Descartes Unveils New Release of Cloud-Based Transportation Management Suite
Release Integrates Transportation Management, Small Package Shipping, Fleet Routing, Mobile Applications and Telematics
Waterloo, ON – April 16, 2012 - Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced the general availability of a new release of its cloud-based Transportation Management suite. The suite now includes transportation execution capabilities that provide better control across fleet and for hire operations and help with carrier compliance for small package shipments.
"Because of the dynamic nature of the markets we serve, the ability to accurately plan and control the operations of our fleet in real-time is critical to meeting our customer service targets and managing delivery costs," said Maria Ross, Vice President of Transportation at Oldcastle and a member of Descartes' Global User Group Steering Committee. "We have worked closely with Descartes to help create a "closed-loop" transportation management system that optimizes and executes shipments across purchased transportation and our fleet and tracks deliveries."
As part of Descartes' Logistics Technology Platform, the Transportation Management suite uniquely offers extensive execution and mode-specific functionality in a single solution. Ideal for organizations with private fleets, small package shipments or complex execution challenges, Descartes Transportation Management suite capabilities include:
• Common carrier or fleet selection made through bi-directional planning with flexibility to allow either the contract carrier planner or private fleet planner to drive the decision making process and manage over-capacity exceptions;
• Fleet plans made using complex and detailed street-level, optimized fleet routing decisions to minimize fleet costs and maximize customer service;
• Route plans executed through integrated fleet dispatching, tracking, mobile and telematics for complete management and tracking of delivery, driver and vehicle performance to measure whether deliveries happened as planned and drivers complied with operational rules;
• Small package carrier selection consolidation decisions made through fully compliant tariffs from over 100 small package and less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers' service guides that help minimize shipping costs;
• Small package shipment manifesting available for those same carriers' unique guidelines;
• Shipment visibility from tender acceptance to in-transit through proof of delivery, including electronic signature, barcode or picture capture;
• Freight bills audited right down to the line and assessorial level, and the costs allocated; and
• Modular solution architecture so customers can get results where they need them the most.
Descartes' Transportation Management suite was designed to accelerate time-to-value for customers. Because it is cloud-based, customers simply connect to the solution via web-browser and internet connection. Through Descartes' Global Logistics Network (GLN), integration to customers' back-end systems and carriers is straightforward and fast, with thousands of carriers already connected to the GLN.
"Descartes' Transportation Management suite combines the functional breadth and depth with a cloud-based platform that accelerates time-to-value," said Ken Wood, Senior Vice President Product Management at Descartes. "Rather than spending a lot of time and resources to cobble together and operate numerous systems to meet comprehensive transportation management requirements, logistic-intensive businesses can choose Descartes' comprehensive transportation management suite."
To learn more about the Transportation Management Suite go to www.descartes.com.
About Descartes
Descartes (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX) is the global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance and security of logistics-intensive businesses. Descartes' B2B network, the Global Logistics Network, integrates more than 35,000 trading partners to our cloud-based Logistics Technology Platform to unite their businesses in commerce. Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, schedule, track and measure delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world's largest, collaborative multi-modal logistics community. Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world. Learn more at www.descartes.com.