Brochure

Welcome
Our customers include:
512 Ltd (EMA) Ltd
Energy Logistics Iraq Ltd
Accura Shipping Ltd
Enterprise Freight (part of ARR Craib)
Across the Ocean Ltd
Espace Europe Ltd
Advantage Worldwide
EUF Group
Aims (PTY) Ltd
Eurologistics
A K Worthington Ltd
Extrordinaire
Allways international Freight Forwarders Ltd
Fardel Shipping
Ariel Maritime
FCL UK Ltd
ASCO Freight Management (AFM) Ltd
FdeL
ASCO Freight Management LLC (Houston)
Fratelli Cosulich (UK) Ltd
ASCO Marine
Freight -Logic
Barton Freight Ltd
Gemini Freight Management Ltd
Braid Logistics (UK) Ltd
Global Container Services
Brian Yeardly Continental
Global Freight Systems Ltd
British American Shipping
Global Motion
Burhill Logistics
Grace Overseas
Cargo Management & Logistics Ltd
Grange Shipping Limited
Cargo Overseas Ltd
Greencarrier- PTS
Cassilon Ltd
Herbert Watson Freight Services
Chatham Clearance & Transport Ltd
HND International
CIT International Ltd
Hutchison Logistics (UK) Ltd
Claridon Group Ltd
IFE Global Logistics
Clearfast Ltd
Imorex Shipping Services
Coastal Global Logistics
Interfreight (UK) Ltd
Conquest Shipping Ltd
Interspan Global Logistics Ltd
Cory Bothers
Jenkinson Group
CSAV (UK) Agencies Ltd
Jordon Freight Ltd
Delamode Ltd
K C Group Shipping
Denholm Wilhelmsen Ltd
K G Logistics Ltd
Dolphin Movers Ltd
Kerry Logistics (UK) Ltd
Dunwoody Airline Services
Kestrel Liner Agencies Ltd
Eagle Freight Terminal Ltd
Kestrel Liner Agencies LLC (Miami)
Ebrex Ltd
Knight Watson Ltd
E L Logistics
Knights of Old
Energy Freight Forwarding Ltd
Locker Freight
Lorrford Eurospan
RJJ Freight Ltd
Lysander Global Ltd
Rosewood Trucking Ltd
Lysander Shipping Ltd
Russell International
Lysander Shipping AS (Copenhagen)
Schallenberg Ltd
M & W Freight Ltd
SDV Ltd
M & W AirFreight Ltd
SeaKargo Ltd
Mc Namara Freight
Seafast International GmbH
Marexports
Seaship Ltd
Meadows Wye
Seletar Shipping
Metro Shipping Ltd
Sequana Maritime Ltd
Morgan Air Cargo
Simfreight Ltd
Miro Logistics
SITIR (UK) Ltd
Morrison Freight
Spedition Srvices
Neill & Brown Global Logistics Group
STI Global Logistics Ltd
N S Shipping
Streamline Shipping
NWT Forwarding
Surefreight International Ltd
Ocean Express
Super Yacht Shipping Ltd
Online Logistics Ltd
TPC Ltd
Orbital Direct
Transped Ltd
Orient Worldwide (Shipping) Ltd
Trans Global Freight Management
Panalpina World Transport
(formerly Grampian International Ltd)
Turk Transport (UK) Ltd
Uneek Forwarding Ltd
Perform Logistics
Uneek Freight Ltd
Perishable Movements Ltd
Uniserve Group
Petrasco
Van der Vlist UK Ltd
Petrasco (Dubai)
Vogt & Maguire Liner Agency
Portcentric Solutions Ltd
W Saunders Ltd
Poseidon Consultants Ltd
W S Logistics Ltd
PSL Freight Ltd
Whittle Eastern Europe Logistics Ltd
Quest Freight Ltd
W M Shipping Ltd
Radius Logistics Ltd
World Transhipment Services Ltd
Rapid Cargo UK Ltd
YES Logistics
R Bugg Forwarding Ltd
Zeemac Shipping Ltd
Risa Ltd
Putting our customers first
Disclaimer
We have taken every effort in compiling the information in this brochure. While we
believe it to be accurate, MultiFreight Limited makes no warranties or representations
as to the correctness, timeliness or completeness of the content and assumes no
liability or responsibility for any error or omission.
MultiFreight Limited shall not be responsible for any prejudice, loss or damage which
may occur from use of and/or reliance on the information contained in this brochure.
CONTENTS
Section 1
- Overview
Section 2
- Reasons for
implementing
a new system
Section 3
- Running your freightforwarding business
with MultiFreight
Section 4
- Extending the
power of
MultiFreight
Section 5
- Our customers
Section 6
- What you can
expect from us
Section 7
- Who we are
Section 8
- Our partners
Section 9
- Main features of the
MultiFreight system
Section 10 - Main features of
the MultiFreight
system options
Overview
Section 1 - Overview
Business systems
No matter what size your company, you have systems – they allow you to control the
financial aspects, service your customers and manage the business. Your systems may
be manual processes, or wholly or partly automated through the use of software and IT.
