project44 rolls out major updates to its core supply chain visibility and connectivity platform

Leveraging the $10.5 million in funding it received last September, Chicago-based project44, a technology services provider offering standardized, secure Web service API (application programming interfaces) integrations enabling 3PLs and shippers to connect with carriers in real time, said this week it has launched the second generation of its supply chain visibility platform.

Entitled connectNG, the company explained that the objective of this platform is to provide customers with a modern connectivity replacement to legacy, underperforming supply chain and logistics systems like Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and rate bureaus, with an emphasis on increased speed and transparency for data sharing and communications across multimodal and global supply chains.

The upgrades and enhancements featured in connectNG include:

• access to project44’s Capacity Provider Network (CPN) through the Core Services API, which it said provides unprecedented access to global capacity providers;
• a refresh of the core Services API that provides a more user-friendly interface providing faster consumption of information and reduced integration time;
• upgrades leveraging the Swagger open source framework and related publishing tools, which provides a revamped API documentation process and makes the Core Services API more fluid new customers and partners for ease of use

And it added that the new Web services interface augments the company’s cloud security benefits for all parties involved in online transactions, including: Virtual Private Clouds, encryption and firewalls; encrypting of all data and credentials in-flight and at rest. Security controls specifically include private management subnet, VPNs and multifactor authentication; and running of regular code scans to check for vulnerabilities and compliance with best practices.

Tommy Barnes, project44 president, told LM that these upgrades continue to replace legacy technology in the form of EDI, rate bureaus, spreadsheets and even fax and phone.

In highlighting some of the key nuts and bolts of this released, Barnes pointed to its unprecedented security capabilities, as well as the Swagger open source framework, which makes for a very easy and seamless integration to project44s APIs.

“This is the absolute only model that is multimodal, multi-geo, and multi-services, as well as the largest capacity network available,” he enthusiastically stated.

Last week, in a separate announcement, project44 announced a new partnership with McLeod Software, a provider of trucking, dispatch, and logistics software on what they called a “modern connectivity integration solution.” The companies said this collaboration will provide McLeod PowerBroker (its integrated freight brokerage operations management system and a complete accounting software solution) users with access to project44’s less-than-truckload (LTL) API-based offerings.