Descartes Launches Ocean Rate Management Product

New solution designed to let ocean carriers manage open tariff rates, contracts and rate agreements in all trade lanes with one application

Waterloo, Ont. — March 25, 2005 — The Descartes Systems Group, a provider of "on-demand" distribution and logistics technology and services, has rolled out its new ocean rate management product, designed to enable ocean carriers to manage open tariff rates, contracts and rate agreements in all trade lanes with one application.

Descartes said its Ocean RateBuilder builds on the solution provider's ocean rate management product base and includes workflow management, functionality that enables ocean carriers to use a single application to negotiate rates with their customers.

Ocean RateBuilder also allows ocean carriers to manage and retrieve both regulated and non-regulated tariff rates and rate contracts from a single application, Descartes said.

Other features of Ocean RateBuilder include:

• The ability to use internal codes in the Ocean RateBuilder database, which Descartes said will simplify the integration of rate information into back office systems that handle booking, documentation, audit, demurrage and yield analysis;



• Support for importing and exporting spreadsheets, helping to simplify the publishing of calculable contracts and rate agreements and streamlining the process of integrating shipper bids;



• Workflow tools to facilitate, automate and enhance the carrier's business process for managing the negotiation of rates and contracts between sales, pricing and trade management;



• The ability to edit rates, inlands, surcharges and contracts in real-time, enabling bills of lading and rate quotes to include the most current data;



• Integration of contracts prepared by shippers using Descartes' Ocean Negotiator bid management tool;



• The ability to generate quotes or contract proposals from templates for multiple and/or multi-factor rates to customers while keeping a record of the quote for future reference and booking;



• An integrated reporting module for enhanced rate analysis for pricing, sales, customer support and trade management personnel;



• Updated security features that enable protection of global rates by region, country or more specific geographic criteria.

"The new Ocean RateBuilder product has the potential to produce a quantum shift in the way carriers manage rates and contracts on a global basis," suggested Edward Ryan, general manager of Descartes' Global Logistics Network. "Today, carriers typically have several different systems around the world in which they manage rates and contracts. Ocean RateBuilder will give carriers the ability to do this in one global system. Since effective rate management drives the carrier booking and documentation process, we see Ocean RateBuilder providing tremendous opportunities for carriers to improve customer service, rating accuracy, and workflow efficiency on a global scale."

For more information on the latest trends in the logistics space, see the article "The Analyst Corner: Fulfillment & Logistics" in the October/November 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.