Revealed: a revolution in transport planning
Revealed: a revolution in transport planning
Software is making everyday work in the field of logistics that much easier. For instance, Soloplan’s logistics software, CarLo, is already employed by approximately 1 500 customers and more than 30 000 users worldwide. Many South African companies are enjoying its benefits too…
Digitalisation will not exclude the transport industry. This is why, in South Africa, Transport Management System (TMS) software solutions have long been on the rise. A TMS deals with the planning, execution and optimisation of physical goods movements, rendering complicated transport planning in Excel or on paper obsolete. The software can include modules for calculating, invoicing, and documenting transport services.
The use of a TMS results in considerable time savings in daily work and gives employees time for business optimisation. This is particularly advantageous in view of the severe shortage of skilled workers in the logistics industry. Likewise, with the high price pressure in logistics, a TMS can provide decisive competitive advantages, especially when a complex combination of different means of transport is required. In addition, a TMS fulfils increasing customer wishes, such as Track and Trace and immediate electronic access to all transport documents.
One of the world’s leading TMS manufacturers is German company Soloplan. A family-run business with over 30 years’ experience, Soloplan supports customers through subsidiaries all over the world – including South Africa.
Soloplan’s logistics software CarLo is already employed by approximately 1 500 customers and more than 30 000 users around the world every day. This premium software package covers all transport processes in one system.
Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions (Unitrans), a transport and logistics company headquartered in Cape Town, is just one company to have taken the important step towards digitalisation with a TMS. Since 1982, Unitrans has specialised in a wide range of transport, offering solutions for agriculture, chemicals, food, crude oil, and mining. Before implementing CarLo in 2020, an internally-developed TMS was used in combination with numerous programs, from Microsoft Excel to telematics solutions, in order to be able to integrate all processes.
“Out of 43 transport management systems worldwide, we have chosen the logistics software CarLo, which was definitely the right choice. Now, we can finally integrate all processes within one platform – from order entry, to route planning, to calculation and an extensive evaluation,” says a spokesperson for Unitrans.
With CarLo and its add-ons – CarLo inTOUCH (telematics) and CarLo inTOUR (route planning, toll cost calculation) – all processes have been centralised. This gives Unitrans an improved overview for decision-making, improves efficiency, increases the utilisation of vehicles, and reduces the employees’ workload.
Below (in slide order):
Reef Tankers, a transporter of dangerous goods and chemical products, is making use of CarLo.
Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions examined 43 transport management systems worldwide, and chose CarLo.
The existing financial accounting system was interfaced with CarLo without any problems, and the cooperation between Soloplan and Unitrans is set to be intensified in the future through several projects. In the last months, for example, the implementation in the road transport sector was followed by the agricultural business field of complex sugar cane harvesting.
Other well-known South African companies including Imperial SA and Cargo Carriers have placed their trust in the CarLo TMS, with Soloplan as a long-term partner.
Another reputable logistics company making use of CarLo is Reef Tankers, a professional, safe transporter of dangerous goods and chemical products in both primary and secondary distribution. Founded in 1998, the company is based in Germiston, near Johannesburg.
In the past, Reef Tankers’ internal systems were managed by various Excel spreadsheets and other system tools. For this reason, its main goal was to purchase a paperless TMS.
The company also aimed to improve turnaround times from both an operational and billing perspective, as well as ensuring effective communication that exceeded their customers’ expectations. Today, Reef Tankers is more than happy to have reached those goals by using CarLo and the CarLo inMOTION (fleet management) and inTOUCH add-ons.
The provision of live data is one of the biggest contributors in daily operations, allowing the Reef Tankers management team to react in real time and make immediate decisions on optimisation and utilisation. This helps to improve revenue and administrative efficiency.
“Local service providers could not assist us to a degree that met our expectations and fulfilled our requirements. We then decided to choose one of the leading Transport Management Systems offering a wide range of services. Soloplan really went the extra mile to understand our system requirements and used their specialised capabilities to develop the tools we needed to exceed the technological benchmark set in our industry,” says a spokesperson for Reef Tankers.
After extensive market research, Reef Tankers found that Soloplan offered a comprehensive all-in-one solution for planning, execution of transports, optimisation, and invoicing. Using efficiency and increased productivity as indicators, Reef Tankers has already seen a noticeable improvement in all business areas thanks to CarLo. The tools integrated in the software help the management team understand idle times, loading times, unloading times, and the overall turnaround time, allowing them to further improve their operational excellence Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) moving forward.
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