CHICAGO and NOVI, Mich. [December 19, 2024] – Telegraph, a pioneering rail technology solutions provider, and Lineage, the world’s largest global temperature-controlled warehouse REIT, announce Lineage’s investment in Telegraph and commercial agreement to provide Lineage rail customers with enhanced railcar telematics. This partnership seeks to enhance sustainability and reduce food waste by leveraging cutting-edge freight rail technology and industry-leading logistics solutions.

Food waste represents one of the greatest social challenges of the modern era. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the United States alone, 13.5% of US households faced food insecurity in 2023. At the same time, over 119 billion pounds of food are wasted each year. Lineage, a global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics, plays an important role in the worldwide food supply chain. Their mission is to transform the cold chain to reduce waste and help feed the world. Leveraging their strategically located network of temperature-controlled warehouses and an industry-leading refrigerated railcar network, Lineage aims to lower the cost of distribution and improve food availability across North America.

Telegraph delivers a comprehensive platform uniting railroads, shippers, logistics providers, and leasing companies to enhance collaboration and clarity. Recognizing that transportation mode is one of the most impactful decisions a company can make to reduce their carbon footprint, Telegraph makes shipping by rail seamless and integrated. 

Because of their shared values and missions, Lineage has invested in Telegraph and is leveraging their technology suite with its customers, providing increased transparency, more efficient planning, and a seamless experience for shippers.

“This collaboration is a testament to the core values of our two companies,” said Sudarsan Thattai, Lineage’s Chief Information Officer & Chief Transformation Officer. “Revolutionizing the food supply chain is at the heart of why we do what we do at Lineage. By working with Telegraph, we can better capture the sustainability benefits of freight rail, while making decisions based on precise data via an intuitive platform. This makes it easier for our customers to feel confident in choosing our fleet and our team, which is now enhanced by a powerful technology stack.”

Lineage operates the largest private fleet of refrigerated and temperature stable railcars in North America, as tracked by Umler. Due to the thermal performance of its fleet and onboard monitoring technology, rail can be a safe, efficient conveyance method for food products. Now, by working with Telegraph, Lineage will operationalize the use of railcar telematics at scale. Enhanced technology for rail freight creates an exciting opportunity to accommodate both a wide variety of products and the supply chain visibility and optimization expected by modern companies.

“We are extraordinarily proud to be working with Lineage,” said Harris Ligon, CEO of Telegraph. “Not only has the team at Lineage been a positive force to collaborate with, we believe our shared vision and ability to execute means that we can take steps toward a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and improve food accessibility for families across the country.”

As companies look for ways to improve their own sustainability metrics, freight rail remains one of the most attractive options to positively impact supply chains. The pioneering collaboration of Lineage and Telegraph seeks to transform the cold chain to create a more cost-efficient, precise, accessible way to help feed the world.

About Telegraph
Founded in 2020, Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, and railcar leasing companies. With an innovative platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, and proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers and makes shipping by rail easier and more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About Lineage  
Lineage, Inc. (NASDAQ: LINE) is the world’s largest global temperature-controlled warehouse REIT with a network of over 480 strategically located facilities totaling over 84 million square feet and approximately 3.0 billion cubic feet of capacity across countries in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Coupling end-to-end supply chain solutions and technology, Lineage partners with some of the world’s largest food and beverage producers, retailers, and distributors to help increase distribution efficiency, advance sustainability, minimize supply chain waste, and, most importantly, feed the world. Learn more at onelineage.com and join us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Lineage intends for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the applicable safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in those acts. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by Lineage’s use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “seek,” “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “plan,” “focus,” “priority,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “possible,” “look forward,” “optimistic,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of Lineage’s performance in future periods. Except as required by law, Lineage does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

Media Contacts:
Telegraph Public Relations
[email protected]
(708) 374-8150‬

Lineage
Christina Wiese
[email protected]

 

The post Telegraph and Lineage Announce Partnership That Seeks to Create a More Sustainable Food Supply Chain appeared first on Telegraph.

