Pando recognized in the Gartner® Market Guide for Multienterprise Collaboration Networks

 Revolutionizing logistics collaboration by enabling smarter, more connected solutions.

We are thrilled to announce that Pando has been recognized by Gartner in its recent "Market Guide for Multienterprise Collaboration Networks." We believe that this recognition comes at a crucial time when the landscape of global supply chains has fundamentally shifted. In an era marked by unprecedented disruptions and evolving business demands, organizations are rapidly discovering that traditional siloed approaches to logistics management are no longer sufficient.  

In this blog, we examine why MCNs have become essential in modern freight operations, and demonstrate how Pando’s collaborative capabilities address the critical challenges organizations face in achieving true end-to-end supply chain collaboration and visibility.

Understanding Multienterprise Collaboration Networks (MCNs)

Gartner defines "MCNs as solutions that support a community of trading partners of any tier and type that need to coordinate and execute business processes extending across multiple enterprises. These cloud-based networks are considered essential technology for organizations of any industry, geography, size, and maturity, implemented to coordinate, automate, orchestrate, and transform an organization's extended supply chain within the overall business ecosystem."

Within logistics, MCNs represent far more than just a technological solution – they are the backbone of modern transportation operations. Think of them as digital ecosystems where shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, and other logistics partners can seamlessly interact, share real-time information, and make coordinated decisions. This goes beyond simple data exchange; it's about creating an environment where every logistics stakeholder can actively contribute to and benefit from the network's collective intelligence.

The growing need for multienterprise collaboration in logistics

The logistics industry stands at a critical juncture. Traditional ways of managing transportation operations are proving inadequate in the face of mounting global challenges and market volatility. Organizations are finding that their legacy systems, built primarily for internal enterprise use, create significant barriers to effective collaboration with their logistics partners. This limitation becomes particularly apparent as they attempt to navigate an increasingly complex landscape of disruptions and operational challenges.

• Fragmented visibility across partner networks: Organizations struggle to maintain real-time visibility across their carrier networks and freight movements. This fragmentation leads to delayed responses to disruptions and an inability to make proactive decisions about lane allocations and shipment routing.
• Disparate systems and data silos: Multiple systems used by different partners create information silos, leading to inconsistent data and the absence of a single source of truth. This results in frequent miscommunications, delayed decision-making, and increased operational costs.
• Complex integration requirements: Traditional point-to-point integrations between shippers and carriers are expensive to maintain and scale. As organizations work with more partners, the complexity and cost of these integrations grow exponentially. There is also the inherent fear of ransomware attacks with the rising number of point solutions.
• Manual processes and documentation: Despite digital transformation initiatives, many logistics processes still rely heavily on manual intervention, especially in areas like freight tendering, document management, and payment processing.
• Limited real-time decision-making: Without unified, real-time data across their logistics network, organizations struggle to make timely decisions about carrier selection, route optimization, and disruption response.
• Complex multi-business unit operations: Global organizations operating with Shared Services (SSO) or Global Business Services (GBS) models face unique logistics challenges. With multiple business units reporting to a centralized GBS often located in a different country, organizations struggle to maintain process consistency while respecting local requirements. Each business unit operates with different carriers, rates, and operational needs, yet must align with global standards – creating a complex environment where maintaining visibility, standardizing processes, and enabling effective decision-making becomes increasingly difficult for global process owners.

MCNs have emerged as a strategic solution to address these challenges, fundamentally transforming how logistics partners interact and operate. By creating a digital ecosystem that connects all stakeholders through a unified platform, MCNs like our platform break down traditional barriers between enterprises and enable true collaborative logistics operations.

Strategic impact: How Pando enhances collaboration in freight operations

Pando has fundamentally transformed how stakeholders collaborate across the freight lifecycle. Our AI-powered platform transcends point-to-point communications, creating an environment where shippers and carriers can work together seamlessly to achieve shared objectives. This collaborative ecosystem is built on four key pillars:

Enhanced transparency: Enabling data-driven partnerships

True collaboration begins with shared visibility. Our platform breaks down information silos by creating a unified view of freight operations that both shippers and carriers can trust. This shared perspective transforms how partners communicate, make decisions, and solve problems together.

• Shared visibility platform: Both shippers and carriers gain access to the same real-time tracking data and performance metrics, creating a single source of truth. This visibility extends from RFQ participation through payment settlement, enabling proactive collaboration at every step.
• Joint exception management: When disruptions occur, both parties receive the same alerts and can collaborate in real-time to resolve issues. This shared view of problems and potential solutions leads to faster resolution and stronger partnerships.
• Bid event transparency: Carriers gain clear visibility into upcoming bid opportunities, lane requirements, and award status. They can track their quotes and receive automated notifications about bid status changes.

Operational productivity: Streamlining partner communication

Efficiency is not only about speed in logistics – it's also about how well partners can work together. Our platform replaces fragmented communication channels with streamlined, contextual interactions that keep all stakeholders aligned and empowered to make quick, informed decisions.

• Unified communication platform: Instead of fragmented email chains and phone calls, all stakeholders communicate through a single platform. From tender acceptance to delivery confirmation, from submitting invoices to managing disputes, every interaction is tracked and contextual, ensuring everyone stays aligned.
• Streamlined bid management: Carriers can easily submit, update, and manage quotes through an intuitive interface. The platform supports both contract and spot quotes, with automated validation against business rules and instant feedback.
• Collaborative document management: Critical documents like BOLs and PODs become shared assets that both parties can access, edit, and approve in real-time. This eliminates the traditional pain points of document collection and validation while ensuring both parties maintain compliance during and after transportation.

Network resilience: Fostering strong partner networks 

Building resilient freight operations requires more than just connecting partners – it requires creating an environment where they can actively support each other's success. Pando enables partners to respond to challenges collectively, turning potential disruptions into opportunities for strengthening relationships.

• Inclusive technology access: Our platform ensures that all carriers, regardless of their technical capabilities, can fully participate in digital collaboration. This democratization of technology strengthens shipper-carrier relationships across the entire network.
• Collaborative capacity management: During capacity crunches, shippers and carriers can work together more effectively to find solutions. Carriers can easily communicate available capacity, while shippers can quickly broadcast urgent needs to their trusted carrier network for spot buys if required.
• Automated issue resolution: From rate disputes to invoice discrepancies, our platform provides structured workflows for resolving common issues, helping maintain strong partnerships even when challenges arise.

This approach to collaboration transforms traditional shipper-carrier relationships from transactional interactions into strategic partnerships, creating lasting value for all participants in the freight ecosystem.

Looking ahead: Shaping the future of freight-centric technology

As global freight operations become increasingly complex, the importance of collaborative logistics networks has never been more critical. We believe that Pando’s recognition by Gartner validates our innovative approach to connecting shippers and carriers in ways that drive real operational value. 

Our platform continues to evolve, addressing emerging challenges in transportation management through advanced technology. By combining AI-powered automation with intuitive collaboration tools, we're helping organizations build freight operations that are more than just efficient – they're truly transformative. From automated carrier selection to seamless freight audit and payment, every feature is designed to strengthen the shipper-carrier relationship while driving operational excellence. 

The future of freight management depends on the ability to create collaborative relationships between shippers and their carrier networks. With Pando’s comprehensive platform, organizations can confidently navigate the complexities of modern transportation management—whether they're dealing with capacity constraints, rate volatility, or the need for faster payment cycles. In an era where logistics efficiency can make or break business success, leverage the collaborative foundation that modern freight operations demand. 

Gartner, Market Guide for Multienterprise Collaboration Networks, By Christian Titze, Brock Johns, Nathan Lease, 10 December 2024. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.