Israeli Shipping Giant Invests in Tech Firm

Israeli container line ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (Zim) has announced an investment in technology start-up Ladingo, a solution provider connecting ocean freight to global e-commerce.

According to a press release, ZIM’s decision to invest in the company is a strategic move, as Ladingo is tipped to lead a “global consumer revolution” by enabling the personal importation of large items to online shoppers.

Ladingo's technological platform offers a transparent digital integration of the entire process, it said.

Today, nearly all B2C e-commerce purchases, estimated at 2.5 trillion dollars annually, are shipped via air freight. The disadvantage of air freight is its weight and size limitations, which prevents items from being shipped at a reasonable cost.

The price obstacle and regulatory requirements limit the variety of products that online shops can sell to international customers.

In view of recent dramatic developments in retail logistics, both ZIM and Ladingo sought to provide a technological solution to the complex logistical world of ocean freight. They did so, believing that connecting such a solution to the world of e-commerce would at last enable retailers to sell all their products online, including their large and bulky items, with relatively low shipping costs.

Ladingo, founded in January of 2018 by Hagar Valiano Rips, Ruth Reiner and Guy Levi, is the world’s first company to offer a comprehensive solution to online shops selling large and bulky items such as furniture, bicycles, fitness equipment, garden equipment, electronics and more – directly from overseas retailers or manufacturers to the shoppers’ door.

In implementing its container-sharing solution for end shoppers, Ladingo can dramatically reduce shipping costs. Shoppers can now buy any size product online from any location in the world, just as easily as they’d buy an iPhone cover from Ali Express.