Centralizing logistics operations on a single global database is essential for business continuity, scalability and security.
With plans to become one of the largest freight forwarders in India, Atlas Shipping Services (Atlas Shipping) are confident that CargoWise will support their long-term goals and help them stay compliant and competitive, says Mr Sushil Gupta, Group Chairman, Atlas Shipping.
“Implementing CargoWise gives us a lot of opportunity to grow our business, and it gives us a lot of comfort in our operations, to our accounting team, and to our customers.”
The need to do more, with less
Having previously relied on patchwork systems and manual, paper-based processes, Atlas Shipping were experiencing major challenges with their operations and levels of productivity that could no longer go unnoticed.
“We were facing a lot of challenges in terms of operations and accounting. The previous system was not giving us a lot of comfort on creating SOA,” says Mr Gupta.
One of their key challenges was that multiple people were required to manually enter and transfer data between different systems, which meant slower operations and an increased margin for error, explains Ms Neha Gupta, General Manager, Atlas Shipping.
“Before we had CargoWise, our processes were semi-manual as we used our in-house software combined with Excel spreadsheets. The same information was being entered a number of times, which meant that more people were required to complete tasks.”
Mr Shivendra Singh, Vice President – North America, Atlas Shipping explains that these challenges were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as their previous system and processes were unable to support operations in a remote working environment.
“We were reliant on paper-based processes which was difficult to manage remotely, because documents needed to be printed, scanned and shared, and most of our staff didn’t have the equipment at home to do this.
“Our staff were missing out on critical updates and reports, and we could only respond once a customer had sent a message to us. We couldn’t afford to keep making mistakes, so we knew we needed to find a solution quickly.”
Automated, streamlined and optimized operations
Since making the move to CargoWise in April 2021, Atlas Shipping have been able to automate and streamline repetitive tasks, increase productivity, accelerate operational efficiency and cut costs across the board.
The platform’s powerful workflow automation functionality was a key factor in their decision to implement CargoWise, as their primary goal was to replace their manual, paper-based processes and deliver high-quality services to their customers, explains Mr Singh.
“Automation was a key requirement behind this move, because in today’s time, there are error-free expectations from our customers. You cannot continue to have human errors and not find a solution for that.
“Your customer needs up-to-date, correct information and you need to provide that information, as well as all the requirements they need to supply to their customers. CargoWise enables us to do that.”
Real-time data visibility, processing and reports have also allowed the business to do more with less, transforming tasks that once required several employees to complete into a seamless, digital process.
“We wanted to increase the productivity of our team. The same number of people are able to handle more files, which increases the productivity of our people and the company,” says Ms Gupta.
Real-time visibility and increased collaboration
Having now adopted a hybrid working model, with CargoWise, Atlas Shipping’s users can access the same information on the same database at the same time, regardless of where they’re based.
“On CargoWise, everything is done digitally so when we file a document in the system, other members who are using CargoWise have visibility of those documents. Repetitive tasks and paperwork have reduced which has really sped up our operations,” says Ms Gupta.
And with many of their customers also using CargoWise, this gives both the business and their customers access and visibility to real-time, accurate data, ensuring cargo moves with greater ease along the supply chain.
“Our customers who are also using CargoWise are very happy that we are now on the system. We can easily exchange data and our customers have visibility across their business, so it gives them more confidence to work with us,” says Mr Gupta.
The business has also been able to streamline their end-to-end billing process, helping them send out invoices on time and accurately without the need for manual intervention.
“The accounting system in CargoWise is great. We can automate how our invoices are processed which leads to our customers making their payments on time. This is the backbone of our operations and is one of the biggest advantages of CargoWise,” he adds.
The right technology to support future growth
Continuing their digital transformation journey, Atlas Shipping have now implemented CargoSphere, CargoWise’s shipping rates technology platform, which provides them with accurate and collaborative rate distribution, sharing, comparison and quoting, and enables them to collaborate more seamlessly with their network and customers.
“We wanted a system that we wouldn’t have to change for another ten years. With CargoWise, the digitalization and automation is perfect, and the best part is that WiseTech is constantly updating the software in line with the industry, so we don’t have to look into different areas because we know that our business will be serviced well through CargoWise.
“Today, I'm very happy that we’ve implemented CargoWise as our operating system. It’s helped us optimize our operations, streamline our accounting processes and it’s provided our customers with greater comfort in the delivery our services,” says Mr Gupta.
With a single platform solution enabling them to better collaborate, stay compliant and save costs, Atlas Shipping are now in a stronger position to service their customers’ needs and achieve their long-term growth goals.
“We operate in a competitive market, and one of our goals is to grow and become one of the biggest forwarders in India. We feel that CargoWise gives us that advantage when dealing with our competitors,” concludes Mr Singh.