Cargo Chat: Merging talent and tech with Raft

United Kingdom-based intelligent logistics platform Raft is using AI and automation to create enhanced visibility and shipment tracking for freight forwarders and customs brokers. The company was founded in 2017 by Nisarg Mehta , who also serves as Raft’s chief technology officer. In June 2023, it raised $30 million in series B funding. With 54 customers across 30 countries and 130 employees, including Onboard Logistics , OIA Global and Navia Freight , Raft is now seeking to merge AI integration with the new talent, Raft Chief Growth Officer Lionel van der Walt told Air Cargo Next this week during Air Cargo Conference 2024 in Louisville, Ky. [caption id="attachment_57140385" align="alignright" width="175"] Mark Ketcham[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57140386" align="alignright" width="175"] Lionel van der Walt[/caption] Along with Senior Vice President of Sales Mark Ketcham , van der Walt discussed new talent, digital data collection and AI with Air Cargo Next . What follows is an edited version of that conversation. Air Cargo Next : What expectations does the next generation have about logistics technology? Lionel van der Walt : One of the biggest issues that we’ve had within this industry is attracting the next generation of talent . And part of the problem is that it’s not a really sexy industry. It’s been low-tech for all of us. I predict that some of these solutions, like what we’re dealing with here ... [are] going to change the roles of people within companies. And it’s going to make it more interesting. And you’re going to see this next generation coming in because they’ve grown up understanding and dealing [with] phones and being online. They’re not going to accept the way things have been done, not at all. So, I really think that technologies such as ours — and others that are coming in now — are going to help ... make our industry more attractive for the next generation. Air Cargo Next : How has Raft’s mission shifted from when it was founded in 2017 to today? Mark Ketcham : I think there’s two aspects. When we started, the company was simply [asking]: How do we get the information from this source and make it digital ? We’ve moved so far beyond the extraction phase of what we do to really understand: How do we need to use that data? How do our customers use that data? And how does it differ between their vendor and customer profiles? So, it’s not necessarily about how we get the data here [anymore]. It’s: What do I need to do with it for this customer so the workflow is automating? How do I get from point A to point Z and automate that process as much as possible?” When we talk about extraction as a core tenet of our technology, that’s true, but it doesn’t encompass what we do. And I think the biggest challenge for us is when we embrace [technology], the appetite for it is great. I think measuring expectations [is key], not trying to solve all these crazy issues that exist. If we can simply take the majority of the goods that [a forwarder] is moving … and automate that process, 60% to 70% of that just immediately comes off the workload. You don’t have to solve for every condition in the world, but really solve what’s going to be the biggest bang for their buck. Air Cargo Next : How is Raft using its digital data collection to further help its customers? Lionel van der Walt : Aggregating data is one of the key things … having data is one thing [but] knowing … how you can interpret, and how you can get value out of this data is a totally different thing. Extracting the data is one thing. ... But over and above that, we are a platform. As we aggregate all of this data, we’ve got the ability now to do a lot of reporting and management information for our clients , which shows them how their teams are performing. It also shows them how their partners have performed. So, in other words, if [a customer has] someone they’ve provided services to ... we can help them identify and deal with [those metrics] very quickly. Since it’s a platform, we’re keeping everybody in the platform and collaborating within the platform, meaning that I don’t have to do anything now on emails anymore. WhatsApp, text messages — all of those communications are centralized within the platform, which is great from a time perspective. But more importantly, it also gives a very strong audit trail, which a lot of [forwarders] were struggling with. Register here for Air Cargo Next ’s free webinar, “The Role of Drones in the Future of Air Cargo,” on Tuesday, March 26, at 11 a.m. ET.

Cargo Chat: Merging talent and tech with Raft

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