Transportation portal reports volumes increasing 40 percent per quarter with new customers, existing users
Alameda, CA — July 28, 2003 — GTN, a transportation portal, today marked its 2-year anniversary with an announcement on its growth in recent months in the areas of users, affiliated organizations and volumes.
GTN said it allows importers and exporters worldwide to work with their ocean service providers through a Web-based platform. Shippers use GTN as a transaction center to manage business activities such as booking, scheduling, shipment tracking and document processing.
As of the end of June 2003, GTN said it had 4,000 global organizations using it platform, 11,700 registered global users, a 40 percent quarterly growth in bookings, and a 57 percent quarterly growth in document processing.
One of its reasons for growth is the new Homeland Security regulations. The portal said use of GTN has increased as new, more stringent rules for container security and advance reporting of cargo information have been implemented by U.S. Customs to strengthen Homeland Security. Mark Vigoroso, senior research analyst at technology research firm Aberdeen Group, remarked: "One of the most effective ways for shippers and carriers to comply with this and other cross-border shipping regulations is to leverage Web-based international logistics systems (ILS).
As an information processing channel directly tied into ocean carrier systems, GTN said it helps shippers and forwarders manage timely and accurate compliance with the new security rules, thereby avoiding costly and disruptive shipment delays, fees and fines.
GTN said it also enables forwarders and 3PLs to focus on account management and customer service, and reduce operating costs with its single "integration hub" for their carriers. The online transaction platform that streamlines booking, scheduling and document management also frees up the forwarders and 3PLs to devote more time and attention to customer service and account management.
"One-off [electronic data] integrations are expensive to implement and costly to maintain," noted Suzanna Simpson, customer service manager for freight forwarding and customs house broker Alexander International, one of almost 30 3PLs and freight forwarders worldwide that have integrated with or are currently pursuing integration with GTN. "With GTN, those costs go away. Using online, standardized processes reduces errors and mistakes, and it saves time. That translates to better service and faster response, all of which improves customer satisfaction."
Michael Hampel, corporate logistics manager for PM Global Foods, an Atlanta-based international trading company specializing in beef, poultry, pork, seafood and food service items, said he estimated his company was saving $150,000 a year from better operating efficiencies since using GTN. "GTN provides a complete e-commerce solution, with online tools that allow me to do over the Web all of the key transactions we used to do manually with the ship lines. It took one process and workflow, and applied it across all the carriers. That was a huge timesaver."
