en.Wedoany.com Reported - Yard Management System (YMS) provider C3 Solutions has launched major upgrades to its "Reservations" and "Yard" platforms in Birmingham, UK, along with a new web-based integration layer called "C3 Hive." Founded in 2000 in Montreal by Nicholas Couture and Greg Braun, the company specializes in the niche of yard management. According to a C3 survey, 40% of supply chain leaders identify yard inefficiency as their top challenge.
Currently, C3 Solutions serves customers in over 30 countries. Its Dock + Yard + Gate platform is used in more than 2,000 distribution centers, with 250,000 drivers using C3 Hive and 350,000 users on C3 Hub. In the UK, the company has 20 major clients, including large retailers and courier companies. Birmingham, the UK's second-largest city, was chosen as the launch location due to its strategic importance as a logistics hub, with the West Midlands region hosting key industry players.
The newly launched Hive platform enables contactless, unmanned gate management through automatic vehicle access control. The system is AI-driven, utilizing existing security cameras to identify trucks and trailers by analyzing up to 25 data elements, including license plates and DOT numbers. This automation demand accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it allowed drivers to remain in their cabs. The Hive Gate & Site app streamlines the driver check-in process with minimal data entry and intelligent trailer assignment, offering pre-arrival visualization. Seal management, regulatory and safety checks can be enforced via an audit module. Automatic gate access uses QR codes or PINs, with notifications sent to carriers and suppliers via email, and can integrate with visual AI cameras. The platform uses geofencing to detect entry and exit zones.
C3 Hive Catalyst is a new supply chain collaboration tool. Rather than replacing existing functions in C3 Hub, it expands the capabilities of the current C3 environment by bridging the gap between operations and the logistics ecosystem, bringing suppliers, carriers, stores, and drivers into a synchronized communication environment. CEO Nicholas Couture stated: "What if we could eliminate the duplication of information within our reach? By enabling automation, we can enhance interaction and efficiency." Hive Catalyst helps users build delivery and pickup routes between sites using C3 and can synchronize with Transportation Management Systems (TMS). Shippers who are not C3 users can access the platform via API to track yard arrivals, but a subscription is required to communicate on the platform. Anomalies such as delays can be easily managed.
Catalyst will assist customers in planning by querying "what-if" scenarios and obtaining predictive results using real-time data, enabling better decisions on matters such as delivery windows and dock maintenance. Reporting is another new feature, allowing for the generation of arrival reports or shunting utilization analysis. Users can select operational areas and perspectives to obtain customized answers based on data. With a subscription, reports can be scheduled to be sent to email inboxes hourly, daily, or weekly. Couture noted that Catalyst can coexist with TMS but also has the potential to replace it. In terms of cybersecurity, C3 Solutions chooses to partner with companies like Microsoft that can demonstrate processes. Customers can now choose data residency, and customer networks are not accessible via C3 as it is a web-based platform. C3 Solutions will exhibit at Warehouse & Yard (Stand D7) from June 30 to July 1 at the Birmingham NEC.
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