Company
Expo Freight Limited (Logistics Company), headquartered in Sri Lanka, is a leading international freight forwarder and third-party logistics company, which undertakes international transportation agency business such as sea transportation, land transportation, air transportation of import and export goods, international exhibits, etc. After more than 30 years of development, the logistics company has set up wholly-owned branches in 19 countries and regions around the world, and its agent network is all over the world.
Logistics is a paper-intensive industry. There’s a paper trail for every single process, including managing and tracking inventory in warehouses, shipping goods from overseas, or moving from distribution centers to stores. While this means everything is trackable, lost or damaged documents can cause serious difficulties. No matter the movement, there are sometimes hundreds of documents confirming a single activity. Papers that contain even the smallest of errors can be extremely difficult or impossible to track, resulting in delayed or cancelled shipments.
The Problem
Each import & export transaction is accompanied by a number of documents. There maybe as few as two or three, or as many as 20 or 30. Import/export documentations include: invoices, packing lists, certificate of origin (COO), bill of lading (BLs), and other papers which help to clear the transactions.
With 500+ active customers, it is not unusual for Export Freight to receive questions regarding import/export transactions. Customer inquiries and the completion of intra-office activities require employee to look at one or more of the documents relating to the import/export transactions. In fact, everyone at Expo Freight Limited who handles a transaction has to retrieve a file for one reason or another.
Just like Expo Freight Limited, the freight forwarding industry is slow in adopting technology and many organizations continue to operate in a very traditional way. With a mountain of paperwork required for each delivery, many logistics companies struggle to stay on top. When items span international borders, these problems are only multiplied. Shipment documentation is critical to the supply chain industry. when it comes to transporting goods, keeping precise records, and tracking stored and shipped goods is important for accuracy and to prevent errors, which can be extremely costly.
The Solution
Expo Freight Limited subscribed to Quantic Solutions’ Cloud-based document management software to digitise and automate documentation process and avoid potentially manual errors and pitfalls. It allows their employees and customers to generate and upload all their shipment documents. This streamlines the flow of shipping data to all parties involved in the supply chain. With the documentation being in a digital format, freight forwarders like Expo Freight Limited are not only able to gain a competitive edge, but also save time, improve efficiency and reduce documentation and admin fees.
Shipping becomes easier for freight forwarders as the software generates all important shipment documents with a single click. The entire process of capturing important information from forms and documents and then submitting the data is fast and accurate. Freight forwarders can provide a seamless experience by automating the documentation process.