Systems help you to manage the day-to-day running of your business more efficiently
and to plan for the future more effectively. For any company, there are financial benefits
to implementing systems to handle the core aspects of business such as dealing with
customer enquiries, sales tracking, order processing, invoicing, purchasing, customer
communications, and so on.
As a freight-forwarder, there are aspects of your business that relate specifically to your
industry, such as the types of transport systems you rely on, shipping-related
paperwork, agency requirements, and Customs and tax implications.
MultiFreight
MultiFreight is a business management system designed specifically for shipping
companies and freight-forwarders. The core MultiFreight system incorporates facilities
that allow you to manage both:
n the key business functions (such as sales, finance, customer and supplier
communications, management reporting) and
n the specialist requirements of your business, such as air, road and sea freight,
transport, and liner and ships’ agency.
Depending on the requirements of your business, you can enhance the functionality of
MultiFreight with one or more options. These provide the facilities for you to:
n handle Customs-related transactions
n use the internet to communicate with your customers and provide online
‘track and trace’
n administer third-party warehousing
n manage complex supply chain orders
n automate accounts payable with electronic purchase invoices
Advantages of an integrated system
The various functions within the core MultiFreight system are closely integrated to
provide a complete, company-wide system. The main advantage of this level of
integration is that data can be shared between different business functions within an
organisation, which reduces admin processing time and costs, and minimises the risk
of errors being introduced. With an integrated system you will be able to:
n Give employees access to information outside their own department. Information
from all departments is stored centrally in the system rather than in departmental
filing systems which are not universally available
n Reduce the time it takes for employees to find the information they need. When staff
know where to find information, they will not waste time searching for essential data
or have to wait until a colleague passes information to them
n Make your staff more efficient. When all your company data is held in a single
system, employees will not need to switch between systems or learn how to use a
number of different systems
n Provide employees with all the tools they need to do their job effectively within a
single environment. Even if their role expands in the future, the system will expand
with them
n Respond to customer queries more quickly. When your staff are responding to
customer calls, all the information they might need about that customer is in one
place. Even if the caller needs information from two different departments – such as
information about where a shipment is and questions about an invoice – one person
will be able to provide details of both from the system
n Communicate more effectively with people inside and outside your organisation.
Information is passed electronically, so it is much easier to keep people informed
and because details are taken direct from the system you know they will be
accurate
Having one system from a single supplier also means you do not have to deal with
multiple suppliers or obtain various elements of your overall system from different
sources. You will therefore be able to reduce the amount of time you spend managing
suppliers, and when you need support, you will know exactly who to contact.
If your business demands that you extend the functionality of the core MultiFreight
system, the optional functions also integrate with the main system. All the options work
together and share data with your core system.
With the MultiFreight family of products you have at your fingertips everything you need
to run your freight-forwarding business.
MultiFreight’s benefits
Users of the MultiFreight system experience benefits that make a difference to their
business. They tell us:
n “The work gets done faster and more simply”
n “It improves the service we give our customers”
n “Each staff member gets through more work in a day than ever before”
n “The guys using the system love it. They’d never let us go back”
n “It just gives me more time to run my business”
“Once the system was fully implemented, we increased throughput by around 20%
without having to increase our staff.” Dennis Simmonds, WS Logistics Ltd
“By introducing MultiFreight we were able to make some economies. The system paid
for itself in less than two years.” Bill Sullivan, Allways International
“Integrating the disparate existing functions, including accounts, customs clearance,
EDI and warehousing with traditional road and sea forwarding was a key factor.”
John King, PSL Group
“Since 2004 Cory Brothers have used the full suite of integrated MultiFreight systems.
We found the system to be flexible and it could accommodate the growing needs of our
company.” John van Bergen, Cory Brothers
The MultiFreight software is very easy to use and we found this helps when training
new staff.” Anil Sethi, Ariel Maritime UK Ltd
This brochure provides more information about MultiFreight and its
family of products and related services. If you cannot find the
information you are looking for here, please contact us so we may
answer any questions you might have.
Section 2 - Reasons for implementing a new system
Reasons for
implementing
a new system
Why do I need a new system?
Our customers have many reasons for implementing a new system to manage their
business.
n Some are using manual systems that simply no longer cope with the demands of
the business or are just taking up too much time.
n Others have automated some of their business systems, but not all of them, and
find it time-consuming and costly to manage several disparate systems.
n A few use automated systems that don’t really support their business. They have
tools to help manage some aspects of the business, but these don’t handle the
specialist requirements of a freight-forwarder very well.
n For some, the supplier of the automated system they are currently using does not
give them the support and service they need to run the system or their business
effectively.
