A global telecommunications customer challenged Agility to reduce the cargo weight, transport cost and emissions of its air shipments originating in 3 different countries. Agility modified air freight information management systems to better match the unique characteristics and requirements of each consignment, assigning a dedicated team to manage the consolidation. The changes resulted in 9% reduction of cargo weight and emissions for over 1,000 tons of air freight per year with no subsequent increase in transport times or disruption to manufacturing processes.

One of our retail customers wanted to decrease supply chain waste in order to mitigate consumer pressure and prepare for impending regulations. Over a period of 5 years, Agility implemented a solution to increase rates of carton reuse in order to reduce waste and save costs in the Philippines and Indonesia. In the Philippines, we were able to double carton reuse, leading to over $50,000 in packaging cost savings. In Indonesia, we increased the average reuse rate from 47% to 72%, leading to new total savings of $78,000.

A global electronics leader challenged Agility with how to address reduce the carbon footprint of their shipments while managing growth in the dynamic Middle East market. Agility analyzed the shipments and products to see which were well-suited to switch from air freight to ocean freight. Switching from air to ocean increased shipment time significantly, but can reduce costs and emissions by over 90%, depending on the trade lane. Agility’s proposed solution for one trade lane would increase travel time from one day to 22 days, but reduce cost and emissions by more than 98%. For a second trade lane, the Agility solution increased travel time from 1 to 24 days, but reduced cost by 65% and emissions by 78%

A global automotive customer needed help improving the reliability and environmental impact of its supply chains from China to the West Coast of the US. A careful analysis of the customer’s supply chain revealed a few key opportunities for improvement. In a multi-faceted optimization project, Agility’s supply chain solution team proposed buyer consolidation in China to reduce the total number of consolidation points, which would also facilitate load optimization. Shipments were re-routed away from less efficient ports, allowing for better consolidation at destination and creating opportunities to double stack containers for inland rail transport. The comprehensive solution saved the customer 24% on logistics costs, reduced total shipment time by at least one day, and as much as 17 days, with shipments arriving four days faster on average. The solution also reduced emissions by 9% overall.

A technology company tasked Agility with reducing its carbon footprint for intra-Europe transport. It’s existing shipments were performed by truck. Based on the existing distribution network, Agility was able to propose multiple routing options on key trade lanes that would utilize lower-emissions modes of rail and barge, with only small increases in travel times. Switching to rail reduced emissions by 58%, and costs by 19%, while increasing travel time from 1 to 3 days. Switching from truck to barge reduced emissions by 68%, and costs by 30%, while increasing travel times from 1 to 5 days.

For a retail customer sending goods from Asia to North America, Agility introduced a range of improvements to their supply chain, including buyer consolidation at point of origin as well as load optimization. Improvements to the purchase order process and the vendor management systems were also part of this project, which reduced emissions by 9%, costs by 18% and average transport time by 11%.

Agility, a leading global logistics provider, announced that it has invested $35 million in Queen’s Gambit Growth Capital, a blank-check company that will target businesses offering sustainable solutions in clean energy, healthcare, financial technology, industrials, mobility and emerging technology.

Queen’s Gambit’s all-female management team is led by CEO Victoria Grace, a New York-based venture capitalist and Founding Partner of Colle Capital. The special purpose acquisition company is supported by an all-female Board with diverse industry experience.

Queen’s Gambit’s female-led management team “has the potential to tap into a differentiated network,” Tarek Sultan, Vice-Chairman of Agility said. “This is a chance to take a more inclusive view of opportunities in the market, and drive value in the process.”

Agility has a long-standing partnership with Colle Capital, having invested in multiple companies together. “Agility brings unique capabilities to the table, including our emerging market leadership, roster of 60,000 business customers, strategic partnerships, and experience of our Ventures team,” Sultan said.

Agility’s investment in Queen’s Gambit reflects the company’s commitment to sustainability and belief that innovative technology can yield both social and economic returns. “This is not a new position for us. We’ve been practicing stakeholder capitalism for more than a decade,” Sultan said. “Sustainable technology is one of our core investment pillars.”

Agility has been intensifying its long-standing commitment to the environment, sustainability and improved governance. It was recently added to the FTSE4Good Index Series, a resource used by investors to identify companies around the world with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

Hyliion Inc., a leader in electrified powertrain solutions for Class 8 commercial vehicles, announced today the launch of its Hypertruck Electric Range Extender (ERX), a long-haul, fully electric powertrain delivering superior performance, emissions reductions and cost-savings to the global trucking industry.

Hypertruck ERX

The launch of the Hypertruck ERX is anchored by Agility, one of the world’s leading logistics companies with $5.2 billion in revenue and offices in 100 countries. Agility has confirmed a pre-order of up to 1,000 trucks and has agreed to invest in a private offering of securities to be issued by Tortoise Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: SHLL) in connection with Hyliion’s recently announced business combination.

“Hyliion is leading the way in electrified trucking. Our practical solution addresses the most important needs of today’s fleets: cost savings, lower emissions and a fueling infrastructure that can support long-haul transportation,” said Hyliion’s CEO and founder, Thomas Healy. “We’re already seeing robust interest in the Hypertruck ERX from fleets like Agility who are looking for electric solutions that can be seamlessly integrated.”

Combined with a fully electric drivetrain and a natural gas-powered onboard generator to recharge the battery, the Hypertruck ERX will provide more than 1,000 miles of range. The powertrain also produces electricity locally at roughly 30 percent less than the average grid cost, which yields a seven-year cost-of-ownership unmatched by any diesel, battery-electric (BEV) or hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) Class 8 truck under development.

“The Hyliion technology is so game-changing that all companies, especially those with consumer-facing brands, will be forced to adapt,” said Tarek Sultan, vice chairman and CEO of Agility. “It’s a triple win: Protect the environment, keep customers happy and benefit shareholders by improving the bottom line. We look forward to bringing significant cost savings and greater efficiency to our customers.”

Read more about how Agility works to green its operations

With more than 700 public stations across the U.S., the Hypertruck ERX leverages a robust natural gas refuelling infrastructure. The truck is the only electric Class 8 vehicle that can achieve a net-negative greenhouse gas emissions footprint using renewable natural gas (RNG). It will achieve 25 miles of pure electric vehicle range in compliance with cities adopting “Zero Emission Zones.” The vehicle’s low carbon footprint is further enhanced by the system’s machine learning algorithm, which optimizes energy efficiency, emissions, performance and predictive maintenance schedules.

Continuing Hyliion’s long-standing partner relationship with Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN), the Hypertruck ERX will feature Dana’s electric motor, inverter and axle technologies, and Dana plans to provide its state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to support Hyliion in achieving full volume production of its powertrain systems. Initial Hypertruck ERX fleet demonstration vehicles have already been allocated to customers for delivery in 2021, with volume shipments scheduled in 2022. For more information on the Hypertruck ERX, click here.