Clockwork: Delivery Performance for Global Supply Chains

Introduction to Clockwork

Industry leaders are increasingly embracing integrated supply chain strategies, signalling a clear shift toward a future where organisations oversee every link and mode within the supply chain. Despite this progress, the maritime industry is still hindered by fragmentation and opacity in logistical and operational systems.

Clockwork is determined to plug the gap between ERP systems and the local handling of shipment, with their workflow optimisation platform. Their platform allows logistics players to take control of their supply chain with hundreds of configurable actions and real-time visibility data, serving as a catalyst for single-mode companies to launch into land-side operations such as trucking, warehousing, and trans-loading. 

From unlocking chain-of-custody control to operational oversight on the movement of cargo, businesses such as Kuehne+Nagel, DSV, and Maersk have benefited from Clockwork’s platform, attaining results including up to 15% in cost-savings and reduced service failures, and 20% efficiency gained from invoice accuracies; achieving end-to-end logistics orchestration and fully-integrated data analytics insights all in one solution.

The Founding Story

The founders have a long history together, sparked by a burning desire to transform supply chain operations.

25 years ago, Robert Haney (Clockwork’s Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer) first met Oscar Yu (Clockwork’s Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer) and what would become Clockwork’s current team of Senior Developers while working at APL Logistics. Technology was nascent back then so Rob and Oscar were constantly seeking ways to connect drayage to mid- and final-mile. Their first attempt to scratch that itch led them towards building an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that would automatically call drivers upon a delivery, and prompt them to "press 1 if delivered". 

Their passion for supply chain connectivity did not just end there. Despite going their separate ways after APL, both of them kept their fervour to digitise and unite the supply chain, actively pushing for technological advancements in the supply chain, in their various lines of work. Serendipitously, Rob met John Chang (Clockwork’s Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer) and Andy Barrons (Clockwork’s Co-founder & Chief Revenue Officer) in his next job at INTTRA. They quickly formed a bond and found themselves engaged in deep conversations about the promising future of their technology.

As the years went by, the four of them found themselves going back to the same question of “how to connect drayage to the final mile” time and again. 6 years later, in 2017, they united their distinct skill sets to embark on a new endeavour named Clockwork. Oscar brought his technical acumen to the table, while John contributed his knack for customer success and organisational know-how. Andy's experience in strategy and business matters, coupled with Rob’s talent for innovation, rounded out the team’s comprehensive expertise.

From left to right, Robert Haney (Chief Executive Officer), Andrew Barrons (Chief Revenue Officer), Oscar Yu (Chief Technology Officer), and John Chang (Chief Operating Officer)

Clockwork was born out of a desire to provide all operating partners an equal playing field, regardless of geography or size, enabling them to be seen and appreciated by shippers.

Early Beginnings

The initial phases of Clockwork started a little differently from other stealth startups. Identifying that receiving real industry feedback would expedite their learning process, they decided to enrol themselves in Maersk Growth’s startup pitch event, flying from the US to Copenhagen to meet maritime and logistics players. Thankfully for the team, they were able to quickly validate their problem statement and zoom in on the lack of end-to-end visibility, coordination inefficiencies, and untapped data insights. 

With that, they began an intense journey of building features, running pilot studies and deploying early projects, checking in with partners at various milestones to gain feedback and refine their offering. 

Screenshot of Clockwork’s web portal.

Growth 

Since their inception, Clockwork has found their niche by paving a way towards scaling alongside industry leaders, and has worked with over two thousand active drivers and supported two million deliveries across eighteen countries to date. 

Their customer acquisition strategy involves a lean team who invests time into on-site workshops with customers’ Operations and IT teams to build rapport, better understand their needs, align goals, and craft an implementation plan that all parties would be happy to work with. This unique hands-on approach has enabled them to boost user adoption across different customer teams, and achieve unbeatable speed in their system integration projects.

Screenshots of Clockwork’s Mobile App and Example of a User Dashboard.

Evolving with real industry needs

Rob first envisioned Clockwork merely being something similar to a “Driver” app (think Uber app) with a maximum of 10 functions; their app today could not be further away from this. 

Clockwork’s app currently boasts client-specific profiles with hundreds of configurable actions including chain-of-custody control, capturing equipment information, temperature checks, and security amongst others. This allows almost all roles, from Driver to Dispatcher to utilise their app with ease, and provides customers a unique hands-off experience whilst getting the data they need. The team views this advancement in their solution as a by-product of all the genuine conversations and feedback that their customers have had with them. 

Screenshot of a delivery tracker on Clockwork’s portal, with real-time updates configured based on a user’s needs.

While Clockwork grows rapidly, they continue to cross-validate usage patterns by analysing their AI algorithms with their customer advisory board, allowing them to improve their solution. This is played out through rapid prototyping and piloting of new features to batches of existing users, providing the team with real-time responses and feedback; this feedback is then prioritised and used for further feature improvements.

In addition, the team maintains a strong connection with industry groups, staying updated on the broader macro trends, challenges, and new technologies that shape their strategic planning roadmap.

Partnering with MV

Beyond forging strong customer relationships, the team seeks out strategic partners and investors to aid in their brand expansion and global footprint.

Rob shares that,

“Motion Ventures has been nothing short of a terrific partner to us! During our initial interaction, they immediately understood the motivation behind Clockwork and recognised our potential to effect change in the industry. Their support and strategic guidance has been instrumental in opening new doors, and has accelerated our journey toward meeting new customers and investors.”

Looking Ahead

With more companies in the maritime industry open to incorporating technology and AI, Clockwork is excited to help more operators identify supply chain optimisation opportunities, in ways that are congruent with the future of work (e.g., automated responses, remote-working, and mobility), while leveraging even greater cost savings.

If you are interested in learning more about Clockwork and their offerings, feel free to reach out to Andy (andy@clockworkdelivery.com). For investment and related enquiries, feel free to connect with Rob (rob@clockworkdelivery.com).