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Flexport launches technology to let AI Agents book, track, and optimize global freight. New AI agent fleet automates 21 million tasks a year, while Atlas expands with multimodal tracking, real-time disruption monitoring and emissions data SAN FRANCISCO-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Today, Flexport announced its latest technology release including the Flexport Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, a fleet of infinitely scalable AI agents now running across the platform, and multiple upgrades to the Flexport Atlas world model including multimodal routing, live disruption monitoring, and per-shipment emissions data. Flexport MCP: Have Your AI Agents Talk to Its AI Agents Businesses can now connect Flexport to Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Muse, or their own internal agents and ask in plain language to track a shipment, surface every exception or customs hold, search rates on any lane, or book a shipment outright. An agent can submit cargo details, book against their company's negotiated rate, and return a booking ID and transit time, without having to log in to the Flexport Platform. "The future of global logistics is autonomous: intelligent supply chains that see problems before they happen, calculate the fix, and execute it in a recurring self-improvement loop," said Ryan Petersen, Founder and CEO of Flexport. "This is a real first for both the AI industry and the logistics industry; we're giving AI tools the power to actually ship freight in the real world." A New Workforce of AI Agents Every action an AI agent takes through Flexport MCP is backed by a fleet of purpose-built AI agents, already running in production. This infinitely scalable AI workforce allows Flexport to scale its white-glove customer service. A quoting agent turns a rate request into a custom quote, whether it's submitted by email, via MCP, or natively in the Flexport Platform. The AI quoting agent is one aspect of a broader program of AI-based automation that autonomously processes 21 million tasks a year. Every agent runs with guardrails thanks to a custom evaluation platform Flexport built to provide governance and trace all AI actions, keeping its experts in the loop wherever required to ensure compliance. Every exception routes to a human expert, and every action is traceable through Flexport's evaluation process. Flexport Atlas Goes Multimodal Flexport Atlas, the company's live, free, dynamic world model for global trade, has three major upgrades: * Multimodal routing that adds air, rail, and barge alongside ocean freight allows companies to view all the shipping options between any two places on Earth by any mode of transport. * An AI-curated disruption layer that automatically monitors a broad range of news sources to flag events at risk of impacting shipments. * Per-container emissions estimates on every ocean route, simplifying the process of finding lower-carbon shipping options worldwide. AI for Customs Compliance With U.S. tariff policy shifting frequently, Flexport extended its Customs Technology Suite, which already audits entries against hundreds of rules before they reach government customs agencies. Companies can now build bespoke audit rules around their own standard operating procedures, checked against every entry in real time and flagged to operations before filing. The feature is live for U.S. entries, with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to follow. These AI-powered compliance products have allowed Flexport to achieve compliance accuracy rates almost 100 times better than the error rates of other customs brokerages. Flexport also launched an AI classification tool that turns the historically painful process of assigning a 10-digit HTS code into a guided conversation, surfacing a recommended, defensible HTS code in seconds rather than hours, with linked CBP rulings and real-time reasoning. Users can then submit their code to be validated by one of Flexport's licensed customs brokers before filing. Automating the Physical Supply Chain Flexport's automation now extends beyond software into the physical world with the opening of its first fully automated e-commerce fulfillment center outside of Chicago. The site features more than 350 robots that bring inventory to workers, with exceptional inventory accuracy and double the efficiency of a traditional warehouse. Flexport also announced its first fulfillment centers in Canada and the United Kingdom earlier this month. In the past year, Flexport opened offices in eight new countries: Tokyo, Japan; Paris, France; Antwerp, Belgium; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; São Paulo, Brazil; Manila, Philippines; Melbourne, Australia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and now operates 47 offices around the world. The company also introduced AI-powered translation in Japanese and French on its supply chain technology platform, bringing the total to 11 supported languages. These latest updates show Flexport's commitment to leading the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI and robotics into the real world of global logistics. "Our goal is to let the companies we serve spend all their time developing amazing products, building their brand, and connecting with customers - with Flexport's autonomous supply chain execution platform handling everything that goes into moving those goods from wherever they're made into the hands of those customers, anywhere in the world," said Petersen. About Flexport Flexport's mission is to make global trade so easy that there will be more of it. The company builds the world's leading AI technology for businesses to manage their supply chains. Unlike pure technology companies, Flexport also has the world's best logistics execution and customs compliance capabilities, which allows them to ship anything anywhere, by air, ocean, truck or rail. Trusted by more than 13,000 companies, Flexport connects every step of the supply chain, from factory floor to retail stores and consumers' doors, in a seamless technology platform that saves companies money while delivering superior experiences for their customers. Read the Article on Business Wire: Read More Posted By OffshoreSource

Flexport has launched technology enabling AI agents to book, track, and optimise global freight shipments. The company introduced the Flexport Model Context Protocol Server, allowing businesses to connect AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT to perform logistics tasks through natural language commands. The system uses purpose-built AI agents that autonomously process 21 million tasks annually. Flexport upgraded its Atlas world model with multimodal routing across air, rail, and barge transport, alongside real-time disruption monitoring and per-container emissions estimates. The company also expanded its customs technology suite with AI-powered classification tools and launched its first fully automated e-commerce fulfilment centre outside Chicago, featuring over 350 robots. Flexport now operates 47 offices globally and supports 11 languages on its platform, serving more than 13,000 companies.

