SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL — Bunge Ltd. has invested in a new app, Vector, that allows freight scheduling via a mobile phone. Vector gathers information about Bunge’s cargo available for handling: pick-up and drop-off locations, timeline for pick-up and delivery, as well as the quantity per tonne.

The goal is to optimize the time of Bunge’s transportation partners, allowing them to spend more time on the road.

Drivers registered in the app can select a freight and schedule the load in a few seconds, without the need to personally attend one of the company’s branches to withdraw the load order, which becomes digital and confirmed at the time of choice by the driver truck. It also allows automatic confirmation and guaranteeing the load to the driver.

The company’s logistics operation in Brazil involves 320,000 truck drivers at its base that carry more than 25 million tonnes of grain per year. In total, the amount of freight for the transportation of goods can reach around R$3.5 billion ($668.7 million) annually.

In gradual implementation since January 2020, Vector already has recorded more than 23,000 downloads and 18,000 profile registrations. The tool is already responsible for handling about 45% of the total cargo handled by Bunge by road. The app is now available throughout Brazil, with versions for the Android and iOS operating systems.

“We understand Vector as an innovation in the management of our business, as technology optimizes Bunge’s processes, which simultaneously starts to publicize its freight offers to a wide base of drivers, giving us the opportunity to involve employees today very dedicated to operational tasks in more analytical functions,” said Makoto Yokoo, logistic director of Bunge. “Vector allows Bunge employees and truck drivers to make better use of their time. In this pandemic scenario, the tool is also a great ally of the driver for reducing the exposure of professionals to face-to-face situations. We are already seeing an increase in the number of active users since the last two weeks of March. Today, about 35% of the total drivers who downloaded the app are active users of the tool compared to 20% in early March.”

By the end of the year, around 50,000 drivers are expected to be using Vector.

Vector is Bunge’s latest investment in technology. In December 2019, the company launched a new tool that enables customers in North America to receive real-time snapshots of grain prices while creating cash grain contracts online and on-the-go 24-hours a day. Either online via https://www.bungeservices.com/irj/portal/anonymous, or using the Bunge Mobile App, ag professionals can access open contracts 24/7 to track bushels, futures, basis, cash bids, shipments, payments, and more.

The Bunge Mobile app is available for download from the Apple App Store or on Google Play. For Bunge Mobile app details, visit: https://bungenorthamerica.com/bunge-mobile.