The Velocity 2019 conference officially ushered in the era of MercuryGate 2.0 on May 6 in Las Vegas. This new era builds off of the company’s rich, 19-year history as an innovator and transportation technology leader. Attendees heard first-hand about the vision of the company and what’s to come with the newly released roadmap.
More than 450 customers, sponsors, speakers, and other attendees joined the conference. In fact, it was the largest MercuryGate conference in terms of attendance to date. They gathered at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas over three days to discover what the next chapter of MercuryGate holds. The question on their minds “How will MercuryGate continue to lead the way in transportation management software?”
In his opening address on the company’s new direction, MercuryGate CEO Joe Juliano spoke about the company’s transition to a mature growth company. He also addressed the company’s future potential and its commitment to being customer focused.
“Everything we do from development to service, and delivery to partnerships must be about enabling customers to extract business value,” said Juliano.
Ultimately, Juliano explained that the company will remain focused on providing a best-of-breed solution for transportation management with a focus on advancing the core transportation management system (TMS) and surrounding functionality. He also added that the company will continue to extend the solution to meet the demands of all modes and all geographies.
“We have a very solid foundation to build upon,” said Juliano. “There are great things we can do with MercuryGate 2.0.”
Keynotes Discuss Blockchain and other Disruptors
Is blockchain the wave of the future or the buzzword of the moment? Listening to keynote speaker and futurist Jack Shaw, he would tell you that “you haven’t seen nothing yet” with regard to the potential of blockchain technology. Shaw painted a bright future for blockchain, and he expects it to fuel the digital future of transportation management.
While projecting the potential of blockchain, Shaw made it clear that it is already making an impact today. One use case Shaw shared was that of SkyCell, a Swiss-based manufacturer of safe, temperature-controlled containers for pharmaceuticals.
SkyCell has 1,000 containers in its fleet, all of which are fitted with special sensors. These sensors record ambient temperature, internal temperature, and humidity inside the containers. That data is then fed to SkyCell’s cloud-based servers and then stored on a blockchain. Through this blockchain, the company can prove that the data it delivers to its clients is accurate and cannot be falsified.
In an early survey of topics that attendees wanted to hear about, blockchain was at the top of the list. The SkyCell use case, as well as others that Shaw shared, provide some ideas for how blockchain might be used in other supply chains.
Building off the conference theme of innovation, Adrian Gonzalez, President at Adelante SCM, discussed the impact of disruptive technologies. Gonzalez explained that technology is constantly evolving. He also cautioned against being complacent with regard to technology. Today’s tech leaders can’t rest on their laurels. Think of Nokia, once the king of mobile phones. Gonzalez’s point is that companies have to be constantly innovating to fend off new and unexpected challengers.
“Innovation is not something that’s a project,” said Gonzalez. “It’s an ongoing business process. It has to be embedded as part of your culture.”
In a survey of conference attendees, Gonzalez asked what is driving innovation in transportation. Perhaps not surprisingly, shippers said innovation was driven by the need to reduce costs. For LSPs, it is the need to create competitive advantage. Where is innovation needed the most? The overall number one answer was shipment tracking, followed by capacity matching.
Recognizing Excellence In Transportation
The conference culminated with an awards presentation, recognizing high-achieving companies using MercuryGate TMS software to drive innovation in transportation and logistics.
Spanning six categories, this year’s Velocity Award winners include:
- Leadership/Influencer Award: Celestica and Schneider Logistics Brokerage Division were both recognized for their strong industry influence and willingness to lead with agility.
- Innovator Award: DSV Air & Sea was selected for playing a significant role in working with the functionality and design of the TMS to ensure it meets the needs of their business.
- Impact Award: UPS Global Logistics & Distribution team was recognized for their ability to drive new and unique solutions through configuring the MercuryGate TMS and leveraging dynamic rule sets.
- Rookie of the Year: Goodman Manufacturing was chosen for the strength of its teamwork and ability to execute.
- Logistics Integrator Partner of the Year: Redwood Logistics and Rockfarm Supply Chain Solutions were recognized for their consistent collaboration with MercuryGate to bring solutions to market and provide a wide range of expertise and services.
- Technology Partner of the Year: Truckstop.com was chosen for its trusted load board and freight marketplace and the way they have partnered with MercuryGate customers toward mutual success.
More Big News You Might Have Missed
During the conference, MercuryGate also announced its new microlearning training modules. The training courses enable users to quickly learn the TMS in micro-bite pieces. Beyond the small-time commitment, the MercuryGate microlearning modules are a more effective way of learning because they are focused on a single objective and educate on best practices.
The biggest takeaway from this year’s conference it that the logistics industry continues to evolve and is becoming increasingly digital. To be ready for tomorrow, it’s critical for companies to embrace change and learn how to harness new technologies. Whatever tomorrow brings, the one thing that transportation professionals can count on is that MercuryGate will be ready to help them.
