CN Partners with Google Cloud to Modernize Railway Services and Deliver Enhanced Customer Experiences
15 December 2021 - 12:00AM
CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), a world-class transportation leader and
trade-enabler serving North America, and Google Cloud today
announced a seven-year strategic partnership to transform CN’s
supply chain as part of digital scheduled railroading, deliver new
customer experiences, and modernize its technology infrastructure
in the cloud. The companies will collaborate on new services to
revolutionize the North American railway system, combining CN’s
world-leading expertise in the transportation and logistics
industry with Google Cloud’s technology and culture of innovation.
Through this partnership, CN and Google Cloud
will set a new standard for the railway system that delivers better
experiences for customers across industries–from materials and
resources, to manufactured products, to consumer goods. CN’s work
with Google Cloud will drive the railway’s ability to achieve
continued growth and execute on transformational business
initiatives, while supporting its sustainability goals, as Google’s
platform is the cleanest cloud in the industry.
“Our partnership with Google Cloud is central to
our strategic plan, and reinforces our commitment to digitalizing
scheduled railroading and building the premier railway of the 21st
century by investing in technologies that deliver high-quality
service to customers, improve safety, and create capacity,” said
Dominique Malenfant, Executive Vice President and Chief Information
and Technology Officer, CN. “We are excited to work together to
drive further innovation across our company and support our
customers, employees, and supply chain partners.”
As part of the partnership, CN and Google Cloud
will collaborate on the following initiatives:
- Enabling better connectivity and collaboration with
customers and supply chain partners: CN will develop an
intuitive digital platform, powered by Google Cloud’s artificial
intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools, ultimately
giving customers and supply chain partners more visibility into the
logistics journey of planning, shipping, tracking and payment.
- Delivering new experiences for CN’s customers through
co-innovation initiatives: This new, multi-year
partnership will combine CN’s industry expertise with Google
Cloud’s leadership in data analytics, AI, and ML to deliver
solutions and next-generation experiences for CN’s employees,
customers, and partners, such as simplified ordering and automated
tracking to further enhance predictive maintenance
capabilities.
- Modernizing CN’s infrastructure in the cloud:
CN will gradually and securely move the large majority of its
digital infrastructure, including SAP applications, from
on-premises to Google Cloud’s always-on global network. Moving to
the cloud will allow CN to scale with customer and industry
demands, simplify the company’s IT estate, create efficiencies, and
reduce product delivery lead times.
“The transportation and logistics industry is
evolving rapidly to build more resilient, responsive supply chains
that adapt to global events and provide customers more visibility
and flexibility,” said Jim Lambe, Managing Director, Google Cloud
Canada. “We’re proud to partner with CN as it leverages technology
to reimagine the future of the railway system.”
CN Forward-Looking
StatementsCertain statements included in this news release
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995 and under Canadian securities laws, including statements
based on management’s assessment and assumptions and publicly
available information with respect to CN. By their nature,
forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and
assumptions. CN cautions that its assumptions may not materialize
and that current economic conditions render such assumptions,
although reasonable at the time they were made, subject to greater
uncertainty. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the
use of terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates,"
"assumes," "outlook," "plans," "targets", or other similar
words.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and other
factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements
of CN to be materially different from the outlook or any future
results, performance or achievements implied by such statements.
Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that could
affect the forward-looking statements in this news release include,
but are not limited to: the duration and effects of the COVID-19
pandemic, general economic and business conditions, particularly in
the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; industry competition;
inflation, currency and interest rate fluctuations; changes in fuel
prices; legislative and/or regulatory developments; compliance with
environmental laws and regulations; actions by regulators;
increases in maintenance and operating costs; security threats;
reliance on technology and related cybersecurity risk; trade
restrictions or other changes to international trade arrangements;
transportation of hazardous materials; various events which could
disrupt operations, including illegal blockades of rail networks,
and natural events such as severe weather, droughts, fires, floods
and earthquakes; climate change; labor negotiations and
disruptions; environmental claims; uncertainties of investigations,
proceedings or other types of claims and litigation; risks and
liabilities arising from derailments; timing and completion of
capital programs; and other risks detailed from time to time in
reports filed by CN with securities regulators in Canada and the
United States. Reference should also be made to Management’s
Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) in CN’s annual and interim
reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F, filed with Canadian
and U.S. securities regulators and available on CN’s website, for a
description of major risk factors relating to CN.
Forward-looking statements reflect information
as of the date on which they are made. CN assumes no obligation to
update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future
events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless
required by applicable securities laws. In the event CN does update
any forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that CN
will make additional updates with respect to that statement,
related matters, or any other forward-looking statement
About CNCN is a world-class
transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy,
to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely
transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources,
manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America
every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada’s Eastern and
Western coasts with the U.S. South through a 19,500-mile rail
network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community
prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to
programs supporting social responsibility and environmental
stewardship.
About Google CloudGoogle Cloud
accelerates organizations’ ability to digitally transform their
business with the best infrastructure, platform, industry solutions
and expertise. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage
Google’s cutting-edge technology – all on the cleanest cloud in the
industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn
to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve
their most critical business problems.
Contacts:
Media |
Investment Community |
Jonathan Abecassis |
Paul Butcher |
Senior Manager, Media
Relations |
Vice-President |
(438) 455-3692 |
Investor Relations |
media@cn.ca |
(514)
399-0052investor.relations@cn.ca |
Google Cloud Media:press@google.com
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