A cost-effective virtual business model that lets partner organizations increase their customer base by collaborating to provide improved logistics services to heavy-freight market.
Done.
Consulting and systems-integration services, Unisys hosting services and In-transit Service Manager.
At the very core of our global economy is the ability for companies to ship their goods to all points along their value chain. For years companies such as FedEx and UPS have offered cost-effective, time-definite delivery of small packages. But the situation is very different for delivery of heavy freight – items weighing more than 70 pounds. To date, the heavy-freight market has consisted of third-party logistics companies and fragmented transportation providers that offer a limited range of services. As a result, one shipment can pass through many different organizations without a time-definite service commitment. This potentially can lead to highly unreliable service fraught with redundancies, delays, and expensive, error-prone processing.
But Integres Global Logistics, Inc. aims to change all of that. This ground-breaking strategic partnership among Unisys and several major transportation organizations will integrate US domestic and international heavy-freight transportation networks through a Web-based framework. Integres will offer small- and medium-sized shippers online access to a single source for economical, time-definite shipping within the US domestic market, and direct and consolidated shipping within the international market.
"The cargo industry is experiencing a rapid evolution," says Jim Harrigan, chairman and CEO of Integres and former vice president of United Airlines Cargo. "Businesses are increasingly looking for shipping solutions that leverage the benefits of e-commerce while protecting margins and enhancing their existing relationships. Integres levels the playing field by helping our partners and affiliates compete for and win the full-service global cargo market."
Key Role for Unisys
Along with some of the transportation industry's most prominent players, Unisys is playing a key role in this virtual-business venture. As a strategic partner, Unisys will contribute freight software, systems integration expertise and Web-hosting services. In particular, Unisys will provide leading-edge, proactive tracking and tracing capabilities through Unisys In-transit Service Manager solution. The company will host and manage the software, delivering logistics capabilities to Integres over a secure network connection. Unisys will also integrate the platforms and solutions of all of the Integres partners, which include...
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United Airlines and American Airlines, offering access to their broad worldwide passenger and cargo networks
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Roadway, Inc., offering primary less-than-truckload services
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UTi Worldwide, supplying global logistics and customs-broker services
"This Web-based collaboration model creates a new level of freight transportation for heavy-freight shippers who are demanding service reliability and shipment visibility equal to the small-parcel standards of FedEx and UPS," says Paul Mouly, vice president, Unisys Global Transportation Operations.
Benefits for Partners and Customers
Unisys solutions and services will help combine the assets and experience of Integres partners with the power of Internet technology, deliverying a strong value proposition and a range of business benefits for partners and their customers.
Integres will bring value to transportation providers by extending their product lines and offering complete logistics management through the Integres turnkey solution. By linking all transportation partner order management and back-office systems, Integres will enable them to conduct business electronically and reach more customers. In addition, real-time information exchange between partners and customers will improve service and foster seamless transactions across the supply chain.
Integres will help customers compete in the new economy with predictable, time-definite and affordable service. Integres will offer heavy-freight shippers extraordinary value through a single point of contact, global access, competitive prices and Web-based logistical support. In addition, Integres customers will have comprehensive online capabilities for service sourcing, tracking and tracing, dynamic rescheduling, electronic proof of delivery, and integrated back-office and reporting functions.
As Christopher Shawdon, vice president, Logistics, Unisys Global Transportation, explains, Integres illustrates the business change that is underway throughout today's global logistics industry. "Integres is a prime example of the new-economy thinking of most major logistics companies. They seek to collaborate to address new opportunities, compete by developing synergies with partners, and offer commitment through proactive lifecycle shipment-management."
