Wabash recently partnered with UP.Labs to co-develop Wabash Venture Lab and two startups focused on enhancing configuration workflows and aftermarket parts optimization across Wabash’s technology platforms.
Initiated in fall 2024, the partnership is part of Wabash’s ongoing transformation strategy centered on long-term customer value, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth, the manufacturer reported. Wabash and UP.Labs are co-creating two AI-driven startups designed to simplify operations, elevate customer service, and enable smarter, faster decisions across Wabash’s extensive network of partners and customers. These ventures are reimagining the behind-the-scenes logistics infrastructure that powers the products and services people depend on every day.
“Our collaboration with UP.Labs gives us a faster and lower risk path to creating value for our customers and partners,” Mike Pettit, Wabash chief growth officer, said in a news release. “Rather than try to build the right solutions entirely in-house, we’re working with proven venture builders to co-create tools tailored to the needs of our business. From quoting trailers and truck bodies faster to ensuring the right parts are available when and where they’re needed, we’re unlocking smarter, more agile ways to enhance the customer experience and drive innovation.”
The first venture is a next-generation AI-powered tool that streamlines how customers and dealers specify made-to-order trailers and truck bodies. It intuitively guides users through the most relevant configuration options using real-time trade-off visualizations, reducing the time spent generating and reviewing quotes, and helping sales teams and customers move more quickly and confidently through the specification process.
Wabash expects this streamlined, top-of-funnel experience to unlock efficiencies across the entire manufacturing value chain, including production scheduling, supply planning, and parts manufacturing. Acting as the connective tissue between CPQ, ERP, and CRM systems, the solution bridges critical feature and data gaps.
Wabash’s second venture is designed to transform the aftermarket industry with an intelligent software platform that uses predictive analytics to orchestrate the production, distribution, and pricing of aftermarket parts in real time. Designed to unlock untapped value across fragmented supply chains, this innovation is poised to accelerate parts revenue and efficiency for Wabash.
The new software addresses an opportunity for OEMs with rapidly expanding parts and service operations, particularly those lacking robust intelligence across their supply chain or distribution networks. This includes mid-sized trailer manufacturers, engineered equipment makers, specialty vehicle OEMs, and emerging automotive brands who have struggled to meet rising demand with their existing systems.
The UP.Labs model combines corporate expertise with entrepreneurial speed and agility to identify high-impact challenges and build bespoke startups powered by vertical AI and advanced analytics. For Wabash, this approach delivers faster access to breakthrough technologies purpose-built for its unique ecosystem and the ability to bring them to market quickly.
“Wabash has a clear vision for how to modernize industrial manufacturing,” UP.Labs CEO John Kuolt said. “Together, we’re building ventures powered by advanced AI and deep industry expertise—solutions designed to solve real challenges for Wabash’s dealers and partners. Having worked with firms that are recognized leaders in their respective industries, including Porsche AG, Alaska Airlines and J.B. Hunt, we’re especially excited to bring our venture lab model into B2B manufacturing, where the products that drive global supply chains are built and where innovation at the system level can unlock enormous enterprise value.”
The ventures are already in development with UP.Labs and expected to deliver initial MVP (minimum viable product) capabilities later this year. Over time, Wabash will have the opportunity to bring these startups fully into its ecosystem, expanding its digital capabilities in support of long-term growth.