Bright future for Pie Mapping following DPD acquisition
Mar 14, 2017
London-based Pie Mapping is well positioned for growth following the acquisition by UK parcel giant DPD, according to new CEO Stuart Hill.
Pie Mapping was acquired by DPD in late 2016 to further fund and accelerate the development of a full suite of logistics products that can support a wide range of fleet-based operations, including those in the construction and retail sector.
Pie Mapping won DPD's ground-breaking technology incubator scheme, Last Mile Labs, with its unique routing, linehaul optimisation, and resource management system, which is now being used by DPD, with further enhancements lined-up over the coming months.
Pie's solution was designed to give DPD's linehaul managers and planners total fleet, driver and route visibility in real time, giving DPD a rapid-response advantage when it comes to overcoming issues such as motorway congestion.
Following the acquisition, Pie Mapping's founder Freddie Talberg has stepped down as Director and CEO, but will continue to be involved with the business as an advisor to the new senior management team, led by Stuart Hill.
Hill, formerly of John Lewis and ASOS, founded the fast-growing e-commerce parcels company, wn Direct, which was also recently acquired by DPD Group.
Stuart Hill commented: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be heading-up such an innovative company. We've got a great team and an outstanding product. As a result, I think Pie Mapping has a real opportunity to be a global player across the freight and logistics industry. But tech companies need access to finance, and this acquisition provides vital funding to enable the business to accelerate through the critical growth stages.
In addition to the finance, DPD brings industry knowledge and expertise in building leading-edge technology fit for purpose and operated at scale.They have an outstanding track record when it comes to delivering truly innovative tech across a huge fleet. As a result, I think both parties have a lot to gain from this partnership.
At the moment, the focus is on Pie's existing customers and product range, but the plan is to launch a new all-in-one platform and product in the Summer, aimed at anyone with a fleet who wants optimisation of routes, compliant navigation, total visibility of real-time arrivals/departures and exceptions and full driver analytics. We'll be proactively targeting sectors such as retail and construction where we think the product will be particularly relevant. Obviously, we will also be looking to work with the other members of the DPD Group across Europe, to give them the same kind of competitive advantage the UK team will have with."
