Bestmile powers European Last-Mile Automated Delivery Solution

The Vaud based Bestmile developed a Fleet Orchestration Platform for planning, managing, and optimising autonomous and human-driven vehicles. EIT Digital, a leading European open innovation organisation, has recently nominated Besmile to provide its platform for the establishment of a new startup that will deliver Last-Mile Automated Delivery (LMAD) solutions.

"Consumers increasingly expect same-day delivery of many items. These services are expensive and deliver a poor experience, often adding to congestion and slowing down traffic in European cities. This project aims to make deliveries faster and more cost-effective while increasing customer satisfaction," said Guillaume Toublanc, EIT Digital Managing Director in France.

• GIM Robotics will provide the vehicle platform with advanced outdoor navigation.
• Bookit Oy will provide the last-mile logistics user interface and applications.
• Picom will help shape retail delivery use cases and business models.
• Futurice will help design the service for commercialization.
• Bestmile will provide the Fleet Orchestration Platform that optimises fleet efficiency and performance. 

Bringing the LMAD solution to market
Contacted by Startupticker.ch, the Vaud scale-up explains that the purpose of this 2-year project is to create a standalone business that brings the new LMAD solution to market. The amount of investment remains undisclosed. Nonetheless, this support makes it possible for EIT Digital to work upstream of the startup's creation in order to firstly, define partner roles and identify any new partners that might be needed; and secondly, refine the business model and commercial strategy; and thirdly,  start the technical work of integration between the various partners involved in the new entity. 

As soon as the business is established, targeted for early 2020, Bestmile will become the official supplier of fleet orchestration for the new entity.

(Press release – ES)