FedEx and Microsoft have joined hands and entered a new multi-year collaboration on May 18th, 2020. This partnership will help ‘transform commerce’ by combining the global digital and logistics network of FedEx and intelligent cloud by Microsoft. The first service from the companies, FedEx Surround, allows organizations in tracking their supply chain. Now, let us try to understand what FedEx Surround is.
About FedEx Surround
FedEx Surround, according to the companies, is a driving digital illumination of the physical world. The FedEx network links more than 99% of the world’s gross domestic product across 220 countries. Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, is trusted by more than 95% of Fortune 500 companies. The solution will collect data through FedEx’s IoT technology and analyse it through Microsoft’s broad suite of AI. The solution allows businesses to enhance their supply chain by leveraging data and near-real-time analytics into shipment tracking. It will also help predict issues that might affect delivery, such as clearance issues and weather conditions.
Mr Frederick W. Smith, chairman and CEO of FedEx said that they have been reimagining the supply chain since the first day of operation, & they are taking it to a new level with the announcement about their collaboration with Microsoft. He added that together with Microsoft, they aim to combine the power of technology with the vast scale of FedEx’s tracking infrastructure to help revolutionize commerce and create a network for what’s next for their customers.
Any company with a supply chain will be benefitted by FedEx Surround. Companies with highly time-sensitive deliveries will be particularly benefited. For example, if a hospital needs a piece of equipment to save a life or a machine part has to reach a manufacturing unit in a specific time frame. FedEx Surround will be available later this year for customers to access.
FedEx and Amazon Rivalry
The full or true nature of the partnership has not been disclosed, including how much FedEx will be paying Microsoft to use its Azure cloud technology. FedEx announced last year that it would end its ground delivery contract with Amazon. The partnership might represent yet another example of Amazon rivals choosing to go ahead with Microsoft’s cloud technology over the Amazon Web Services (AWS). FedEx and Amazon have been in competition with each other as Amazon invests greatly in building its own seamless shipping network.
All the necessary information regarding FedEx Surround availability will be shared by the companies soon and customer access will be rolled out in the months ahead. FedEx Surround isn’t the only solution that will be a result of this collaboration. Other solutions that are a part of the collaboration will be revealed in the following months.
SEE ALSO: Walgreens Partners with FedEx to Accept Online Returns
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