What issue, challenge, or pain point did the client want you to address?

Our client was using legacy software to monitor and protect refrigerated containers moving around the US states. Client wanted to upgrade their systems with latest technologies for security reasons and to increase their productivity on various locations in the US where they have service facilities.

Why did they have this problem?

The volume of the containers across the shipping lines were increasing based on the business operations and the need to meet the expanding demands and expectations of customers and vendors and to provide more features with web application services to contracted service agents and fleet owners.

MIS was tasked by their customers to come up with a solution that would allow quicker access to information with increased security.

What were your client’s expected outcomes from working with a vendor to solve their stated problem?

Client were expecting more customer service and support along with the upgraded system and to manage services with the third-party service providers and trading partners, where the vendor (Raytex) should be able to fulfill.

Why did they engage your organization to help?

As a vendor, Raytex has expertise in solution provider for logistics industry using latest technologies with cost effective END to END SOLUTION for reefer monitoring and protective services.

How did you approach the challenge?

We did extensive research on the logistic operations for cold chain industry and came up with questionnaire to conduct business requirements with client to provide solution for their business.

How was your client involved in this stage?

We were working with client during requirement sessions and client were able to provide us different scenarios of the business operations that needs to be handled through the upgraded solution making sure that the software has to deliver business benefits.

What was the solution?

A web-based, personalized tool for tracking, tracing and providing inspection and maintenance & repair information for the refrigerated container/intermodal industry.

A single access point for all information related to loads monitored by Mark-IT Services by combining information that is provided by several different sources.

• Built on Microsoft .NET platform with RESTful web services implementation
• Standard XML schema definition
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• SSBS – Distribution Queue
• IIS hosting for web services

What was the timeline?

The complete solution was developed for about 3 years and after 6 months of user acceptance testing, Reefer-watch solution went Live.

Did your solution solve the client’s stated problem or accomplish their objective(s)?

Yes. Below objectives are accomplished with the solution provided.

Cargo protection services for the Mark-IT-Services

24/7/265 staffed, protective services centers actively manage between 60,000 and 75,000 live refrigerated container loads per month using Reefer-Watch solution Track and Trace, Service Order module.

Tariffs Management and Vendor Billing to manage service vendors billing process on different billing periods and various locations/state that has different tax rates/tariffs for any protective services performed to the cargo are managed effectively.

Inquiry Reports: Various reports for detailed analysis of containers on the trip, pre-trip, and after trip completion that helps business operations to monitor, protect reefer load and take appropriate decisions on critical cargo alerts, cargo care operations etc.

What benefits did your client see because of your work immediately?

• Prenotes
  • MIS has implemented direct EDI from our customers’ rail billing systems. This provides MIS with access to the most up-to-date information on our customers’ loads.
  • Prenotes no longer need to be faxed or emailed. Vendors simply login to RW to access the most updated prenotes from our customers’ systems.
  • Prenotes will be accessed via our Active Unit Report. There is no need to save faxed or emailed sheets.
  • Prenotes are no longer faxed or emailed. Duplicate entry of prenotes into multiple systems has also been eliminated.
  • Inspection sheets can now be printed with all fueling instructions, unit numbers, set temps, etc. already included. All an inspector has to do is fill in the appropriate information into the blank space provided.
  • Vendors can “build trains” so that all the units on a specific train are on one sheet.
  • Vendors now have real time workorder information. When a unit is travelling to a location the Vendor has immediate access to the prenote information – even if MIS hasn’t prenoted them.
• Active Unit Report (AUR) (units moving)
  • Vendors access the AUR for an overview of all units travelling to, from, and through their location. The AUR displays all these units with the following information attached:
    • All prenote information
    • Current tracing
    • Any updated instructions – e.g., an updated set temperature or special fueling instructions for a specific unit
• Inspections
  • Vendors can electronically submit their inspections, fueling, labor and associated services directly to MIS.
  • MIS provides a report to act as a form of “Checks and Balances” where a vendor can compare their inspection sheets to the information submitted to MIS.
• Billing
  • Generating a bill to MIS has been made faster, easier, and more accurate. The inspection information entered by Vendors into SAL is used to generate a bill to MIS from the Vendor.
  • Over a specific period, Vendors can generate paperless bills to MIS that can be saved for historical purposes by the Vendor and MIS.
  • SAL provides a system of checks and balances. All inspections submitted by a Vendor are accepted or rejected (in the case of errors) by MIS. At the close of the billing period, the Vendor and MIS have the exact same information for services performed by the Vendor

What benefits should your client see because of your work over time?

The client wants to improve the process of Customer Invoicing by configuring different customer groups, report templates, enabling all options for managing invoicing data/tariff data and run invoice reports, including QuickBooks report in an efficient way to avoid errors and reworks.

IMS software shall be designed with latest technologies and advanced features to improve the process of Customer Invoicing.

Are there specific KPIs, measurements, statistics or ROI data you can share that clearly demonstrates the value of the solution/service/strategy you provided?

MIS now have customers among the largest in the shipping and intermodal industry. From railroad companies to container ship owners, from terminal operators to logistics and freight movers.

Which one of those data points would you consider to be the most important? Why?

Specifically, designed Web enabled software and wireless technology provide unmatchable real time information. New customers are signing up with Mark-IT services.

Finally, would your client agree that you solved their problem or helped them achieve their intended goal?

Yes.