What all our customers have in common is that they want to improve the efficiency of
their business, because operating as they do now is costing them too much time or
money.
The impact of changing systems
Your systems will be key to your business, perhaps even mission-critical, so we can
understand why you might feel nervous about changing them.
You’ll want the changeover to be fast and problem-free and to have no detrimental
effect on your business. You will want reassurance that the new system will be an
improvement and will support your business better than your current systems.
Even if the installation goes without problems, there may be staff issues to manage –
will the employees understand the benefits and consider the new system as a tool to
make their job easier, or think that the system will deskill their role? What user training
will they need?
You may also be concerned that changing system means you’ll have to adapt your
working practices to accommodate the software, or that having a new business system
means you will no longer be able to use your preferred accounting package.
Thinking longer term, you will want to know if the system is adaptable to the needs of
the business in the future.
Perhaps you are anticipating that a new system will be a big investment for you, so you
will want to know that there will be a financial return on that investment within an
acceptable timescale.
These are just some of the things to consider, and we realise that you won’t decide to
put yourself, your employees or your business through change unless that decision is
firmly based on business needs and business results.
How we can help
Understanding what a new system means for yoU
We help people who understand that sometimes change and upheaval is necessary to
make things better in the future. Because we understand what changing systems
means for a business, we know that planning is what makes the process successful.
MultiFreight has helped many freight-forwarding businesses to introduce and
implement the MultiFreight system into their business. You may be doing it for the first
time, but we have decades of experience and you won't be doing this on your own.
Planning
We will work with you to plan every detail of the transition, and to ensure that there is
minimal disruption to your business throughout. From the initial consultancy, to data
conversion, to staff training, right through to supporting you on ‘go-live’ day, you will
have our every care and attention.
oUr exPerience
Through working with all of our customers, our implementation and training teams have
amassed huge knowledge. As well as understanding what is required from a technical
point of view, they also fully appreciate the business requirements. They will manage
the transition to MultiFreight efficiently and effectively on your behalf.
making the system fit yoUr bUsiness
We will also be able to advise you how to tailor MultiFreight so that it suits your working
practices. The system has been designed and developed over the years to be
configurable and flexible so you can make it fit your organisational structure and the
way you do business. We designed MultiFreight to integrate with accounting packages
because we expected you’d want to use the specialist functionality such tools provide.
That means if you have an accounting package of choice, you can use it with
MultiFreight. If you haven’t yet chosen an accounting package, we can supply, install
and support Open Accounts as part of your MultiFreight system.
flexibility
We also know that business is changeable, and you may have additional requirements
of a system in the future. Our experience of working with freight-forwarding companies
has led us to design flexibility into MultiFreight, so if you plan to operate from an
additional site, perhaps even abroad with local requirements, you should be able to
incorporate all your offices into a single corporate-wide system – usually with either no
changes or a few minor modifications.
ensUring yoU make a soUnd investment
A powerful system like MultiFreight is not just for the largest freight-forwarding
businesses. MultiFreight can help smaller organisations to become more efficient too.
Our customers often find that the system soon pays for itself – either from the
economies it allows them to introduce or from the increased revenue that results from
offering an improved service to their customers. Over a period, MultiFreight may not
cost as much as you might think.
Section 3 - Running your freight-forwarding business with MultiFreight
Running your
freight-forwarding
business with
MultiFreight
Running your freight-forwarding business with
MultiFreight
Any business will need to handle key functional areas such as:
n sales and marketing – setting tariffs, sales quotes, managing customer data
n finance – job costing, invoices, financial management
n communications – letters, faxes, emails
n document management and filing
n management reporting
Beyond that, freight-forwarders and shippers have industry-related, specific
requirements for managing their business, including air, road or sea freight
(incorporating import/export procedures), liner or ships’ agency, and local transport.
What distinguishes MultiFreight from other systems is that it is a cohesive set of tools
for the freight-forwarding industry. It encompasses all aspects of your business in a
single, integrated system so that anyone, anywhere in your organisation has access to
all the information they might need to do their job efficiently and effectively.
MultiFreight
MultiFreight is a business management system that has been designed and developed
specifically for the shipping and freight-forwarding industry. It provides core business
functionality and combines this with specialist functions required by different types of
freight-forwarding to handle the following aspects of your business:
n air freight
n international road freight
n sea freight
n liner agency
n ships’ agency
n courier shipments
n domestic transport
n inter-modal transport
n equipment control
n transit warehousing
You can supplement the MultiFreight functionality with further options to enhance the
core system if your business requires it.
Key business functions
MultiFreight supports the complete forwarding transaction from quotation through
invoicing to job costing and management reporting. MultiFreight is a fully integrated
system and all functions use the same system-wide data. This means that any changes
made within one part of the system are automatically and immediately available to all
other elements and therefore instantly available to any user no matter where they are
located or what feature(s) they are using. You do not need to maintain separate data
for the different functions, so your data can always be up to date and synchronised.
