How to Lead a Legacy Industry Forward
With new technology continuously shaping customer expectations, stepping into the future looks different for every industry.
The long haul trucking industry is no exception. It is the backbone of commerce around the world, and is adjusting to meet the needs of a rapidly changing, tech-based economy. The pandemic accelerated a world of increased shipping to households, alongside customer expectations for rapid delivery, and the transport that supports this new world must keep pace.
We forget that as culture and technology moves forward, it relies on the existing infrastructure of legacy industries, where innovations happen over decades, not months. With long-haul trucking, the stakes have always been high — transporting goods across the country is a matter of time, money, environmental impact, and human lives. Because of this, leaps forward in the trucking industry have to be approached with a deep knowledge of the existing industry mindset, and the challenges that real-world drivers face every day.
Our partner, Phillips Industries, is the premier supplier of parts for heavy duty trucking, and has been on a continuum of innovation since their founding 100 years ago. With 100% of heavy duty trucks in North America equipped with Phillips industries parts, they’re a trusted industry leader and well-positioned to innovate for a customer whose priorities have changed dramatically in recent years.
Phillips Connect, the technology company incubated within Phillips Industries over the last decade, has developed an industry-redefining suite of intelligent products that provide data, analysis, and insights for trucking fleets in real-time. Fleet managers and business owners now have the ability to see the status of any of their assets — sensing aspects of truck and trailer health like tire pressure, brake light status, temperature, weight — all in a single dashboard. This system creates more predictability and safety when it matters most. Perhaps the most innovative is Phillips Connect’s ability to use existing sensors from leading manufacturers to integrate into its system. They are building from the existing conditions of the industry, and paving the way for a future that includes autonomous transport vehicles.
Our work over the last year with Phillips Connect has been a reminder that paradigm-shifting leadership means stepping out of the familiar habits and patterns worn in over decades, inspiring not only your own team to do something different, but the industry at large. This starts with empathy for the status quo, and by helping others envision a future not yet realized.
The result of our work over the last year Phillips Connect has been:
— A new brand narrative that signals that long-haul trucking will never be the same.
— A renewed company purpose and mission
— A web experience with tools like an ROI calculator, where customers can understand the value of Phillips Connect technology over time, helping them make adoption at scale easy to envision.
— A product discovery interface that starts with accessing customer needs, continuing the core of Phillip’s customer-driven innovation model.
We’re proud to be working with partners like Phillips Connect, who have the longevity in the market needed to understand existing industry challenges, and a future-building mindset to address those challenges.
