Driving Connection: Highlights from the Insight 2023 Opening Session
Nearly 1,600 transportation industry professionals converged in Las Vegas last week for the 2023 Insight Tech Conference + Expo, hosted by Trimble at The Venetian Resort. The annual event brings together some of the biggest names in transportation and technology, including Trimble customers, integration partners, technology vendors and more.
The theme of the conference this year was “Driving Connection” – between stakeholders, between data points and between technology providers. In the opening session, Trimble CEO Rob Painter and Senior Vice President Ron Bisio shared more about how Trimble is delivering on its mission to connect the digital and physical worlds, making carriers of all sizes more efficient, safe and sustainable.
Keeping Up With the Pace of Change
Painter kicked off the presentation by talking about how quickly the industry is changing, and the sheer amount of data that has been created in recent years. “Over 90% of the world’s data has been created in just the last couple of years,” Painter shared. “And it was said at the World Economic Forum a few years ago that the pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again.”
Painter said Trimble is aware of how “dizzying” this pace of change can be and is focused on creating new opportunities to help customers keep up, rather than experiencing disruption and stress as a result. Touching on the concept of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity), Painter shared how a constant state of change and fluidity has become the norm in the transportation supply chain, and that it requires new approaches and innovative thinking, rather than conventional methods that have traditionally been used in the past.
Speaking directly to customers at the conference, Painter said: “Over the last year, many of us had the opportunity to spend time with you, understanding and addressing the challenges you face and helping you unlock opportunities in your business. When we drive connection, success looks like helping you become better, faster, safer, cheaper and greener. It’s about making a positive impact on your business.”
Painter elaborated further, noting Trimble’s belief that technology can make the world a better place. Between industries, Trimble shares a common technology backbone that supports everything the company does – connecting the work in the field with back-office teams; hardware to software; and shippers, carriers, brokers, forwarders and other key stakeholders to each other.
“The goal of [Insight] is to learn and connect, and to see how technology is transforming our global and connected supply chain,” Painter added. “Connection is what will move and drive this industry forward.”
Painter went on to explain Trimble’s Connect and Scale strategy, which compels the company to continually improve, making both small and large changes that cumulatively have a huge impact for extraordinary outcomes.
Connect and Scale includes Trimble’s massive investments into research & development, as well as its ongoing focus and commitment to providing top-of-the-line cybersecurity protections for its customers. It also informs Trimble’s platform mindset, building and connecting industry clouds with leading technology providers like Microsoft, enabling customers to access more capabilities, data and visibility with simplified, efficient workflows.
“We’re here to drive connection for you,” Painter said. “Thank you for your voice, it matters.”
Delivering Reduced Costs, Safety and Sustainability
For the second half of the opening session, senior vice president Ron Bisio took the stage, sharing more about the thousands of miles around the globe he traveled over the past year to visit 25 customers to hear first-hand how drivers, dispatchers, dock staff and more are leveraging Trimble solutions to get the job done every day.
“I gained quite a lot watching your teams work, and we’re bringing that back to the [Trimble] team to make our solutions better,” Bisio stated. “We really want to be delivering at the top level for you and your organization.”
Bisio continued, “We don’t have any interest in being a vendor. We want to be a technology partner and be on the journey together.” Each Trimble team member, he said, is driving toward being a collaborative partner to customers, wherever they are on their journey.
In this inflationary period, many customers told Bisio they were looking to drive down costs by a half cent per mile or more. “We’re helping you find that,” Bisio said. “We’re on a journey together to find more freight to fill your trucks. We want to be and do better.”
Already, customers are seeing value in Trimble’s effort to bring its solutions together, Bisio added. “Since last year, we have five connected workflows that are connecting your business to customers to increase your network, your solutions to standardized data, and our partner ecosystem to your operation.”
He acknowledged that most customers do not operate in a Trimble-only environment, making it important for Trimble to enable connections and integration with other technologies. “The whole goal is to drive operational efficiency, data and analysis that allows you to make better decisions. And making better decisions is why we’re all in this connected ecosystem.”
Bisio also touched on a number of Trimble’s solutions and how they are actively helping customers operate more safely, with the Video Intelligence solution potentially saving 293 lives per year; helping customers reduce their environmental impact by filling backhaul trips; improving final-mile safety and visibility with the new Instinct fleet management solution paired with CoPilot, which brings drivers to precise truck-specific entry and exit points at their destination; and finally, saving tens of thousands of dollars with the TMT warranty management module.
“We can’t change the [market] conditions,” Bisio said in summary. “What we can do is improve how we operate in these conditions. We keep things running a little more smoothly, a little more seamlessly, and a little more connected. That’s what we’re really focused on.”
Transportation Cloud Enables Connectivity
Bisio highlighted three customers that are currently benefiting from Trimble’s Transportation Cloud, which is designed to automatically connect data between services and solutions, not only from Trimble, but external partners.
- Dart Transit: When Dart came to Trimble, they wanted to better connect their back-office team with the in-cab driver experience. Over time, Trimble helped Dart create a stronger ecosystem between their fleets and drivers. Instinct, Trimble’s next-generation telematics and fleet management offering, along with Video Intelligence, has deepened the company’s technology capabilities and helped streamline communications.
- Crete Carrier Corporation: Crete was eager to unify its driver workflow and bring data into its TMS no-touch environment in real time. The goal was to create a seamless transportation technology experience for all parties. With the Trimble Transportation Cloud, Crete has connected multiple solutions, including Trimble’s Innovative TMS, Crete’s TMS, telematics, their fleet management solution and more – making the driver workflow more intuitive and business insights accessible to back-office staff.
- Tri-National: Known for its exceptional service and safety records, Tri-National was struggling with competitive shipper bids. Since getting started with Engage Lane, Trimble’s procurement solution that directly connects shippers and carriers, Tri-National has ramped up its route activity and is back in full force.
“It's really important to bring you concrete examples of companies using solutions built on Trimble Transportation Cloud and show you the real value. These are people who were willing to put their names behind what they're doing with us, together on the Trimble Transportation Cloud,” Bisio concluded.
We will continue sharing valuable insights and key takeaways from Insight 2023 over the coming weeks – keep your eyes on our blog for additional updates!