When your system is integrated in this way, you will reduce the risk of errors because
data needs to be entered into the system only once. When all departments can access
a single set of centralised information, you will increase the speed and accuracy of
routine tasks.
From anywhere within MultiFreight you can manage key business functions. For
example, you can:
n Set, change and manage different tariffs for individual customers or groups of
customers
n Design standard quotation documents, automatically create quotations using system
data, send them by letter, fax or email direct from MultiFreight, and store them for
later use as the basis of a job file
n Record and retrieve customer and prospect details and related information
n Better manage your customer relationships. MultiFreight allows you to record and
manage sales and marketing activities with your customers without using a thirdparty CRM system
n Use the system data to prepare automatic invoices and to cost jobs. You can tailor
the invoicing and job costing to meet your business requirements, including multicurrency
n Exchange data automatically between your accounting package and MultiFreight so
that accurate data is transferred without the need for re-keying. The two-way
interface will also help to improve your credit control
n Create and modify system-wide template letters, documents, emails and faxes. You
may incorporate graphics, such as your company logo, and in this way you will be
able to brand any communications leaving your company
n Prepare standard letters, emails or instructions without needing to use an external
word processing package. Each department could define its own standard
communications to reduce admin overheads
n Send emails, letters and faxes direct from MultiFreight using addressing information
from the system’s customer records. This reduces the risk of communications being
undelivered or delayed because of incorrect addressing
n Store, collate and archive electronic documents within the system. You could have
documents automatically attached to outgoing communications, access them
whenever required or use them to provide a full audit trail
n Exchange data electronically with your business partners, and because neither
party will need to re-key information, you’ll be using exactly the same data
n Monitor and manage workflow. The system can alert you when specific events or
tasks are outstanding so you can chase or reassign them
n Create your own management reports to monitor the aspects of your business you
want to manage most closely
MultiFreight supports multi-site organisations and provides a single, corporate-wide
system for managing and running your business across different locations and even
across different countries. It offers remote access over a wide area network and each
site could define its own operating procedures within the system. In this way,
MultiFreight supports the whole organisation and you will not need to obtain different
systems for remote sites, users or operations.
Freight-forwarding business support
The key business functions are available across the whole of the MultiFreight system.
In addition, various tools within the system provide functionality to allow you to manage
specific areas of a freight-forwarding or shipping operation. The tools are totally
integrated and work together as a single system – you can move seamlessly between
them and share data between the different tools. With MultiFreight you will not need to
change to a different system to obtain the specialist support you require, and because
the system uses the same data throughout, you can be certain that you are always
using the most up-to-date information available.
Each of the tools within MultiFreight has been developed by freight-forwarding
professionals, and because of their expertise, you will find that each tool is specific to
the area of the freight-forwarding business it supports. What this means is that within
the air freight functions, for example, the process and terminology will be familiar to
anyone who has worked within this sector. The user will feel ‘at home’ with the system
and should be able to learn how to use it without extensive training.
MultiFreight is a richly developed system that provides support for all aspects of a
freight-forwarding business. Perhaps not all of its functionality is relevant to your
current operation. Where this is the case, simply ignore the features that don’t apply to
your business, and use only those functions that are appropriate. You may find the
additional features will become invaluable in the future!
MultiFreight provides you with the tools to manage and process the following efficiently
and accurately:
Air freight – handles direct shipments, consols, IATA shipments, back-to-back
shipments, handovers and co-loads, and allows you to manage AWB stocks
International road freight – caters for both full trailer loads and groupage
consignments
Sea freight – allows you to manage small-scale shipments right through to large
consignments (including FCL and LCL cargo and multiple-container consolidations) and
unlike many other systems, to fully handle multi-container bookings
Liner agency – allows you to take cargo bookings, arrange transport, manage vessel
allocation and manifesting, produce bills of lading, organise cargo release and collect
charges
Ships’ agency – allows you to manage the details of a ship’s visit to port, including
the financial transactions and communications involved
Courier shipments – handles courier bookings including documentation, costing
and invoicing
Domestic transport – manages local collections and deliveries using your own and/or
subcontract vehicles. Road freight consignment tracking provides two-way communication
with the driver from your screen and allows you to identify the exact location and status of
any item being delivered or collected. PODs are captured electronically
Inter-modal transport – provides support for sea/rail and sea/air movements
Equipment control – allows you to track the number and location of containers and
trailers as well as managing your equipment stock
Transit warehousing – controls warehouse receipts and allows you to manage
temporary storage of cargo
Advantages of the MultiFreight system
MultiFreight incorporates everything in a single, self-contained package, including sales
and marketing, operations, job costing, management information, document
management, and many other functions. You won’t have to buy further modules or
additional software from other suppliers – MultiFreight gives you a complete freightmanagement system.
