State of South Carolina announces partnership with Fraunhofer Institute

New collaboration to create unified, cloud-based platform to support South Carolina’s logistics industry

The S.C. Department of Commerce today announced a partnership between the state of South Carolina and the Fraunhofer USA Center for Experimental Software Engineering to bring state-of-the-art innovation to South Carolina industry and logistics providers.

This applied research and innovation project will be achieved by collaboration between the University of South Carolina (USC), Fraunhofer USA and two South Carolina firms — Datos Consulting and G&P Trucking. Focused initially on the development of a cloud-based platform and data cybersecurity for transportation companies, this project has the ability to be developed to include other modes of freight movement in the future.

The new cloud-based platform will provide a variety of services to logistics companies, including: optimization of business processes; real-time decision making; risk management; and cybersecurity and privacy enforcement. To do this, researchers will collect and integrate data that is available from Internet of Things devices and external big data systems, such as weather information, economic factors, fuel prices, real-time traffic conditions and social media.

Allowing for improved competitive advantages through resource optimization and cost reduction, this project is a bi-product of S.C. Commerce’s ongoing partnership with the S.C. Council on Competitiveness, which leads the state’s S.C. Logistics initiative. In total, the state’s $32.9 billion logistics industry is comprised of more than 600 companies and 113,000 workers.

The S.C. Department of Commerce has committed $300,000 toward the project, which is being co-funded, in-kind, by Datos Consulting and G&P Trucking.

“Advancing actionable research that can inform and enhance how industries do business is a core part of the Council’s mission. This research project between USC, Fraunhofer USA, Datos Consulting and G&P Trucking, plus the investment from the Department of Commerce, is going to have far-reaching implications in the logistics industry. We’re excited to see what evolves from here and what new research projects will be inspired.” -S.C. Council on Competitiveness President and CEO Susie Shannon

“I joined the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness to help build a stronger relationship between the private sector and the Council’s S.C. Logistics initiative. Establishing South Carolina as a leader in logistics and supply chain solutions for business will give the state a competitive advantage. G&P Trucking is proud to be a partner in this private-public collaboration to drive productivity and efficiency in our state.” -G&P Trucking President Clifton Parker

“A robust manufacturing economy in South Carolina is ripe for deploying next generation analytical capabilities in the supply chain and logistics sector. Through this partnership project, Datos Consulting will bring innovative and disruptive technologies via its Datosn platform to unify decision making, process optimization and risk management across all modes of transportation.” -Datos Consulting President Yash Bhatia

FIVE FAST FACTS

• State of South Carolina and Fraunhofer USA establishing partnership to create unified, cloud-based platform to support South Carolina’s logistics industry.
• This applied research and innovation project will be achieved by collaboration between the University of South Carolina, Fraunhofer USA and two South Carolina firms — Datos Consulting and G&P Trucking.
• The new cloud-based platform will provide a variety of services to logistics companies, including: optimization of business processes; real-time decision making; risk management; and cybersecurity and privacy enforcement.
• The project will allow for improved competitive advantages through resource optimization and cost reduction.
• This project is a bi-product of S.C. Commerce’s ongoing partnership with the S.C. Council of Competitiveness, which leads the state’s S.C. Logistics initiative.

About Fraunhofer USA

Fraunhofer Center for Experimental Software Engineering (CESE) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit applied research and technology-transfer organization affiliated with the University of Maryland (UMD). Fraunhofer CESE is part of Fraunhofer USA, Inc., and conducts joint research with UMD and its parent institute Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Its mission is to accelerate customers’ economic and industrial development by using innovative model-based methods to develop and assure complex software-intensive systems.

About S.C. Department of Commerce

As South Carolina’s leading economic development agency, the Department of Commerce works to recruit new businesses and help existing business grow. S.C. Commerce has recruited world-class companies to South Carolina such as BMW, Boeing, Continental, Giti Tire, LPL Financial Holdings, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Samsung, Toray and Volvo Cars and also supports startups, small and existing business, innovation and rural development initiatives. S.C. Commerce partners with the S.C. Technical College System via readySC to support workforce training and recruiting, and with the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, which provides worker training and employment opportunities within the state. With a strong international footprint, the Palmetto State ranked No. 1 in the nation for attracting jobs through foreign investment on a per capita basis in 2018 — extending its streak of top three finishes since 2011. Additionally, in five of seven years, the state has won the Gold Shovel Award from Area Development magazine; and, in 2017, the state was recognized as Business Facilities’ State of the Year. For more information, visit www.SCcommerce.com.