is set to build the commercial vehicle industry’s first vehicle agnostic Mobility Orchestration Platform
- ZF will build on Bestmile’s technology leadership and expertise to orchestrate fleets of autonomous and highly connected vehicles
- With this acquisition, ZF continues to lead the digital transformation of large fleets for logistics and people transportation
ZF has announced that it has acquired Bestmile’s technology, representing a significant step towards launching the commercial vehicle industry’s first Mobility Orchestration Platform. Advancing ZF’s “Next Generation Mobility” strategy, this platform will help operators to realize ambitions for Transportation as a Service (TaaS) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) for all types of mobility applications and vehicles. Leveraging increasing transportation digitalization and vehicle automation, ZF’s Orchestration platform will provide real-time coordination and management of goods and people transportation on a large scale.
Dr. Christian Brenneke, Senior Vice President, Product Engineering with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Control Systems division, said:Today, the transportation eco-system is rapidly changing, with OEMs and fleet operators facing numerous challenges - from competitive pressures to regulatory changes - as they increasingly digitalize and adopt autonomous, connected and electric mobility technologies. This pace and diversity of applications has fragmented the transportation industry, creating digital silos, greater complexity and operational inefficiency for fleet management.
By incorporating Bestmile’s technology into our Next Generation Mobility strategy, ZF will provide an Orchestration Platform that optimizes the information feeds, complex operational processes and stringent controls required to build and support connected transportation ecosystems.
Based on this platform, ZF will open a gateway to enable higher levels of automation and connectivity between diverse mobility and transportation system providers and stakeholders, including cargo, shipping and commercial transportation supply chains. The platform also supports on-demand mobility providers by orchestrating every vehicle in a fleet in real time.
Building on its technology leadership in heavy duty commercial vehicles’ systems, onboard intelligent trailer technology and Fleet Management Solutions, ZF will leverage Bestmile’s capabilities to take vehicle connectivity-based solutions to the next level. Developments will introduce a fully automatic, KPI-based planning, routing, scheduling and dispatching solution based on connectivity between onboard technology, fleet optimization and artificial intelligence. This platform will help fleets significantly improve their operational efficiency, sustainability, safety and cargo security. The platform will also ultimately help facilitate fully autonomous mobility and cargo transportation within automated, multi-platform supply chains and logistics networks.
Dr. Marco Laumanns, former Chief Technology Officer of Bestmile, said:My team and I are delighted to become part of ZF and take the next steps towards optimizing cargo and people mobility. Our focus has always been to offer fleet operators a one-stop solution for orchestration technology to enable the smart, shared, electric, and autonomous mobility of the future already, today. With ZF’s innovation and strong technology leadership across the full range of transportation platforms and fleet management solutions, we gain additional thrust towards achieving this vision.
Alongside the benefits of Bestmile’s orchestration platform, customers will now also gain access to ZF’s extensive Aftermarket solutions and fleet service network, including roadside assistance, workshops and distribution partners.
This article was originally published by ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