Process jobs more qUickly with fewer errors and redUce admin costs
The main advantages of the MultiFreight system result from the integration between
the different functions and use of system-wide data. This level of integration means you
can reduce both your admin overheads and the time it takes to process jobs – you’ll
streamline admin procedures and reduce the risk of errors.
avoid missing deadlines
An integrated system developed to support freight-forwarding businesses brings other
benefits. Using MultiFreight, you will be able to set its diary facility to prompt action,
making it less likely that you’ll miss a deadline. What is just a missed deadline for you
could mean goods not arriving on time and a financial cost for your customer – and you.
imProve commUnications
MultiFreight also allows you to use carrier messaging for electronic airway bills, airline
and shipping line bookings, and bill of lading instructions, and, through the Inter
System Link (ISL), to share the relevant details you hold within the MultiFreight system
with your trading partners, customers, suppliers and other third parties. Where you are
able to use electronic data interchange you will reduce errors, be able to receive and
find information more quickly and advise on changes more effectively.
imProve cash flow and increase Profitability
A number of features within MultiFreight give you a level of control over your business
that few other systems can match. Many of the routine tasks associated with freightforwarding are processed automatically by the system, which again makes the process
quicker and lessens the likelihood of errors being introduced. Automatic job costing and
invoicing combined with immediate, on-screen profitability analysis allow you to keep
control of your margins while the system’s interactive credit control helps you to
improve cash flow.
delight and retain cUstomers
MultiFreight gives you the ability to track business processes more closely than you
could with many other systems and to use that information to manage and improve
interactions with your customers. Add your own online notes to supplement the
system’s instant action lists and on-screen reminders for imminent and overdue actions
and you have a very powerful tool for ensuring you deliver a first-class service and
keep your customers informed.
The result is you will be able to provide a better service to your customers and often
exceed their expectations – two elements that will help to keep you ahead of your
competitors.
imProve staff motivation and retention
MultiFreight is a powerful system that can make your staff more productive and eliminate
some of the more mundane tasks for them. For example, all your previous jobs are
stored electronically, which makes it easier to repeat or replicate jobs by using previous
job files as the basis. Your colleagues and employees are likely to be more motivated
because they will see they achieve more and are better able to serve your customers.
minimise retraining
MultiFreight has been designed and developed by people who are experienced in and
understand the freight-forwarding industry. The system follows processes and uses
terminology that will be familiar to anyone who has worked in freight-forwarding before
and each area of functionality is specific to that aspect of the business. MultiFreight
users generally feel ‘at home’ with the system very quickly so they adapt to it without
the need for major training in its use.
Licensing and deployment options
You can either purchase a licence to use MultiFreight or choose to license the system
as a service. We brand licensing MultiFreight as a service as ‘MulteFreight’.
We will discuss your requirements and potential usage, and review the licensing and
deployment options with you fully to help you decide which may be the better option for
your organisation.
PUrchasing a mUltifreight system licence
When you purchase a system licence, you obtain a licence for a specific number of
MultiFreight users, including any optional extensions to the system. You may upgrade
your licence with additional users and system extensions at a later date and, through
support and maintenance agreements, also obtain later versions of the products you
have licensed.
This type of licence covers only the software elements of your system and any
hardware that you require will need to be obtained and maintained separately.
mUltefreight
MulteFreight gives you the option of using the MultiFreight software as a service over
the internet. Fees are based on the number of users accessing the system.
The MultiFreight software is hosted on platforms made available by us. We provide you
with a complete system including databases, backup, automatic updates and full
maintenance and support. The main difference is that we are responsible for
maintaining all the system infrastructure and software that you use.
MulteFreight can be very cost-effective where you:
n Do not want to invest in and maintain your own hardware
n Need to replace existing hardware
n Have or will have a variable number of users
Section 4 - Extending the power of MultiFreight
Extending
the power of
MultiFreight
Extending the power of MultiFreight
In addition to the core MultiFreight system, there are a number of options you can add
to MultiFreight to provide the enhanced level of support that your business needs. All
the options integrate with MultiFreight and may be used in conjunction with each other.
It is designed so you will be able to access the system-wide data stored within
MultiFreight and use it with the optional functionality.
The options available to you are:
n MultiShed – for handling Customs-related transactions
n MultiTrack – allows you to use the internet to communicate with your customers
and offer them online ‘track and trace’
n MultiStock – for administering third-party warehousing
n MultiChain – for managing complex supply chain orders
n MultiDox – to receive, enter, attach and match your purchase invoices, PODs and
other documents
n MultiStat – for obtaining business intelligence
When you combine both MultiStock and MultiChain with MultiFreight it allows you to
offer your customers a complete logistics service – from managing the import of goods
from abroad, their warehousing and distribution through to freight-forwarding and export.
