Tata Motors and Freight Commerce Solutions Private Limited (‘Freight Tiger’) have signed a Securities Subscription Agreement (SSA) and a Shareholders Agreement (SHA) for the acquisition of 26.79% stake in ‘Freight Tiger’ for a consideration of Rs 150 Crores. The SSA also includes a provision enabling Tata Motors to further invest Rs 100 Crores over the next two years. This investment will be made at the then prevailing market value.
‘Freight Tiger’ is a digital platform that provides end-to-end logistics value chain solutions for cargo movement in the country. The platform connects shippers, carriers, logistics service providers, and fleet owners to a single digital marketplace. It makes it easy to find, book, and manage freight, while also offering a variety of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to digitize and streamline logistics interactions. These interactions include freight tracking, assignment, carrier matching, documentation, and payment processing. The platform facilitates more than 10 million trips on annualised basis. It has been successfully integrating and ironing out inefficiencies in cargo movements over the last 7 years.
Tata Motors has already introduced its connected vehicle platform ‘Fleet Edge’ for aiding fleet operations management. Moreover, Tata Motors’ strategic investment in ‘Freight Tiger’ will accelerate the company’s initiatives. It aims to drive effectiveness and efficiency in the truck and freight ecosystem. Together, these innovative solutions (‘Fleet Edge’ & ‘Freight Tiger’) aspire to forge a comprehensive end-to-end digital ecosystem for the entire logistics value chain, covering both the truck and the trip ecosystem. Thereby, bringing significant benefits to shippers, brokers, and transporters. They are the ones who keep India moving.
The closure of transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary condition precedents.
Mr. Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd commented, “Tata Motors is committed to transforming the road logistics industry with our innovative solutions and services. We believe that by playing a larger and deeper role in bringing all the stakeholders together to improve road logistics efficiency. We can create value for our core customers: the fleet owners. Hence, we are excited to announce our partnership with Freight Tiger, a pioneer in digitizing the logistics industry. We align our vision with theirs, as we strive to improve the efficiency and sustainability of road logistics. Together, we will create new opportunities for growth and value creation for our customers, partners and stakeholders”.
Mr. Swapnil Shah, Founder & CEO of ‘Freight Tiger’, added, “Software- led approaches are the lever to transform existing industry assets and supercharge them to work more efficiently for all stakeholders. We do this by building trust & facilitating collaboration across the logistics value chain. We are excited to have Tata motors as a strategic investor. Moreover, they share our belief and vision to build a unified national platform at an unprecedented scale. The company, with its incredible backing and expertise, strategically positions itself to lead India’s efforts in reducing logistics costs. The goal is to bring these costs to under 10% of GDP from over 14%.”
