• Contract signed to acquire Loom Technologies GmbH
• RIO to expand its services for freight forwarders after the closing with the addition of Loom’s Cartright transport management system (TMS) and the Backstrap integration platform
• Loom’s modular and web-based TMS manages transport requests and has optimization potential

Munich, July 14, 2021 – RIO’s announcement that it is taking over Paderborn-based Loom Technologies GmbH, a logistics software provider, means a significant expansion of the company’s range of services. The corresponding purchase agreement was signed on July 8, 2021. As soon as the transaction has closed, the TRATON GROUP’s digital brand will be able to offers its customers a comprehensive transport and order management product. Loom’s Cartright TMS allows its users to plan, manage, and optimize their flow of goods efficiently. In taking this strategic step, RIO is expanding its range of fleet management solutions, adding a key product for supply chain organization into the mix and closing the gap to its developments for loaders.

“We want to interconnect all companies in the supply chain using our RIO platform. This is why we are extremely proud to be able to offer our customers an expanded range of services in the future thanks to our acquisition of Loom,” says RIO’s CEO Jan Kaumanns. “Loom is bringing its extensive know-how in the field of logistics IT to the table. The company and its employees are a perfect fit for RIO’s culture and way of working thanks to their modern software-as-a-service approach. Cartright, a web-based TMS with configurable modules that is tailored to meet individual customer needs, offers measurable added value to users at all stages of the supply chain.”

Loom was founded in 2012 in Paderborn, Germany. With a workforce of around 25 employees, this young company’s TMS focuses on optimizing logistics processes as well as on cost savings and ease of use. Viktor Müller, CEO of Loom: “We are delighted that we will be able to contribute our vision of making the global flow of goods more efficient to RIO in the future, along with our wide-ranging expertise in digital logistics products. We already have more than 150 satisfied freight forwarders using our Cartright TMS and the universal integration platform Backstrap.”

A modular design and a mobile app: the Cartright TMS at a glance

The Cartright transport management system, which will be sold under the RIO brand in the future, can be configured based on customers’ requirements, is available in multiple languages, and is compatible with users’ IT systems thanks to a variety of interfaces. Since the TMS is web-based, users do not need their own servers.

The Cartright TMS has a modular design, with users able to choose between a Basic and a Pro version of the system. Modules like scheduling, personnel and fleet management, master data management, controlling, the driver app, warehouse management, invoicing and accounting, and support and interfaces all differ in scope depending on the version booked by the client. Additionally, the Pro version of the TMS offers a customer and supplier portal that makes connecting subcontractors straightforward.

“With this planned acquisition of Loom, we are taking another significant step toward more coopetition in the market, which is the main idea at the heart of our company. Thanks to the system’s modular design and our extended interface concept, we will be helping each and every one of our customers to set up their own individual ecosystem for their specific needs in the medium term. This means customers will be able to decide which providers of fleet and transport management as well as driver communication services they want to integrate into their business processes,” RIO CEO Jan Kaumanns explains the strategic approach. “The addition of Loom’s solution enables us to close the gap and link our loader and carrier activities even more effectively in the future.”