MultiShed
MultiShed provides functionality for handling all types of Customs transactions. Few
other systems integrate to quite the same degree, and this high level of integration
speeds up transaction time, minimises errors and reduces processing costs. MultiFreight
and MultiShed together eliminate the need for any other software or manual system to
handle Customs-related transactions, thus further reducing possible errors.
As well as accessing the corporate data stored within your MultiFreight database,
MultiShed allows you to exchange information directly with Customs systems, such as
CHIEF, NCTS, AEP and ACE. The messages and data returned by such systems
automatically update the MultiFreight job file – for example, duty and VAT amounts are
passed into the Duty/VAT invoicing procedure. There is no need to re-key relevant data,
and because the details are exchanged directly with MultiFreight, you can complete the
required transactions more quickly and with fewer errors.
MultiTrack
MultiTrack is a service that allows you to use the internet to communicate with your
customers. Companies that subscribe to the service appear as professional, modern and
efficient to their customers, and no matter how large or small the business is, each can
provide an internet-based service similar to that offered by large, multi-national operators.
MultiTrack gives you a way to provide such a service without incurring the associated
development and ongoing support costs. Once your customers are using the service,
it will reduce admin costs associated with dealing with queries and orders and give
them an ‘on-demand and always available’ ordering and information service.
To your customers, it will appear that they are logging on to your corporate website,
where they will be able to track purchase orders and the movement of their
consignments, and create bespoke reports. You’ll be able to use MultiTrack to advise
your customers automatically by email whenever key information relating to them
changes within MultiFreight.
MultiStock
MultiStock provides the facilities to administer third-party warehousing. It can either be
integrated with MultiFreight or used stand-alone and is often used by MultiFreight users
to manage secondary businesses that help them to maximise the return from their
available warehousing. It provides tools and functionality similar to those in MultiFreight
which are tailored for this type of commercial operation.
MultiChain
MultiChain allows you to monitor and manage large and complex supply chain orders,
particulary if you are importing from manufacturers abroad when timezones and
language can hinder communication.
The facilities within MultiChain allow you to standardise incoming POs, to consolidate
goods for different orders into a single consignment, identify the location and status of
items, to monitor supply against order and to build shipments for onward distribution.
Once an electronic PO enters the system you can keep track of the status of the order
right down to the level of individual line items. If you order from manufacturers a long
time in advance and the items arrive as several part shipments (and not necessarily in
the same order as on the PO), MultiChain will give you more oversight and control. You
can accurately ascertain where individual items are within your supply chain.
MultiDox
MultiDox automates business processes through electronic processing of important
documents, such as invoices and PODs.
For example, you could use the service to convert purchase invoices of various formats
into a standard electronic format and import them into MultiFreight. The original
purchase invoices can be scanned paper documents, PDFs or electronic data files. Data
feeds from MultiFreight allow automatic linking between invoices and other system data,
with automatic matching before posting them to your accounts package. Processing
purchase invoices with MultiDox and MultiFreight reduces processing time and data
entry errors, allowing you to take advantage of any ‘on time’ payment discounts.
You can also use MultiDox to automate processing of other documents such as PODs,
and to send electronic documents such as sales invoices.
MultiStat
MultiStat is a business intelligence tool that gives you the ability to sort, filter, analyse
and report on any data held within your MultiFreight system – it allows you to extract
detailed information in any combination that is meaningful and relevant to you.
MultiStat’s power and flexibility go far beyond the standard volume and profit reporting
functions within MultiFreight. With MultiStat you have access to specific and detailed
information so you can focus on any aspect of the customer and business operations
data stored within your system.
Within MultiStat you define and create a specific set of data that is relevant to the aspect
of your business you are examining. As an example, you could look at jobs within a
specific period for a single customer then examine in detail the financial transactions
behind them, or you could create a KPI report for a customer.
Our
customers
Section 5 - Our customers
Our customers
We couldn’t describe our ‘typical’ customer. That’s because each business we help has
unique requirements.
Many of our customers are UK-based small to medium-sized freight-forwarders. We
also supply systems to much larger and multi-national operators. Some of the larger
systems we provide, install and support have around 200 users. All these companies
rely on the MultiFreight family of products and services to run their businesses.
Worldwide there are about 3,000 people using MultiFreight so it is a well-used and
proven tool for managing a freight-forwarding business.
Some of our customers have been with us for over 20 years. They know that the
system they have chosen will support them through business changes because it is
flexible and will change as their business develops. As they change business model,
MultiFreight adapts and evolves so they haven’t needed to look for any other system.
What all of our customers have in common – apart from the fact that they have all
chosen MultiFreight as their supplier – is that they want to manage their business most
effectively. They want to distinguish themselves from their competitors and that means:
n improving the level of service they offer to their customers through fewer errors and
improved communications
n increasing profitability across the whole business whether they specialise in just one
aspect of freight-forwarding or manage several different types of freight-forwarding
operation
n minimising administration costs by automating where feasible
n tailoring customer communications so that each customer receives individualised
messages and documents
n streamlining processes and creating customer-specific workflows with automatic
reminders and on-screen alerts
n offering new services to their customers, such as customised job-tracking showing
the information in a way that is relevant to them
MultiFreight helps them do that.
