ZF announced that it has acquired Bestmile’s technology, which signals a step towards launching the commercial vehicle industry’s first Mobility Orchestration Platform. This platform will advance ZF’s “Next Generation Mobility” strategy, and it will help operators realize ambitions for Transportation as a Service (TaaS) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) for all types of mobility applications and vehicles.

“The transportation eco-system is rapidly changing, with OEMs and fleet operators facing numerous challenges — from competitive pressures to regulatory changes — as they increasingly digitalize and adopt autonomous, connected and electric mobility technologies,” said Dr. Christian Brenneke, SVP, Product Engineering with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Control Systems division. “This pace and diversity of applications has fragmented the transportation industry, creating digital silos, greater complexity and operational inefficiency for fleet management.” 

ZF’s Orchestration platform will provide real-time coordination and management of goods and people transportation on a large scale.

“By incorporating Bestmile’s technology into our Next Generation Mobility strategy, ZF will provide an Orchestration Platform that optimizes the information feeds, complex operational processes and stringent controls required to build and support connected transportation ecosystems,” said Brenneke. 

ZF will leverage Bestmile’s capabilities and developments will introduce a fully automatic, KPI-based planning, routing, scheduling, and dispatching solution based on connectivity between onboard technology, fleet optimization, and artificial intelligence.

This platform will help fleets significantly improve their operational efficiency, sustainability, safety, and cargo security. It will also help facilitate fully autonomous mobility and cargo transportation within automated, multi-platform supply chains, and logistics networks. 

“Based on this platform, ZF will open a gateway to enable higher levels of automation and connectivity between diverse mobility and transportation system providers and stakeholders, including cargo, shipping and commercial transportation supply chains. The platform also supports on-demand mobility providers by orchestrating every vehicle in a fleet in real time,” said Brenneke. 

Customers will now also gain access to ZF’s extensive Aftermarket solutions and fleet service network, including roadside assistance, workshops, and distribution partners.

“My team and I are delighted to become part of ZF and take the next steps towards optimizing cargo and people mobility," said Dr. Marco Laumanns, former CTO of Bestmile. "Our focus has always been to offer fleet operators a one-stop solution for orchestration technology to enable the smart, shared, electric, and autonomous mobility of the future already, today. With ZF’s innovation and strong technology leadership across the full range of transportation platforms and fleet management solutions, we gain additional thrust towards achieving this vision."