b'may 25 - june 21, 2020top 50 logistics tech innovators 23SMC 3helps truckers stay aheadWhen the supply chains stressed, in the era of COVID-19it pays to have a solid platform.COVID-19 pandemic has totally reshaped supply and demand for LTL trucking in the US. SMC3sDescartesSystemGroupslogisticsplatformsupportsawide softwarehashelpedshippersandcarrierscoperange of businesses that in good times customers expect to per-with the pandemics supply chain complexities. form well and in times of stress on the supply chaineven better.By Matt Miller, AJOTCustomersoflogisticsthatcontinuingtoacceler- By Matt Miller, AJOTtechnologyproviderSMC 3 ate, he said. Swiftlyshiftingfromalogisticsflowvided by Descartes so necessary. Suddenly, a arescramblingforhelplikeSMC 3is on this years listbased on order to one that can react to uncer- logistics provider must deal with new custom-never before. SMC 3special- of American Journal of Trans- taintiesandunpredictabilitiesiscriticalforers, perhaps different kinds of goods, establish izesinassistinglessthanportations50IoSMarketthoseupanddownthesupplychaininournew transport lanes and pickup and delivery truckload(LTL)shippersInnovators. Covid-battered world. The Descartes Systemsroutes, and all in a matter of days.andcarrierswithsoftwareBased in Atlanta, SMC3Group Inc. provides technology it believes canWood cited food services, with their huge designed to make their workoffersavarietyofsoft- aid shippers and logistics providers in makingclimate-controlledwarehousesandfleetsof more efficient. LTL logisticswarethatarmtransporta- this leap into this great unknown.reefer trucks. Schools are closed, as are restau-is complicated in the best oftionmanagementsystemsThe customers that are on our platformrants. But supermarkets are going gangbusters times.WiththeCovid-19withenhancedcapabilities.have been able to quickly pivot from the kindand cant stock food quickly enough. Weve pandemic,thatcomplexityThesefunctionsincludeof orderly model to a reactive one where every- seenshiftsbetweenrestaurantsupplyand has intensified exponentially. everything from pricing ana- things changed, said Ken Wood, Descartesgrocery wholesale for some of our food ser-Marketdynamicsarelytics,schedulingpickupsEVPproductmanagement,inaZoomcall,vice customers, said Wood, who concluded: changing so fast, and theyreandtrackingshipments,tofrom his home-office in Fort Myers, Florida. If youre a logistics system and are flexible, so unpredictable, said Briandocuments retrieval, invoiceItstheunusual,theextraordinary,theyou can quickly onboard new customers, new Thompson,SMC 3 schief(AHEADcontinued ondisruptive and just the stresses on the supplydeliveries and generate new route plans and commercial officer, in a Zoompage 31) chain that make technology such as that pro- (STRESSEDcontinued on page 28)call.Supplyanddemand have never changed faster.THE PREMIER BID APPLICATIONTurn the key on a successful strategic implementation plan. SMCs Bid$ense provides streamlined transportation sourcing that provides Brian Thompson, SmC 3 syour company a competitive edge to your overall procurement process. chief commercial officer Learn more at smc3.com.Theimpactofthepan-demic has completely upended supply chains, thrown demandAccess to 500+ formanygoodscompletelyCarriersout of whack and complicatedAdvanced Analytics transportationanddeliveryand Reportingimmensely.Thisunprece-dentedshifthasunderscored the need by shippers, carriersData Cleansing and 3PLs alike to be extraor- Capability Connectivity to dinarilyagile.SomeoftheRateWare XLchanges now taking place willCarrier mostlikelycontinuepost- Endorsedpandemic. Like much of life, LTL-relatedlogisticsmust deal with the new normal.t eChnoLogy is thek ey ForsmC 3Technologyiskeyto staying on top of this trans-formation.Thepandemic necessitates the need to really leveragenewtechnologies. Everybody out there is look-ingforananswerforhow tohelpthemdotheirjobs more efficiently, Thompson said,adding:Especiallyas theeconomystartsopening upagain,thepressuresthat they felt a month ago are just going to increase. To respond to these rap-idlychangingdynamics, theresanever-greaterneed for instant visibility, for more data and information flowing from carriers to shippers and 3PLs, said Thompson. I see'