Choice launches new TMS

   Choice Logistics, a provider of logistics services around critical service parts, has formerly launched its own transportation management system (TMS).  
   The new offering, called the Choice Transportation Management Services (CTMS), is already being used by some customers and early adopters, according to Choice.
   CTMS is built on the foundation of Choice’s efforts in critical service parts and aims to bring visibility and speed to shipments of high-tech spare parts and service products. The service has built-in analysis around key performance indicators (KPI) to aid customers with supply chain moves.
   CTMS is currently available in Europe, with a specialized traffic desk in Tilburg, Netherlands, which is linked to the company’s global logistics center in New York. CTMS will be available worldwide by the end of 2012, Choice said.
   “Through Choice Logistics, we have identified important insights and substantial savings for our company as we optimize international shipments,” said Nigel Weston, vice president of supply chain for Elekta Ltd., a company that makes products for treating cancer and brain disorders. Elekta has been a Choice client for more than seven years, and it said the majority of its shipments of service inventory are international overnight.
   Choice previously managed its international overnight shipments through a different listing of its vendor base’s services, but the CTMS aims to bridge the lists and automate their updates and offerings. Choice has opened its own accounts with major carriers and developed a platform to build out its lane support, allowing clients to source parts and schedule field service engineers when those parts are available.
   The CTMS dashboard continually refreshes with order activity, and alerting companies to any potential delays so measures can be taken. – Geoff Whiting