Acknowledging the Importance of Balance

We have a simple mission – to provide an invigorating working environment where our employees are empowered to produce the best work of their careers, while simultaneously maximizing their work/life balance. We hear that phrase a lot these days – work/life balance. So what does it actually mean? For Telegraph, it means that someone does not have to choose between a job that they are really excited about and uprooting their lives to move to a new location. It means that a parent has the flexibility to pick their kid up after school and take them to soccer practice, while still taking the lead on a new product launch, or a research session with operators at a shortline switching facility. It means that we recognize that work is one part of life, and that employees are better able to prioritize their work when a flexible and supportive environment is the centerpiece.

Opportunities for Engagement

We fully recognize that location-centric companies will never fully go away. For all the chatter about how people get more done at home, away from the general day-to-day distractions of an office space, there is a lot of inherent benefit when people are readily able to come together, collaborate, and learn from one another. With this in mind, we have made two key things a priority: regular, weekly office days at our Chicago office, and semi-annual company-wide offsites. While our employees are spread far and wide across the United States, the highest concentration of employees in one location is in Chicago. Office days are not mandatory, but they give us the chance to regularly come together and create magic. Truly, when you get your best people in a room together, magic happens. This might be in the form of completely new product features, or through fresh perspectives identifying a problem, ultimately leading to innovative solutions.

If you follow us on LinkedIn, you probably saw some of our posts from San Francisco the week before last. This was such a fun, energizing experience for the whole company. Having this time to dedicate to intentional hands-on learning and design thinking allows us to go back to our respective work locations better equipped to execute. Our Chief Growth Officer, Shachar Astor, noted that, “Getting us all together in person strengthens bonds across our various teams, and creates a sense of empowerment and ownership. This allows us to better serve our customers, ideate new products, and further our mission of creating a magical user experience.” 

Cultivating Partnerships by Showing Up

A similar shaping of culture is at work when we think about how we manage our customer engagement experience. While our employees are always remotely available for training, questions, or strategizing, we find that in-person meetings and time with our customers create dynamic value in the overall customer service experience. By spending the time cultivating our relationships with our customers, we are better able to understand and anticipate their needs, and implement long-term solutions for them as users of our platform. Whether that is in the yard to better understand the complexities of physical operations for rail operators, touring shipper facilities to see how raw materials are handled, or meeting with logistics partners in the office to launch new products and train users face-to-face, we feel it is important to meet our customers wherever they are.

Being a remote-first company does not mean that our customers should expect a remote customer service experience. In reality, our team lives and breathes customer success. We visit customers regularly, with hands-on engagement being the standard. Because of this, our customers know that they should expect a responsive, solutions-oriented experience with Telegraph, and a team that takes user feedback to constantly launch new products.

Creating a Reciprocal Relationship

It is a really straightforward formula – we show up for our employees so that our employees can show up for our customers. Our CEO, Harris Ligon regularly notes that he sees his role being, “To serve you [our employees], our customers, and our shareholders, in that order”. We strive to be a company that practices what we preach, which is why in addition to standard benefits, we also thought about how things like 12 weeks of parental leave, a co-working stipend, and a paid sabbatical could really serve the lives of our employees, and made those things a part of our culture.

By creating an environment where our people  are able to produce their best work in a way that best suits their life, we are, in turn, able to build software that modernizes the operator experience for the most critical component of the supply chain, and generate the very best results for our customers.

The post Creating a Culture of Intentional Engagement: How We Think About Serving Our Employees + Our Customers appeared first on Telegraph.

To accomplish this, we’ve created a transparent operating system that streamlines data into multiple APIs and gives customers a simple-to-use interface with the flexibility to streamline major freight rail workflows.

But what makes this technology transformational is the team behind the operating system. Our work is driven by a team of builders, developers, and operators who fundamentally understand the rail industry’s importance within American society.

With professional backgrounds that include Uber, Outdoorsy, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Coyote, Norfolk Southern, and BNSF, our team members work hard to ensure the “why” of Telegraph always focuses on the individuals who keep the rail industry in motion. We fully recognize how hard railroaders, operators, shippers — honestly, anyone in the industry — works every day. 

