LOGISTICS.COM, CARGOSMART START ALLIANCE ON SHIPPING TRANSACTIONS

LOGISTICS.COM, CARGOSMART START ALLIANCE ON SHIPPING TRANSACTIONS    Logistics.com, the logistics planning and execution software provider, and CargoSmart, the online container shipping portal, have entered into an alliance to jointly work with maritime cargo shippers.
   The partnership will give shippers a one-stop site where they can procure rates and manage their ocean shipments. They will use Logistics.com’s “OptiBid Lane” procurement software and CargoSmart’s online sailing schedules, instant booking confirmations, cargo tracking and tracing, shipment milestone notification and relationship manager functionalities.
   Joseph O’Brien, marketing director of CargoSmart, said the two companies will share customers. Instead of developing a rate tender application in-house, CargoSmart has decided to turn to Logistics.com’s, he said.
   “CargoSmart will handle the shipment execution end (of shipping transactions),” O’Brien told American Shipper.
   Logistics.com’s system will provide an automated system to compare and collect rates for global bids from multiple ocean carriers. It will also optimize the data selection, using standardized calculations.
   Engelhard Corp. is the alliance’s first customer. The Iselin, N.J.-based materials producer, a Fortune 500 company, is using Logistics.com’s OptiBid Lane and associated services to secure its 2002 global ocean tender.
   “We chose Logistics.com to handle our 2002 ocean tender based on its procurement process value-added services,” said Jodi Strassberg, import/export manager of Engelhard. She said she finds the Carrier Routing Guide service valuable. The Routing Guide helps shippers effectively nominate and manage their ocean carriers by port pairs, equipment type, rates and carrier capacity.
   “Partnering with CargoSmart and serving Engelhard demonstrates our commitment to robust multimodal functionality, for ocean shippers in this case,” explained Joe Wagner, senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Logistics.com.