Pandemic speeds digitalisation of transport planning

Cloud-based transport software firm Simacan has joined forces with eCMR platform TransFollow to offer combined information about shipments alongside updates about status and arrival times.

The partnership will involve Simacan integrating the TransFollow eCMR into its software and Simacan’s smart estimated times of arrival will become visible on TransFollow’s platform.

The move allows transport planners to use the Simacan platform to manage the trip execution in real time based on the combined information and in addition to alerts about deviations from the planning, the eCMR status will also make it possible to see at a glance which trips require extra attention.

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The companies said this combination of management based on both shipment information and arrival-time information would add value in the logistics chain, from dispatch to goods receipt.

Eric Mulders, Simacan partner manager, said the partnership digitalises processes that up until recently have entailed paperwork and physical contact: “The recent developments in relation to the coronavirus outbreak have forced logistics companies to be very responsive, plus there is a strong desire to reduce the amount of physical contact in the chain,” he said.

“This has been a trigger for many retail and e-commerce companies to accelerate their digital shift in terms of transport information.”