From the heat of the classification bowl in Barstow, California to the snow-covered cranes in Rutherford, Pennsylvania, rail employees are working at all hours and in all conditions to ensure customers receive their shipments on time and in good order. Yet, in today’s world, shippers and logistics companies have a pressing need to predict, plan, and execute their operations in a fully integrated and digitized manner. 

“We know the industry; we know the pain points of logistics because we have walked in those shoes,” says Telegraph Launch Manager, Sydney Schreiber. “Connecting with our customers through that fundamental shared experience allows us to bring our product to life.”  

Our team’s experience, background, and passion for the freight industry are the driving forces behind Telegraph’s innovative platform. We make every decision by asking ourselves whether it will make a positive impact for our customers. 

In one instance, we spent time discussing how a detailed transit time or cycle analysis exposes costs so that an inland commercial leader can make the best decisions when it comes to fleet sizing or demurrage risk. 

In another scenario, our team worked to help an operator eliminate typing or clicking by natively surfacing exceptions within a custom dashboard. By gaining a clear understanding of this challenge, we were able to provide one-click document uploads within the visibility module and save countless hours of copying and pasting. 

Telegraph’s informed decision-making and cutting-edge products create ripple effects that positively impact the daily work of 140,000 people in the railway sector — and the lives of millions across North America. 

The widespread effect that Telegraph’s products will have on the future of freight motivates our work, day in and day out. “It is not the work we do today; it is the work we do every day,” said CEO, Harris Ligon. “Railroads have been moving America since the 1800s. We are fortunate to support a trend of growth that has been occurring for centuries. One of our values, “always be creating,” reminds us that progress is not a thought exercise — it is a commitment to consistent and persistent effort on behalf of our customers.”

We believe not only in the vitality of the rail industry, but also in the influence that this mode of transportation has on the betterment of society. The positive impact can be seen through: 

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more sustainable supply chain 
• Removing trucks from the nation’s underinvested and congested highway network
• Providing streamlined technology that improves the lives of individuals who operate and maintain the industry
• Empowering shippers to leverage the inherent cost and capacity benefits of the freight rail network

Telegraph’s employees believe the best is yet to come. According to Head of Engineering, Lucas Scavone, “The team we have built is truly special, and I’m excited to continue adding innovators to our growing organization. When you join the Telegraph team, we are committed to developing you personally and professionally.” 

Whether you’re a shipper looking to improve logistics or a rail professional wanting a new opportunity, join us in the freight rail revolution. Contact us today to see how Telegraph’s technology can streamline your logistics or advance your career!

The post How Empowered People Empower an Industry: An Inside Look at the Telegraph Team appeared first on Telegraph.

We founded Telegraph with a core belief that shipping by rail should be simple, efficient, and automated. We believe that the time is now to innovate railroads, shippers, third-party logistics firms, railcar lessors, and steamship lines. Today, we are publicly announcing a $10.1M Series A funding round for our customers and the freight rail industry. This round of financing was led by Crosslink Capital. Other investors include: Construct Capital, 8VC, BoxGroup, Slow Ventures, 9Yards Capital, Motivate VC, Extra Credit Ventures, and Flexport.

“This fundraising round is for the future of railroading. We are accelerating the opportunity for customers to incorporate more rail into their supply chain,” says Harris Ligon, Telegraph CEO. “Manufacturing, commodities, and consumption are all growing in North America. Rail is absolutely necessary for the long-term expansion of the economy.” 

With regard to the importance of sustainability, Amaro Luna, Telegraph Chief Product Officer, adds, “One of our core principles as a company is to create a more sustainable supply chain. By providing shippers with best-in-class technology when interfacing with railroads, more freight will convert over from trucks. We achieve a greener supply chain as a result since one train can manage the equivalent tonnage of 280 trucks. That’s 280 trucks we can remove from the North American highway system, directly reducing vehicle emissions.” 

