Safmarine Computer Services (SCS), a specialist provider of integrated IT business solutions, has formally announced the creation of a new Shipping and Logistics Solutions Division (S&L), that will act as a high level independent business consulting arm servicing all companies within the logistics industry.
Since its formulation as an independent division within SCS in January 2003, the S&L division has already secured key contracts.
Established in 1974 as Safmarine's in-house IT solutions provider, SCS has a wealth of experience covering the entire spectrum of supply chain management, implementing fully operational business solutions.
"There is no such thing as a permanent winning solution which means that all solutions should be continually re-evaluated, re-engineered or improved," says divisional director of shipping and logistics solutions, Alida Riddell, who has been in the industry for over 20 years.
"While other suppliers offer 'boxed' technology solutions, SCS offers clients an in-depth understanding of the shipping and logistics industry. Our expertise is not restricted to the shipping industry only, but covers the entire integration of supply chain management," says SCS S&L Solutions Business Development Manager, Thabied Harris.
"The logistics market has opened up in SA to such an extent that logistics is integral to almost any business. An advantage is that we know the industry, because we've been implementing solutions for many years," added Harris.
An example of an SCS offering would be electronic data interchange (EDI) which addresses some of today's technology challenges, whereby companies importing, exporting or moving cargo are faced with a number of business-to-business communication issues. When implemented, EDI significantly improves data quality, ensuring fewer mistakes, reducing costs and vastly improving response time. SCS has over the years successfully implemented different EDI solutions with various business partners in the shipping and logistics field, including customers, parastatals, depots and international shipping agencies. EDI solutions comply with international standards and are therefore not restricted to a specific liner company.
Another important SCS offering is the development of e-commerce 'portals'. The best example of this technology developed by SCS using IBM's WebSphere is Safmarine.com where Safmarine customers can not only query shipping schedules and routes but book and track their containers online as well. This can be done directly on Safmarine.com or on their own intranets via Web services provided by Safmarine. Very simple drag-and-drop procedures allow customers to install these Web services themselves as and when they are ready.
Another solution set provided by SCS S&L Solutions is supply chain business intelligence solutions. These solutions allow customers to analyse cargo movements through the entire logistics supply chain and apply analytic functionality to highlight strengths and weaknesses and thereby optimise the logistics process.
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