{"id":1975,"date":"2026-05-27T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/digital-forwarders-split-should-tech-sit-above-freight-or-inside-it\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T13:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T10:00:25","slug":"digital-forwarders-split-should-tech-sit-above-freight-or-inside-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikhailinvest.com\/ru\/digital-forwarders-split-should-tech-sit-above-freight-or-inside-it\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0426\u0438\u0444\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u044d\u043a\u0441\u043f\u0435\u0434\u0438\u0442\u043e\u0440\u044b \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0445\u043e\u0434\u044f\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0432\u043e \u043c\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f\u0445: \u0434\u043e\u043b\u0436\u043d\u044b \u043b\u0438 \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0438 \u043d\u0430\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430\u0434 \u0433\u0440\u0443\u0437\u043e\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043e\u0437\u043a\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0432\u043d\u0443\u0442\u0440\u0438 \u043d\u0438\u0445?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The first generation of digital freight forwarders once appeared to be converging on a single idea:\u00a0combine\u00a0software with\u00a0logistics\u00a0execution, automate the workflows, and gradually\u00a0become\u00a0the operating system for global trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Increasingly, however, the sector\u2019s players are heading in\u00a0very different\u00a0directions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For\u00a0the UK\u2019s\u00a0Beacon, the answer was to step away from freight\u00a0forwarding\u00a0altogether. CEO Fraser Robinson\u00a0recently told<\/a>\u00a0The\u00a0Loadstar<\/i>\u00a0the company had concluded that \u201cfreight forwarders\u2026 have a business model problem\u201d,\u00a0arguing that operators could never become truly neutral technology platforms because customers\u00a0ultimately choose\u00a0forwarders based on rates and service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA forwarder can never be neutral,\u201d he said. \u201cTo become the operating brain\u2026 you must be neutral.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beacon has since repositioned itself as what Mr Robinson describes as a \u201c100%-tech platform\u201d, focused on aggregating fragmented supply chain data into what it calls an AI-driven \u201ccontext layer\u201d. The company argues that visibility itself is no longer the product, and that the real value lies in helping customers make decisions, automate workflows and reduce costs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zencargo, however, sees the future very differently.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rather than viewing forwarding and software as conflicting models, the company argues that operational execution is precisely what makes the technology valuable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t see this divide between\u2026 software and freight operations and execution,\u201d said Zencargo CEO Richard Fattal. \u201cWe think they\u2019re symbiotic.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fact, he argues the opposite of Beacon\u2019s position: that companies which\u00a0actually move\u00a0freight are better placed to build effective technology because they experience the operational problems first-hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can build much better software if you actually have to do the freight forwarding,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

FreightSuite\u00a0tends to agree. The start-up, which is trying to build an AI-native alternative to\u00a0CargoWise, launched its own small freight\u00a0forwarding\u00a0operation partly as a live testing environment for the platform, allowing engineers and operators to work side-by-side while refining workflows and automation tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The disagreement highlights a growing split inside the digital forwarding sector, as companies that once appeared to share a common vision increasingly diverge over what the business should\u00a0ultimately become.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Zencargo, the model has\u00a0evolved away\u00a0from simply\u00a0digitising\u00a0freight bookings toward broader supply chain orchestration.\u00a0Mr\u00a0Fattal\u00a0described the company as an \u201cAI-powered digital freight forwarder and supply chain partner\u201d,\u00a0arguing that the real opportunity lies in becoming deeply embedded in customer workflows.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That includes integrating with ERP systems, automating procurement and shipment workflows, managing\u00a0exceptions\u00a0and helping customers make decisions around inventory, production\u00a0delays\u00a0and transport capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019ve been doing is thinking about\u2026 what is the typical workflow that a business has from the moment that they place an order with a factory,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company also pushes back on the idea that customers are unwilling to build long-term relationships with forwarders. Beacon had argued that because shippers\u00a0frequently\u00a0switch providers, forwarders struggle to become deeply integrated platforms.\u00a0Zencargo\u00a0disagrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, one of the reasons it\u2019s been harder for new freight forwarders to get into the market is because customers are sticky,\u201d said\u00a0Mr\u00a0Fattal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The debate increasingly\u00a0centres\u00a0on AI, and where its value will actually emerge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like Beacon, Zencargo argues that the future advantage lies not simply in adding AI tools, but in controlling the underlying data and operational workflows.\u00a0Mr\u00a0Fattal\u00a0believes freight forwarding\u00a0remains\u00a0\u201cvery much at the beginning\u201d of the AI transition, with the biggest gains likely to come from automating exception management rather than routine processes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last 20%\u2026 create a huge amount of the time sink of the work,\u201d he said, referring to delays, customs problems, missing\u00a0paperwork\u00a0and operational escalations that still require human intervention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He argued that AI systems will increasingly learn from those operational exceptions over time, creating an advantage for companies that both own the workflow and manage the freight itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both companies, despite their different conclusions, are effectively arguing that the strategic battleground in freight forwarding is shifting away from simple shipment visibility and toward ownership of the data,\u00a0workflows\u00a0and decision-making layers around the supply chain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where they disagree is whether a freight forwarder can\u00a0ultimately own\u00a0that layer\u00a0\u2013\u00a0or whether true platforms must sit above execution altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The answer may define what the next generation of digital forwarding businesses eventually become.<\/p>\n