CUSTOMER STORIES

Semex: Ensuring that Global Bovine Genetics Shipments Arrive Safely

November 3, 2025

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“Before we found Tive, I would give shipments to an airline, and I was always nervous about losing that ability to control it once it left my building. But I never worry about that with Tive.”

- Don MacKenzie, Warehouse Manager, Semex

Protecting High-Value, High-Risk Shipments

Semex, a world leader in bovine genetics founded in 1974, ships frozen bull semen and frozen bovine embryos to more than 100 countries. Each shipment is highly sensitive, time-critical, and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet before Tive, Semex was unable to track shipments in real time. Without real-time insight into the location and condition of shipments, “we would lose one or two shipments a year, sometimes worth up to a million dollars,” recalls Don MacKenzie, Warehouse Manager at Semex. “I couldn’t sleep at night not knowing where things were.” 

“Now, I can 100% prove where the damage took place, and can hold the airline accountable. Tive gives me that capability, and some of the airlines are starting to treat my shipments a little bit more carefully because of that chain of evidence.”

Non-Lithium, Airline-Approved Tracking

In March 2025, Semex started using Tive Solo 5G non-lithium trackers on their 50+ monthly shipments headed to Western Europe. Unlike other shipment visibility devices, the Solo 5G is approved on more than 190 airlines worldwide, and surpasses even Canada’s tough requirements. Semex is now able to deploy trackers seamlessly across multiple carriers and destinations, ensuring compliance without added paperwork or delays. Tive has also changed how Semex handles airline mishandling issues. If a shipment got damaged, and the product was rendered unusable, the airline would basically say, "prove to me where it happened." MacKenzie knew the damage had occurred somewhere along the route, but he couldn't prove where it actually happened. Now he can. Every time.

Faster Problem-Solving, Greater Control.

The benefits of switching to Tive were immediate. Soon after implementing Tive on their Western European shipments, a $750,000 shipment went missing in Germany. The airline claimed they couldn’t locate it, but MacKenzie opened the Tive dashboard and pinpointed its exact location inside the warehouse—to within 20 meters. “I was able to give them a GPS location, and they quickly found the shipment. Without Tive, we would have lost it. It would have been lost forever—but I have never lost a signal with Tive.” Semex used to lose 1-2 shipments per year. Cargo would just go missing—and MacKenzie could never find it. Now, real-time alerts empower Semex to act proactively, so instead of reacting when shipments go missing, MacKenzie can monitor his cargo’s every move. This enables him to spot issues early on and quickly intervene… before the product is at risk.

 A Reliable Partner in a Complex World

Semex hasn’t made a single insurance claim since they started using Tive, which is a huge benefit. For Mackenzie, the second biggest benefit is that he knows the minute a shipment leaves his building, he can follow it throughout its journey, and he can see when it gets delivered—in real time. “If it gets lost, I now have the capability to track it down in a timely manner,” stated MacKenzie. Beyond the benefits of the technology, Semex highlights the exceptional customer service provided by the Tive team. “It doesn’t matter when I contact my team at Tive—I usually get a response within 20 minutes. That kind of support is rare these days, and it makes a huge difference.”

Strengthening Customer Trust & Opportunities

Semex customers had long been requesting live visibility into the location and condition of their cargo, and using Tive has paid off in spades. “Our customers see the value of Tive almost instantly,” says MacKenzie. Semex also shares live tracking links with customers, distributors, and brokers, improving transparency, collaboration, and satisfaction.

Tive helped one Semex customer in Finland locate a lost truck. MacKenzie had added a tracker inside one of her shipments, and this customer was told the truck would arrive on a Monday—but it didn't show up. She headed straight into the Tive platform, and what did she discover? According to MacKenzie, “She found out that her shipment was at the driver’s house. He decided to take a day off, figuring no one would notice.”

She called the transport company and told them where her truck was, and because the transport company didn't know there was a tracker in her shipment, they were like “how do you know that?” And then she told them she could see their driver in the Tive platform—and the shipment got delivered within four hours.

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