On Tuesday, global tire giant Goodyear announced that it has entered a multi-year partnership with Gatik, the Palo Alto, California-based middle-mile logistics provider whose delivery clients include Wal-Mart (among others), to advance the development of mobility solutions for the autonomous B2B short-haul logistics industry. According to Goodyear, the collaboration will contribute to safer, more sustainable goods movement while reducing costs for Gatik’s customers in the B2B short-haul market nationwide.
Gatik has established the first autonomous middle-mile logistics network in North America and is rapidly expanding its fleet of Class 3-6 autonomous box trucks for customers in multiple markets, including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Ontario. Goodyear, which in addition to its century and a half of industry leadership in global tires has also moved decisively into connected mobility, where the new partnership with Gatik aligns. This national collaboration expands service levels and capacity for both organizations across the U.S.
Under the collaboration, Goodyear’s corporate venture capital fund, Goodyear Ventures, has participated in Gatik’s recent Series B funding round and the companies will work on multiple innovative projects. Gatik’s medium-duty fleet will use tires equipped with tire intelligence technology powered by Goodyear SightLine, a suite of tire intelligence solutions, building upon Goodyear’s existing connected tire management products in an effort to improve stopping distances in autonomous commercial vehicles and monitor tire pressure in real time for enhanced safety and reduced wear. As Gatik commercializes its operations at scale, the use of tire intelligence solutions is expected to help reduce fuel and maintenance costs while increasing operational efficiencies for retailers, e-commerce companies and distributors employing Gatik’s autonomous solution.
“By leveraging our advanced tire intelligence solutions, Goodyear can help improve vehicle performance and safety in autonomous transportation,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s senior vice president, global operations and chief technology officer. “Together, Goodyear and Gatik will combine our innovative technologies to help bring more efficiency in the increasingly important middle mile segment.”
“The benefits of Goodyear’s tire intelligence technology are grounded in enhancing safety, increasing efficiency and reducing costs – principles which are absolutely fundamental to Gatik’s mission and success,” said Gatik CTO and Co-Founder Arjun Narang. “This collaboration will enable us to further increase the value we offer our customers across the continent and help define new standards in safety and sustainability for the B2B short-haul sector.”
“Gatik’s mission to deliver goods safely and efficiently using autonomous vehicles aligns with our investment strategy, making them a great addition to our portfolio, which already includes key autonomous delivery players in the long-haul and last-mile delivery markets,” said Goodyear Ventures Managing Director Abhijit Ganguly. “We believe this investment is a strong strategic fit for Goodyear as we seek to learn more about the implications of autonomous technologies in middle mile delivery and logistics.”
