Control and monitor transport processes on your own

When businesses with multiple production and warehouse locations ship goods, they are highly dependent on the flow of information from their suppliers and the carriers they hire. The result is frequently a lack of transparency in the delivery and pickup processes. Often, the company itself will hire the carrier, but the pickup order notifications are generated by the various suppliers. The system is tasked with managing LCL, FCL, and general cargo shipments transported on different routes by way of milk runs, direct transports, and special transports. It even includes complex, multi-stage transports with pre-carriage, carriage, and on-carriage elements.

The result: Shippers have almost no visibility of the transport process. Detailed transport data is typically available only to carriers, processes are not automated, and transport-related documents often exist only in paper form. This also makes it very difficult to verify the accuracy of invoices. The goal here is to transcend all of this with centrally monitored, automated pickup processes. This will make it possible to purchase, call up, monitor, and evaluate transport services for the entire network across all locations. The aim is also to drive down costs.

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A software solution is developed to integrate everyone involved in the processes through various channels and to support all common formats and data transfer protocols. Many processes, both inbound and outbound, are digitized and automated. Here’s a detailed look at how the workflows play out:

• Suppliers notify the assigned carriers of the transports.
• Carriers receive freight declarations from multiple suppliers, organize them into routes, and confirm the freight declarations.
• Suppliers create delivery notes once the freight declarations have been confirmed.
• Carriers complete the transport data and fill in the information needed for downstream billing processes, then report the tracking status based on predefined milestones and timelines.
• Once the transport has been confirmed, the system automatically launches the billing process, calculating transport costs based on defined tariffs and displaying these costs in a user-friendly interface.
• Next comes the clearing process between the shipper and the carriers. If there are any deviations, the carrier adds additional charges, which the shipper must approve. Once the two parties have agreed on the costs, the approval goes forward and the data for the credit note process is transferred.

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The company gains end-to-end visibility across all ordering and transport processes. Status data from various sources is consolidated in a single interface, so shippers are empowered with better customer service data.

Since processes are automatically adjusted in response to any deviations, it’s possible to manage how sites and customers are supplied with greater reliability. Businesses can make the most of potential consolidations, drive down error rates, and enhance customer satisfaction with end-to-end transparency in the flow of information.

This slashes the administrative overhead needed to process shipments, verify invoices, and change providers. Bottom line: Not only will processes become leaner and meaner, costs across the board will also plunge.