Hike Medical raises $22.5M to expand vertically integrated orthotics platform. Hike Medical, a San Francisco-based medical device company combining clinical software with in-house manufacturing, has raised $22.5 million in seed and Series A funding to expand its vertically integrated orthotics and durable medical equipment platform. The round was led by Max Altman at Saga Ventures, with participation from Indicator Ventures, Fifth Down Capital, RiverPark Ventures and Orthofeet. Monaco CEO Sam Blond and former New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo also participated as angel investors. Hike plans to use the funding to hire across engineering, sales and manufacturing as it expands beyond custom insoles into additional durable medical equipment (DME) categories. The company currently operates an orthotic 3D printing facility in Peoria, Illinois, which it describes as the largest orthotic 3D print farm in the US. Its system is intended to connect referral processing, insurance authorization, clinical evaluation and device production through three components. Hike Intelligence uses AI agents to process referrals and insurance approvals before a patient reaches the clinician. Hike Clinical allows clinicians to scan, document and order devices through a single point-of-care workflow, while Hike Lab handles in-house manufacturing. According to the company, a scan captured using a mobile device can provide the data required to manufacture a custom insole, replacing workflows based on foam impression boxes and standalone LiDAR scanners. Hike says its manufacturing process has reduced turnaround for custom insoles from several weeks to days. The company currently reports a production turnaround of around five business days. It also claims to have reduced remake rates from approximately one in 15 devices to one in 400. Hike has not disclosed the specific additive manufacturing process, printer models or materials used at SoleForge. The company says its 65,000 sq. ft. Peoria facility operates more than 600 3D printers around the clock. When announcing the site in 2025, Hike said it was targeting an annual capacity of more than 500,000 pairs of custom insoles. Connecting the clinical and manufacturing workflow Hike was co-founded by CEO Aadi Bhanti, whose family has worked in orthotics and prosthetics for three generations. Initially focused on digitizing the production of custom foot orthotics using mobile scanning and 3D printing, the company is now seeking to address other stages before and after manufacturing. Hike argues that administrative requirements surrounding referrals, insurance approval and device ordering create delays that cannot be solved through faster manufacturing alone. "Patients shouldn't have to wait weeks for a device because the systems behind their care don't talk to each other," said Bhanti. "We've proven this model in custom foot orthotics, making the process faster, more accurate and built around the patient instead of the paperwork. Now we're taking it across the rest of device-based care." Hike cites diabetic inserts, braces, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs and cranial helmets among the wider DME categories it ultimately intends to address. The company estimates that Americans spend approximately $100 billion each year on durable medical equipment and related devices. Hike also cites its own research estimating that 60 cents of every dollar spent in the sector is lost through waste, remakes and fraud. The new funding is intended to support expansion of the platform into this broader market. Hike also recently appointed Jerry Tang as chief operating officer. Tang previously served as SVP of Global Operations at logistics company Flexport before becoming COO at digital dental lab Dandy. "The next generation of category-defining companies won't just build software on top of broken industries. They'll own the entire value chain, end to end, like Hike does," said Max Altman, co-founder and managing partner at Saga Ventures. Scaling 3D printed orthotics beyond production speed Recent developments in 3D printed orthotics have increasingly compressed the time required between scanning and manufacturing. In 2025, PioCreat introduced an integrated system combining foot scanning, gait analysis and multi-material FDM 3D printing, with its IPX2 3D printer producing a pair of adult insoles in around 35 minutes. While PioCreat's point-of-care model targets a different deployment context than centralized farms like Hike's, it illustrates how rapidly the underlying technology is maturing across the orthotics space. Scalability introduces additional constraints as production moves to higher volumes. EOS has argued that barriers to consistent and economically viable 3D printed orthotics and prosthetics production are increasingly operational rather than technical, citing throughput, labor, qualification documentation and post-processing among the factors shaping deployment. Its analysis also suggests that centralized production can remain preferable for some orthotic applications where the overhead of point-of-care manufacturing outweighs lead-time gains. 3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here. Explore the full Future of 3D Printing and Executive Survey series from 3D Printing Industry, featuring perspectives from CEOs, engineers, and industry leaders on the industrialization of additive manufacturing, 3D printing industry trends 2026, qualification, supply chains, and additive manufacturing industry analysis. Feature image shows Hike Medical logo. Image via Hike Medical.