C.H. Robinson, one of the largest public companies in Minnesota, announced today that it is teaming up with Microsoft to create new tech solutions for the supply chain industry.
Through the new partnership, C.H. Robinson will combine its Navisphere platform with Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT to provide consumers with more information about their packages. Incorporating IoT technology will allow customers to measure factors like temperature, shock, tilt, humidity, light and pressure in their shipments.
Microsoft and C.H. Robinson have previously worked together and both serve many Fortune 250 companies. In a statement, the two companies said their existing relationships make it easier to quickly scale and develop new solutions in the supply chain industry.
"We are committed to providing customers with a trusted, easy-to-use platform so they can build seamless, smart and secure solutions regardless of where they are on their IoT journey," Sam George, corporate vice president of Azure IoT, said in a release. "We're thrilled to collaborate with C.H. Robinson as it transforms the supply chain industry by leveraging our Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT solutions."
Partnering with C.H. Robinson will also help Microsoft collect more information about its own supply chain and gain insights on how to improve its delivery processes.
Most importantly, the two companies say, consumers will be able to receive real-time insights and visibility more accurately when the two technologies are combined.
"The supply chain of the future is smarter, less volatile and can be navigated with a new level of visibility thanks to the power of this relationship," said Jordan Kass, C.H. Robinson's president of managed services. "Through this collaboration, our customers receive a greater competitive edge, as well as industry-leading insights and expertise."
C.H. Robinson came in at No. 208 on this year's Fortune 500 list, down from No. 185 the year prior. Overall, it is the eighth-largest public company in Minnesota, coming in one spot behind General Mills (No. 192) and one spot ahead of Ecolab (No. 213).
