3PL CENTRAL
HQ: Manhattan Beach, California
3plcentral.com | Global

Ten years ago, 3PL Central created the first on-demand WMS specifically designed for 3PLs, providing small to mid-size warehouse operators with enterprise-class warehouse management functionality at an affordable price. The company, which still serves the needs of private warehouse managers, invested nearly $18 million this year to accelerate its product development while expanding and enhancing its client services. “We are excited to embark on this next phase in our company’s history,” says John Watkins, CEO and co-founder of 3PL Central. “More than ever, our customers will benefit from 3PL Central’s comprehensive SaaS warehouse management platform, particularly those customers serving the eCommerce market.”

COYOTE LOGISTICS
HQ: Chicago, Illinois
coyote.com | North America

How does a company go from startup in 2006 to innovative, multibillion-dollar player servicing more than 12,000 customers across a wide range of industries in 10 short years? Well, at Coyote it’s what they don’t do. They don’t do excuses; when CEO Jeff Silver gave a lecture at Northwestern earlier this year about creating the right business culture for success, he titled it “No Excuses: Technology and Culture Meet a New Era of Expectations.” Next, they don’t do things the way everyone else does. Witness the fact that Coyote hires employees with considerable skills in technological fields—but with no experience in transportation—to run and expand its industry-leading proprietary software.

CT LOGISTICS
HQ: Cleveland, Ohio
ctlogistics.com | North America

It’s not surprising that CT Logistics’ proprietary FreitRater is reputed to be the industry’s most advanced rating and freight bill processing system, given that the company regularly canvases customers to find out what they need and want in their software. In fact, CT brings together FreitRater clients with CT software developers every year for three days of networking, brainstorming and discussions of how to make the software even more useful. “This open forum delivers to clients exactly what they need,” says Allan Miner, president of CT Logistics. “Each year CT sees the pulse of the industry through our clients’ experiences and their customers’ requirements.”

ECHO GLOBAL LOGISTICS
HQ: Chicago, Illinois
echo.com | North America

Echo’s suite of in-house developed, web-based applications is valued for their ease of use and transparency. Apps include EchoTrak, a self-service portal allowing clients to track shipments and view payment status, and RateIQ 2.0, an advanced engine for obtaining real-time pricing and transit time information from LTL carriers. Adding to its technological chops, the company recently acquired Command Transportation. “We have achieved remarkable growth and become a best-in-class solutions provider by focusing on superior technology,” says Echo CEO Doug Waggoner, adding that the addition of Command Transportation will allow the company to “leverage the unique technology of both companies to continue offering comprehensive solutions.”

GLOBALTRANZ
HQ: Scottsdale, Arizona
globaltranz.com| North America

GlobalTranz is able to offer clients customized solutions because its experts have engineered, developed and maintained every tool the company offers. Company CEO Bob Farrell says his organization sets itself apart from the competition “by the use of technology and the overall process we use to drive our business on a daily basis.” That technology—specifically its top tier software programs CarrierRate2.0, CommandCenter and ShipCenter—is not only renowned for its effectiveness but for GlobalTranz’s comprehensive back-end support, which includes managing administrative tasks through its transportation management systems, rating engine and CRM tool so that customers can focus on generating new business and managing shipments.

LEAN LOGSITICS
HQ: Holland, Michigan
leanlogistics.com | Global

LeanTMS, a single-instance, multi-tenant solution, offers the benefits expected of a true SaaS model—continuous improvements, lower start-up costs and quicker implementation. Companies utilizing the software average a savings between 5 and 10 percent in the first year. “One customer saw shipping volume double while still retaining current shipping department head count,” says Mike Joseph, LeanLogistics’ director of Business Development. “Another customer recognized a 2.5 percent saving per case, lowering the total cost of goods sold after just five months.” Also, LeanLogistics’ Transportation Network is filled with 16 years of data that can deliver actionable intelligence, a process that facilitates better business decisions and gives companies a competitive edge.

LYNNCO SCS
HQ: Tulsa , Oklahoma
lynnco-scs.com | North America

As a fully hosted, web-based tech suite, LynnCo boasts its SuiteEdge is easy to adopt and requires no capital expenditures to develop or maintain. Using the company’s proprietary data mapping tools makes linking systems simple and eliminates the need for hours of customization. That’s not surprising given that LynnCo is an acknowledged leader in data visualization and SuiteEdge is a highly intuitive system that converts complex data into easy-to-understand visual information. “Data overlaid on a map gives you the ability to have intelligent analytics as you look at it so that you can derive what’s going on in your supply chain,” says Ed Gort, LynnCo’s director of Solution Design and Engineering.

ODYSSEY LOGISTICS
HQ: Danbury, Connecticutt
odysseylogistics.com | Global

Odyssey’s much lauded Web Integrated Network (WIN), a no cost, no-fee, web-based transportation management system offering customers savings, visibility and choice, has helped it produce double-digit growth. Company CEO Bob Shellman has said his Odyssey earnings’ growth is “a direct result of our acquisition strategy and technological advancements, as well as leveraging our global network to expand the offerings in our portfolio.” Part of that expansion includes opening a managed services chemical sampling facility in China and an international expansion of its domestic transportation services for the metals industry that allows for the conveyance of coiled metal products without additional handling at shipping ports.

UNYSON
HQ: St. Louis, Missouri
unyson.com | Global

The heart of what Unyson does is based around the simple premise that technology should makes things simpler. So optimization and big data are used to streamline customers’ operations while enhancing their supply-chain visibility. They work smarter, not harder. “We have all but eliminated manual processes within our day-to-day activities,” says David Adams, Unyson project manager. “We have traded exchanging Excel spreadsheets for systemic interfaces; routine ‘button-clicking’ for exception-based work queues. Our emphasis is to use our technology to accomplish the predictable and have our people focused on the unpredictable.”

UPS
HQ: Sandy Springs, Georgia
ups.com | Global

Results have been so successful on the UPS On-Road Integrated Optimization Navigation (ORION) system that the company announced it was moving up plans for a rollout from 2017 to the end of 2016. Built to calculate the most efficient driving path, ORION, on a typical 120-stop route a UPS driver operates daily, will analyze more than 200,000 routing options, reducing driven miles by 100 million annually. Dave Barnes, UPS senior VP, says ORION “is one of the strongest examples of our company’s commitment to continual investments in operational and customer technologies … taking advanced mapping and route optimization to new levels.” UPS expects ORION to save between $300 million and $400 million in annual operation costs.