Telegraph’s groundbreaking software helps railroads, shippers, logistics companies, and railcar lessors work more efficiently via a singular platform. Telegraph’s customer-centric approach has led to influential partnerships with highly diversified transportation companies such as Watco. 

“Telegraph’s tool helps us be more effective and efficient so we can focus on solving common rail issues for our customers. It’s quick, easy, and powerful,” said Watco Vice President Michelle Bowling. “We help our customers keep their freight moving and provide significant cost-saving opportunities such as rate negotiations and demurrage risk mitigation.” 

Location in seconds, pricing in minutes, and decisions that are just as quick. The best way to decrease trucks on the highway, drop greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce consumer prices in stores is to convert more shipments to rail. What is the best way to accomplish this? Make it easy with technology.

The Telegraph team is comprised of top-tier talent across tech, rail, and logistics domains, with employees from Uber, Outdoorsy, Microsoft, Bloomberg, Coyote, Norfolk Southern, and BNSF. With this round of funding, the focus is on expanding the existing high-caliber team, developing new technology and products for the industry, and disseminating the message that rail is the future. “We recognized a distinct need for software designed for the freight rail ecosystem,” explained Telegraph co-founder Shachar Astor. “The industry presents unique challenges our technology allows us to address. Together, we’re making rail a more compelling option for shippers.

Since the company’s $3.2 million seed round, which was led by Construct Capital, Telegraph has helped more than 30 railroads, shippers, logistics companies, railcar lessors, and steamship lines work more effectively together across the ecosystem. “The best is yet to come for rail, and this capital represents a commitment to the economy and industry,” says Ligon. “If you are interested in being a part of the effort to simplify freight rail, come join us.”

The post Accelerating the Rail Technology Curve: Telegraph Announces 10M Series A Funding appeared first on Telegraph.

One of the greatest lessons of the past few years is that economies are built and consumers are satisfied when goods flow freely. The COVID shutdown, grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez, and congestion at some of the largest ports and distribution centers in the United States all demonstrated the interconnectedness of global transportation networks. 

Throughout North America, 140,000 miles of track operated by 600 different railroads connect cities and industries of all shapes and sizes. The American Association of Railroads estimates that a shutdown would potentially idle roughly 75,000 rail shipments per day with an estimated daily economic impact of approximately $2 Billion. 

With the news of the looming work stoppage in the United States, there is potential for another significant disruption on the horizon. Telegraph serves railroads, shippers, and logistics companies through a unique, highly connected platform that empowers the next generation of rail commerce. Now, more than ever, connecting all the participants in the rail supply chain is critical to mitigating additional friction. To support our customers and the industry at large, Telegraph is taking the following steps:

1. Expanding resources to offer responsive 24/7 operational support
2. Releasing additional features to enhance fleet and pipeline management capabilities
3. Partnering with customers to consult and proactively plan for network shutdowns and start-ups

Sydney Schreiber, who leads operations at Telegraph, announced to our partners earlier today that: “We are hyper-focused as a team to help you navigate this event. We are deploying new features aimed at dwell monitoring and are expanding support for our customers in the event a shutdown occurs.”

Preparing for the unknown is challenging, but it is important to maintain as much operational continuity as possible. In light of the potential rail strike, the team at Telegraph recommends every freight rail customer do the following:

1. Take immediate inventory of goods currently in transit or destined for a rail facility. BOL, Waybill, and SKU information are essential. 
2. Leverage real-time rail visibility to monitor shipment locations and estimated arrivals or where the shipment may be staged in the event of a delay
3. Where possible, reach out to end facilities to determine what flexibility (if any) the goods may have for shipping at a later date.
4. Evaluate alternative options from providers, including securing container storage or emergency transloading.
5. Accelerate the frequency of updates from your rail provider; higher volume shippers should expect regular touchpoints with their assigned market manager.

Keeping customers connected to their rail supply chain is central to Telegraph’s purpose. If you need software, support, or some perspective in advance of the potential shutdown, please reach out to us at [email protected]

The post Keep Your Supply Chain in Motion Amid Industry Uncertainty appeared first on Telegraph.