Software designers shape up in Cape Town

ALAN PEAT
CAPE TOWN is a fast developing market for computer software designers and suppliers ShipShape, with a lot of enquiries for new business in that area, according to ShipShape’s Andre Morganrood. “We have been focusing on developing this market from our home base in Johannesburg, and have just installed two new sites in Cape Town,” he said. The company aims its product at the freight industry – with full packages for seafreight and airfreight import and export documentation and accounting. “We basically cover everything the freight industry needs,” Morganrood added, “and deal a lot with the forwarding and clearing (f&c) sector.” All the company’s support is operated through the internet, and its new application is designed to offer a fast and reliable service – with full checking and monitoring of documentation and e-mail communication through the Windows system. It has an added benefit in being a multiple-access system, which allows a number of entry clerks to be feeding data into multi-line entries at the same time, Morganrood told FTW,. Ship Shape also offers a part product to its clients. An example of this, according to “JL” Koekemoer, is that the likes of an export company might have its own system, but needs access to a forwarding and clearing programme. In this case, he told FTW, the company can retain its own system functionality, but interface with the ShipShape f&c programme to cover that function. ShipShape has also been a major player in the SA industry’s move into electronic contact with the government bodies and parastatals – having been a pilot system in the implementation of customs’ move into electronic data interchange (EDI) and the National Port Authority (NPA) installation of its system for cargo dues.