Who are our customers?
Here are just some of the companies that use the MultiFreight system within
their business.
Cory Brothers provides global freight-forwarding and liner agency
services. The company runs its business with MultiFreight and MultiShed and
uses EDI extensively to communicate with both clients and shipping lines
CSAV (UK) Agencies Ltd runs a liner agency for CSAV Line and makes
use of MultiFreight’s liner agency functions alongside the key business
functions to support its business. The company has chosen to purchase
Open Accounts as its accounting package and this is fully integrated with
MultiFreight
Delamode Ltd is a specialist organisation that offers a Western European
level of service to almost all countries within Eastern Europe and the Asian
Republic. Throughout the UK it relies on MultiFreight and Open Accounts and
has some remote users of the system in Romania
Kestrel Liner Agencies Ltd is an independent liner agent and freight
management company providing a comprehensive ocean freight
management service as well as liner representation services. It has branches
in Stansted and Aberdeen, and Kestrel Liner Agencies LLC in Miami.
All offices use MultiFreight. They also use MultiTrack to provide online
tracking for their customers.
Lorrford Eurospan is a leading European Groupage operator with two
offices in the UK. MultiFreight and Open Accounts have been supporting its
business for over 20 years
Metro Shipping Ltd is a major freight forwarder offering effective and
economic solutions for the global movement of multi commodities via sea, air
or road on an import, export and cross-trade basis. The company has been
using MultiFreight and Open Accounts since 2002
RJJ Freight Ltd is part of the RJJ Group, a leading group of UK freightforwarding companies that offers freight-forwarding by both air and sea, plus
a courier service. All its services are supported by MultiFreight and MultiShed
integrated with the group accounting system
Trans Global Freight Management is one of the largest independent
freight companies in the UK with around a hundred and fifty staff spread over
seven offices. MultiFreight and MultiShed are at the core of their business
and have been since 1984
Whittle Eastern European Ltd is a logistics company dedicated entirely
to Eastern and Central Europe and the countries of the CIS.
Why did they choose MultiFreight?
Trans Global Freight Management
“We are one of the largest independent freight companies in the UK with
around a hundred and fifty staff spread over seven offices.
“MultiFreight is at the core of our business and has been since we adopted it
back in 1984. It provides the solid basis that enables us to move all the freight
we handle anywhere in the world, be it by land, air or sea.
“The software supplied met our requirements when we started to use it, and
as our business has changed and grown over those twenty-something years,
a long term working partnership with MultiFreight has ensured that the
system always stays current to our needs.
“Even when we recruit new staff they pick it up quickly. It certainly causes no
particular training issues, whilst the support has always been there, if ever
we needed it.”
Barry Ruck
Financial Director
PSL Group
“When the PSL Group required a solution to the growing need for instant
information within their global freight business, they chose MultiFreight. PSL
were running a plethora of freight and logistics related systems which were
difficult to manage and enhance.
“Integrating the disparate systems, including accounts, customs, EDI and
warehousing with traditional air, road and sea forwarding, was something
PSL felt they could not risk without the utmost trust in the integrity and
resources of MultiFreight. Of paramount importance was linking the six PSL
locations via a virtual private network (VPN), using Citrix technology to
maximise the speed of connection to the main database.
“MultiFreight provided active project management from day one, removing
the need for us to worry about any potential oversight or pitfall. Everyone at
MultiFreight, not just the support staff, was involved in making the
implementation much smoother than we expected. It is easy to be lured by
impressive-looking software, but the real success of IT is making sure that the
users gain the real benefits of the software. In this respect MultiFreight has
proven to be first class.”
Michael Douglas
PSL Group IT Director
“At PSL, we like to work in harmony with our suppliers. Even from the earliest
stages it was clear that MultiFreight had a professional and thorough
approach to everything we wanted to achieve.”
John King
PSL Group Managing Director
Cory Brothers
"As a leading global freight-forwarder and liner agency, Cory Brothers have
to ensure that we have “best in class” systems to accommodate the wide and
varying requirements of our global base of customers.
“Since 2004 Cory Brothers have used the full suite of integrated MultiFreight
systems. We found the system to be flexible and it could accommodate the
growing needs of our company. The support from MultiFreight during these
times was excellent and as a result we get exactly what we need from
MultiFreight.
“In the fast-paced environment of logistics, it is essential for us to provide our
customers with 24hr access to real-time purchase order and tracking
information. Using EDI, all of our overseas offices and network partners link
directly into the core of our business. This enables us to provide our clients with
24hr real-time access to their purchase order status and tracking information."
