Value Chain Lab secures over £500,000 in Innovate UK funding to launch FLOX, a platform that optimises transport and storage for businesses.
Around 48.5 million square feet of prime warehouse space is standing empty across the UK which is the equivalent of more than 600 football pitches. Meanwhile, on the roads, goods vehicles travel a quarter of their loaded distance only partially full.
To combat this, today Value Chain Lab has launched FLOX. It is a cloud-based freight collaboration platform that has been created in response to the huge inefficiencies of the transport market. It will connect businesses with storage and transport needs in a way that has never been done before.
What does FLOX do?
FLOX connects businesses requiring warehousing or transport with providers that have capacity to spare. This will be anywhere from small hauliers and warehouse operators to major third-party logistics firms, as well as retailers and manufacturers with unused space of their own. Businesses share what they need and the platform’s matching technology pairs them with suitable providers based on location, service, cost and environmental impact.
Spare capacity exists across the UK’s logistics networks, but without FLOX, businesses have no straightforward way of finding it. So many lorries run empty while others pay for dedicated journeys along the same routes. Matching thousands of shippers and providers in real time is also a computational problem that existing tools have not been able to solve effectively. FLOX provides a breakthrough software platform that will allow much-needed collaboration within the industry.
Embedded in FLOX’s machinery is Wingman, a self-learning agentic AI which works alongside the user and improves with every use. Through ‘Core’, Wingman matches, alerts and reports; ‘IMAN’ allows it to keep track of stock and replenishment; and ‘Radar’ spots opportunities and orchestrates flows, aggregating loads and supply capacity before allocating them to an optimised transport route.
The economics are compelling for both sides. Businesses sourcing logistics support can compare providers on transparent pricing and book in days without long-term lease commitments. Meanwhile, providers fill capacity that would otherwise sit idle or move empty.
Who can use FLOX?
Michael Ostroumov, CEO of Value Chain Lab and FLOX project lead, said, “The waste in UK freight is hiding in plain sight. Every day, partially filled lorries drive past businesses that would gladly pay to use that empty space. However, there’s no practical way for them to find each other. The technology to solve this at scale hasn’t existed until now. This funding lets us build it. First by working with shippers and providers to understand exactly what they need, then by developing the AI-powered matching algorithms that are fast and powerful enough to make collaboration work in real time. Not only will FLOX support businesses and allow them to streamline operations and reduce costs, it will also have a positive effect on reducing the environmental impact of the transport industry.”
With the UK freight industry worth £85bn, FLOX tackles capacity underutilisation, reduces environmental impact and streamlines transport to reduce congestion and improve urban air pollution. These industry pressures will continue to grow as customer expectations shift towards faster, cheaper and more flexible delivery.
Free to join for both businesses and providers, FLOX covers ambient, chilled and frozen warehousing, road transport, fulfilment and inventory management across the UK.
