Chemical manufacturer OXEA is bringing its transportation operations across North America and Europe under a single logistics strategy, selecting Uber Freight as its strategic logistics provider for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe.
The Houston-based company said Uber Freight will oversee day-to-day transportation execution across truckload, rail and ocean freight, combining logistics services with technology and data to give OXEA greater visibility across its supply chain.
The agreement is also a first for Uber Freight. According to the two companies, it is the logistics provider’s first managed transportation engagement designed from the outset to cover the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe within one operating model.
OXEA manufactures oxo intermediates and oxo performance chemicals used in a broad range of products, including coatings, lubricants, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, printing inks and plastics. The company employs more than 1,200 people and sells its chemicals in more than 60 countries.
Moving away from a region-by-region model
The partnership is designed to replace OXEA’s more fragmented regional approach to transportation management with an integrated network connecting its manufacturing plants, carriers and customers across multiple markets.
For OXEA, the objective is not simply to centralize freight management. The company wants to improve its ability to identify problems earlier, respond more quickly and provide more consistent service to customers.
“Everything starts with the customer,” said Scott Farmer, OXEA’s chief supply chain officer, in a news release. “We want to anticipate issues sooner, respond faster and deliver more consistently for the businesses that depend on us.”
The arrangement gives Uber Freight responsibility for coordinating a complex network that crosses national borders while also involving several transportation modes.
The cross-border component covers freight movements between the United States, Mexico and Canada, bringing together different carriers, modes and regulatory environments.
Technology and logistics expertise at the center
Farmer said OXEA chose Uber Freight because of its combination of technology and logistics expertise, as well as its focus on continuously improving transportation operations.
The chemical sector brings additional operational requirements to the network. According to Uber Freight, OXEA’s freight movements require specialized equipment and handling, extensive documentation, safety procedures and regulatory compliance, alongside coordination between manufacturing facilities, carriers and customers.
Uber Freight will coordinate those requirements across geographic regions and transportation modes.
The companies said the more connected view of OXEA’s logistics network should make it possible to identify potential disruptions earlier, while also supporting improvements in on-time performance and customer communication.
The companies also expect more efficient routing and transportation decisions to contribute to lower carbon dioxide emissions and support OXEA’s broader sustainability objectives.
Uber Freight expands its managed transportation reach
For Uber Freight, the OXEA agreement broadens the reach of its managed transportation business. Rather than managing transportation within a single geographic market, the company will connect freight movements across North America and Europe through one operating framework.
“OXEA wanted a partner that could do more than manage transportation,” said D’Andrae Larry, chief commercial officer at Uber Freight. “We bring technology, data and logistics expertise together to run the operation, identify issues earlier and keep improving how the network performs.”
The partnership therefore combines operational management with data-driven visibility, with the two companies targeting a transportation network that can respond more quickly to disruptions while improving efficiency and service consistency.
Why it matters: OXEA is consolidating a complex, multimodal chemical logistics network spanning two continents, while Uber Freight takes on an integrated managed transportation role covering the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe.
