Product Marketing Manager at project44, Katia Naffa explains to MHD how the supply chain visibility company’s new software Multimodal Rating and Booking APIs, is the connective tissue joining together this complex network.
project44 operates the world’s largest end-to-end visibility platform and continues to evolve its software. project44 operates 26 global offices in 17 countries, including the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region.
project44 connects to more than 17,000 domestic transport carriers, operating 300,000 assets in the Australasian market and has more than 98 per cent of the ocean tracking carrier market share. The company accomplished all this since entering the ANZ market 18 months ago and serves a range of customers from shippers to 3PLs to carriers, partners, and the end customer.
Among its top customers are brands like Nestlé, Foot Locker, Columbia Sportwear, and CEVA Logistics. These customers partner with project44 across various solutions in domestic tracking, ocean, and air.
As it continues to work on improving supply chain operations for both its customers and other parties in the industry, project44 is expanding its capabilities to include pre-carriage by offering Multimodal Rating and Booking APIs to all regions, including APAC.
CREATING THE SUPPLY CHAIN’S CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Historically, customers’ data may be siloed, processes have been manual, and may use multiple recording systems and applications, which has contributed to unnecessary complexity and confusion. project44 has stepped in to simplify and streamline this process by forming the connective tissue required to link players in the supply chain network. This involves collaboration, visibility, and automation.
Multimodal Rating and Booking APIs from project44 offer a “one-to-many” API connection, delivering real-time rates and an automated booking process, enabling streamlined rate request and tendering processes, upstream exception management, and access to an expanded visibility-first carrier network.
“For customers who want to manage rating and booking in their system, we can connect directly with their TMS or ERP,” explains Katia Naffa, Product Marketing Manager at project44.
“These APIs allow shippers and 3PLs to request and review rates and book all from a single workflow. Enterprise customers commonly use systems like TMS or ERP to manage these processes. We achieve this through a one-to-many API connection.”
Shippers or 3PLs use their system of record to request rates via project44’s Rating API. On the back end, the Rating API connects to multiple partners informing them of the request, such as a carrier or broker. The rates are then transmitted back to the TMS, and the customer can review the rates and decide which carrier to move forward with. Bookings are transmitted via the Booking API to the chosen carrier, who can then accept the booking. If the shipper or 3PL is a project44 tracking customer, the booking will automatically transition to tracking.
When customers use rating and booking at the pre-transit phase, the shipment is initialised for tracking upon tender acceptance, unlocking more milestones upstream. All this information is centralised into the platform, giving users the ability to increase tracking percentage and manage any exceptions that might come up when a shipment is in transit.
ACCESSING REAL-TIME MARKET RATES
The Booking API operates the same whether it’s FTL or Ocean bookings. Shippers or 3PLs can transmit bookings or transport orders to their assigned partner (ocean carriers or freight forwarders) for either spot or contracted rates.
“project44 remains neutral and agnostic, and this is all about maintaining and strengthening relationships,” notes Katia.
Use cases are benchmarked against contracted rates versus market rates to ensure contracted rates are competitive.
“Sometimes the biggest challenge we see is people get trapped in these 12-month contracts,” adds Katia.
“When the market changes, they end up overpaying. We’re giving them the ability to benchmark real-time market rates against their contracted rates so they can make a more informed decision on their loads.
“We find it’s better to use rating, booking, and tracking as one solution and the same with ocean booking, which allows the shipper or 3PL to send the transport or booking order to their assigned carrier, and it will then be sent to freight forwarders or ocean carriers.
EMPOWERING CUSTOMERS OVER PRE-SHIPMENT PROCESSES
Ocean Booking API is available in the APAC region while the other modes such as FTL and LTL are available in North America and Europe. project44 says these solutions will be made available in the APAC countries like Australia and New Zealand in the future.
project44 is moving into the pre-shipment phase and remains committed to end-to-end services from pre-transit to last mile and sustainability. It’s empowering shippers and capacity providers to find the best carrier or shipment at the best rate and service level in real time.
Eventually, project44 will offer an in-app rating and booking experience for its users, which will help it unify the API, FTL, and LTL systems.
These multimodal offerings are interoperable – or as Katia explains – they act as the pipes connecting the parties, whether they’re the shipper, partner, or carrier systems.
“We’re uncovering the data throughout the pre-shipment process,” she explains. “Uncovering metrics and insights into the carriers and determining how predictable they are, their punctuality, allows customers to better benchmark against other carriers.
“Our primary goal is giving customers greater control over the pre-shipment process with these APIs so it’s easy for them to set up and standardise the way they manage the rate requests and bookings going forward.”
More information of project44’s new multimodal rating and booking APIs can be found at: https://get.project44.com/multimodal-rating-and-booking-apis/
For more information on project44, click here.
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