Logistics and supply chain platform Project44 plans to expand its presence in Latin America by doubling the size of its workforce in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile to more than 130 employees in 2022.
The Chicago-based company also hired Pierre Jacquin as general manager in Latin America. Jacquin was formerly chief growth officer at Intelipost, where he led the transformation of its customers’ omnichannel operations. He has expertise in logistics and e-commerce across wholesale, retail and consumer packaged goods sectors.
Project44 said it is building on strong commercial adoption from leading global shippers in Latin America, and its expansion comes at a crucial time as industries face serious disruptions to the logistics and supply chain worldwide. The company said it can offer shippers, exporters, importers and logistics experts greater visibility to better navigate the bottlenecks clogging up the transport system.
Project44, which recently raised $202 million in a Series E funding round led by Goldman Sachs, said its growth in Latin America comes on the heels of its planned expansion in China.
Latin America has faced dramatic supply chain challenges in the past year while experiencing a surge in import and export demand from Asia, which itself is experiencing multifaceted supply chain challenges. According to Project44, these issues are compounded by soaring online retail demands in Latin America’s domestic consumer market, applying significant pressure to its already challenged and often immature truck-transportation infrastructure.
“While this increased demand could be seen as a windfall for LatAm organizations, many are still lacking end-to-end visibility across the supply chain,” Project44 founder and Chief Executive Jett McCandless said in a statement. “This leaves businesses unable to effectively respond to a myriad of interconnected local and global transportation issues. As the fastest growing SaaS platform for real-time, end-to-end transportation visibility our pre-eminent network already connects truckload carriers on every continent and nearly all containerized ocean freight moving between them. Our expansion in LatAm is a natural progression of our international footprint, as we serve global leaders at both international and local levels.”
Project44 said it has already launched an expansive hiring program for its hubs in Sao Paulo and Mexico City, covering roles across functions including customer success and support, implementation, carrier onboarding, sales and marketing.
