Traditional logistics companies need to evolve – and to do so quickly. That’s the view of James Britz, group IT manager at CFR Freight. “Look at how a tech giant such as Amazon is threatening to control the full supply chain through the use of its technical capability,” said Britz. It is with this in mind that the company has invested significantly in server and communications infrastructure upgrades over the past two years.
“We have a solid foundation and are now leveraging our investment by building a business intelligence and analytics pillar on real-time data. This will allow us to operate more proactively and make better business decisions quickly,” explained Britz. He said the aim was to partner with clients in order to streamline work efficiencies and data sharing through the use of integration mechanisms like web services, ftp and middleware. “We have recently completed projects allowing data sharing with the Cargowise and Shipshape
platforms and are evolving these offerings continuously. “We’ve also recently rolled out the Office 365 eco system, which allows the company to quickly and easily collaborate with its customers and suppliers – whether it’s sharing information on one drive, setting up teams for collaboration, or communicating in a cost
effective way with Skype for Business,” said Britz. According to CFR CEO Martin Keck, having a fully fledged IT team for infrastructure and software development on hand is a critical part of the business. “There is a constant need for our clients to have easy data exchange that cuts down errors and reduces the workload.”
According to Britz it also means having full control of one’s own custom-built systems and their data. “This means we don’t have the traditional limitations that other companies have,” he said. While there is a lot of hype around new emerging technologies such as drones and the Internet of Things (IOT), Britz said the logistics industry needed to go back to basics first. “We have to streamline our efficiencies through data integration and the benefits that the timeous sharing of data brings.”
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We have to streamline our efficiencies through data integration. – James Britz
