For immediate release
September 28, 2005
Container Management Systems Helps Importers and 3PLs Manage Inbound Flow of Goods
New Module from Softeon Provides Complete Visibility and Control of Container Movement Between Ports and Dock Doors
Vienna, VA - Softeon, provider of the industry's most innovative software solutions for supply chain execution, announced today the release of its Container Management System, which enables manufacturers, distributors, and third-party logistics providers to achieve complete visibility and control of the movement of inbound containers and inventory.
With the explosion of offshoring and global sourcing, the volume of imports is increasing dramatically for many companies. However, many companies are using manual, paper-based methods to manage the "free time" of containers and maintain inventory visibility within and outside the terminal and to and from the ports. There is poor visibility into what inventory is in which containers, where the container is in transit, and its status in the yard. Ineffective container management can also lead to costly demurrage and per-diem charges.
There are additional challenges for 3PLs managing container movements for clients in being able to track the billable activities and time associated with container transit and handling.
Softeon's Container Management System solves all these problems with a web-based tool that provides comprehensive container management and control. It works in conjunction with the Yard Management and Warehouse Management modules in Softeon's ELITE of supply chain execution solutions to reduce logistics costs and improve inventory management.
Key capabilities of the Container Management System include:
- Web-based visibility to inbound containers at the port along with associated purchase orders and inventory by SKU
- Tracking of the status of those containers as they are staged at the terminal and transferred to intermediate facilities and the ultimate receiving location and container return location.
- The ability to see containers and inventory in the yard and to automatically create tasks to move the containers in for receiving based on inventory requirements and other factors.
- Management of the "free time" for containers, with event notification as a container approaches the expiration of its free time to avoid incurring additional charges for demurrage, per-diem and detention.
- Management of driver availability and multi-move driver charges
- Real-time integration with 3PL Billing module for automatic generation of invoices
- The ability to analyze container aging and detail move history
- The ability to track time and activities associated with container movement, allowing importers to drive process improvements, and 3PLs to accurately bill clients for container management and transportation.
Softeon's Container Management System is currently in use by a 3PL managing inbound container movement and distribution for several national apparel brands.
"With rising import volumes, the manual systems most companies use to track inbound container activity is no longer enough," said Gana Govind, president of Softeon. "Our Container Management System solves some real problems for customers in the retail, apparel, third-party logistics, automotive, and other industries with heavy sourcing of goods from offshore."
As with all modules in the ELITE, the Container Management System is built with Softeon's advanced technical architecture. The technology is completely web-native, multi-platform, database independent, and built using advanced Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) design principles.
About Softeon
Softeon (www.softeon.com) provides the industry's most functionally rich suite of WMS and supply chain execution solutions. Built on an advanced, fully web-native technical architecture, Softeon's ELITE offers a comprehensive yet modular solution for warehouse and distribution management, order management, labor and resource management, work order processing, and transportation management. Companies consistently find the ELITE offers the most deep and comprehensive set of capabilities in the supply chain execution industry, supported by an advance and flexible technical architecture, satisfying both operations and IT requirements.
Softeon's growing list of customers includes such well-known companies as L'Oreal, Time-Warner, Matrix, DaimlerChrysler, House of LaRose, Federation Distribution Services, the IRS, Reliable Sprinkler, and other logistics leaders.
Contact information:
Shyam Krishna
shyam@softeon.com
703-356-8727
www.softeon.com
