Software solutions company on the modernisation trail

ShipShape Software is in
the process of modernising
many aspects of its system
to keep up with a changing
global trading landscape,
which includes improved
opportunities and anticipated
growth in the consolidators’
market.
JL Koekemoer, general
manager at ShipShape,
told FTW that this
medium-term project
was expected to
continue over the
course of the next 12 to
18 months.
He pointed out
that the move to
modernisation was
based on ongoing
feedback from clients
who expected their
software solutions
company to keep up
with their own business
models.
“We have strong
relationships with our
clients – which include
many of the major
consolidation service
providers in South
Africa – and we rely heavily
on feedback relating to their
strategies, challenges and
opportunities so that we can
likewise adapt our solutions,”
he said.
One of the major
opportunities for growth in the
airfreight consolidators’ space,
according to Koekemoer,
is the renewed drive by the
International Air Transport
Association (Iata) to push
for improved electronic air
waybill (e-AWB) adoption.
“The shift was introduced
by Iata over ten years ago but
adoption, globally and on the
African continent, has been
slow. This is mainly because
of a lack of training and
proper sharing of information,
which the association has
begun to address more
actively through workshops,
roadshows and generally
better communication with
the various stakeholders in the
airfreight supply chain,” said
Koekemoer.
He commented that he
did expect to see growth in
consolidated cargo – for both
airfreight and seafreight – as
it provided a way for shippers
to save costs in an increasingly
cost-conscious and competitive
environment.
A growing appetite for
international reach and
expansion in the evershrinking
world of global trade
has also seen an increase in
the number of mergers and
acquisitions between
local companies and
larger corporates.
“This would
obviously have
an impact on the
companies’ operations
and it can sometimes
be a challenge for
existing solutions to
adapt to new global
operational demands.
However, because we
are an independent
service provider, we
have fewer bureaucratic
obstacles and can
tweak and re-tailor our
offerings with a faster
turnaround time,” said
Koekemoer.