Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation, recently hosted a meeting of Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) partners.

Buttigieg was joined by Gen. Stephen Lyons, the White House's port and supply chain envoy. The meeting's purpose was "to advance the development of the initiative and welcome new members," according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 

FLOW celebrated important milestones at the meeting – the number of participants doubled and existing partners began securely sharing data with the DOT.

"The Biden-Harris administration is proud to bring together companies from across the supply chain in this first-of-its-kind initiative to share information and help move goods more quickly and cheaply," Buttigieg said in the news release. "To keep supply chains moving and prices down, we must invest not only in our physical infrastructure but also our digital infrastructure, and FLOW is an important part of that effort."

Lyons spoke at the event as well. 

"The start of data sharing between industry and USDOT is an important milestone for FLOW," he said in the news release. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with industry to develop this tool to enable industry to make more informed decisions that will improve the movement of goods along our supply chain."

FLOW is a first-of-its-kind effort by the Biden-Harris administration and supply chain companies. The program is intended to "develop a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain so that goods can be moved more quickly and cheaply, ultimately bringing down costs for families," the news release noted. The program was launched in March.

Authorities said the lack of transparency across supply chain networks makes it difficult for the system to adapt when hit with adversity, according to the news release. Participants can more easily comprehend supply chain capacity nationally through a shared view of the national logistics system, including both supply and demand assets.

There are now 36 participants in the FLOW program and the number is expected to grow over the short term, the news release noted. The DOT plans to host listening sessions with small-business leaders and technology experts.