Hong Kong-headquartered logistics specialist Tigers has started rolling out the freightrate quote engine, Doozee, across its internal networks in the United Kingdom and Europe. The first company to benefit from the technology, Doozee can generate endto-end quotes in less than a minute. According to Shahar Ayash, managing director of Tigers Europe, the next stage will be to implement the quote engine with key industry partners to ensure a seamless integration of services across the company’s global network. Earlier this year, Tigers opened a new, multimillionpound facility in Thurrock in the UK to meet growing demand for e-commerce, and as a possible solution to Brexit. Given this, along with the company’s technology developments, Ayash said, the outlook for the region remained positive and expectations were that demand would continue to rise. However, he added: “Brexit is posing a challenge for trade in Europe and is causing stress for many businesses that import and export between the UK and Europe. “We have taken the approach to be ready for any potential change.” This has included developing a platform that allows customers to split stock between the UK and Europe, as if the stock was on different warehouse shelves. “We already started implementing this solution two years ago,” he said, indicating that a forwardlooking approach was crucial in the current logistics environment. The company’s new facility, he said, was developed for such longevity. “It allows for future growth. Demand for e-commerce and warehouse space is expected to continue rising, which is why we decided to expand at a strategically located hub close to London Gateway, with easy access to the M25 and close proximity to the Port of Felixstowe. “We are also investing in a big development in Europe to accommodate an increase in demand.” Ayash said that warehouse space was already becoming constrained because of ongoing e-commerce growth as well as the demand for faster delivery and information sharing. He said ensuring that facilities were able to meet demand was just one of the areas requiring attention. “We are constantly developing new technology and upgrading our platform to meet the data and delivery demands of the e-commerce world. In addition, we are investing in people development to meet technology challenges,” he said.
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Brexit is posing a challenge for trade in Europe and is causing stress for many businesses. – Shahar Ayash