John van Bergen
Managing Director
Whittle Eastern European Ltd
“We moved to using MultiFreight in 2006. Before that we used a bespoke
package that had been written for us, but it was very limited in its capabilities.
“MultiFreight works well for our business because of its functionality and
speed, and because we can customise the system. The level of support has also
improved since moving to MultiFreight and their friendly and approachable
team of staff are easily accessible and often available at short notice.
“What distinguishes Whittle is the skill of our people and their ability to
communicate clearly with our customers throughout Eastern Europe. The
MultiFreight system is what supports our people and it is this combination of
people and technology that allows us to deliver the highest quality of service
for our customers.”
Natasha Sabanovic
Managing Director
Surefreight International Ltd
“Our total commitment and ethos towards customer satisfaction has seen
Surefreight International expand rapidly over the years and subsequently
diversify into various modes of transport to cater for our customers’ multimodal requirements.
“It was therefore important for us to identify a suitable system which could
provide a complete in-house solution for all modes of transport and could
integrate within the various offices/ internal departments.
“We found that solution with MultiFreight and they have supported us
throughout to create a user-friendly, bespoke system to complement our
business needs.”
Tony Daly
Managing Director
can expect
from us
Section 6 - What you can expect from us
What you
What you can expect from us
If you are looking to improve the systems within your business, then, before we ask
you to choose MultiFreight, we’d like you to know what you can expect.
We understand your business
It is unlikely that you will find another systems supplier that understands the shipping
and freight-forwarding world quite like MultiFreight does. Many of our staff are shipping
and freight professionals and have worked in the industry for many years. They know
the business and they understand freight-forwarding from the inside.
For over a quarter of a century MultiFreight has been providing and implementing
software solutions specifically for the industry and because of our expertise we are
generally acknowledged to be the centre of excellence in the field.
We listen to what you want
MultiFreight’s roots go back to 1973 when the company was established as Security
Computing Services. Between then and now we have been in the business of
designing and building packaged software and supporting the companies that use it.
Our first ever freight-forwarding program was written in 1980 and we have been
continually developing and improving the functionality we offer since then.
Our success depends on us giving our customers what they expect, both in terms of
products and service. We know that without guidance from our customers or help from
our business partners MultiFreight would not be the robust, sophisticated and flexible
system that it is today.
We continually invest in developing our
products and services
The current version of MultiFreight was first developed in 1995. Since then it has been
updated and enhanced to continue providing the support our customers require. The
close involvement and encouragement of major partners from within the freight industry
has helped us with this ongoing development over the lifetime of the product.
As new technologies become available and new trends change the way people interact
in business, we incorporate these into our products and services. That’s why
MultiFreight today supports web interfaces and EDI and incorporates email for
communications.
Our commitment is that MultiFreight will always remain in tune with your business
needs and with the freight industry as a whole.
We give you flexibility
Due to its underlying technology, MultiFreight is a cost-effective way of deploying
systems from one to thousands of users on local and wide area networks. This gives
you the flexibility to expand your business without the need to use different software in
different offices located in the UK or elsewhere in the world.
We help you implement your new system
Our trained and experienced consultants are ready to help you decide how best to
implement the new system. Once they have understood fully what you and your
business needs, they will work with you to create an implementation plan and see it
through. They’ll help you to identify all the elements you need to make the
implementation successful for your business and will work on your behalf to ensure
that no detail is overlooked.
Customers who use the expertise of our consultants are the ones who get the most
from their system most quickly.
We support our customers
Our customers tell us that the support we offer them when they are installing a
MultiFreight system and the ongoing support for our product is what differentiates us
from other suppliers. As well as investing in our product technology, we invest to make
sure our support service is second to none.
Our helpdesk is available from 8.45am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, (except for public
holidays), with extended hours available on a regular or ad-hoc basis by agreement. As
well as supporting our own products, our help-desk staff are qualified to provide
assistance with the Progress database software and also support the Open Accounts
software if you purchased that from us. We use an automated system for logging,
monitoring and processing calls (which are prioritised when we receive them) and our
system automatically keeps you up to date by email on the progress of your request.
Customers can use the web to log support requests, check on progress, access our
knowledge base, and download updates.
It is not just MultiFreight’s functionality that makes it the best investment for our
customers, but the after care and service they receive.
“Issues are addressed by committed MultiFreight staff ”
Dale Minks, CSAV
“The staff are a pleasure to work with”
Bill Sullivan, Allways International
“The support is excellent and as a result
we get exactly what we need from MultiFreight.”
John van Bergen, Cory Brothers
“On the very few occasions that we have encountered problems
MultiFreight’ technical support has been second to none and
problems have been sorted out immediately.”
Anil Sethi, Ariel Maritime UK Ltd
We know what makes a difference for you
Customers recognise that there are elements of our products and services that they can’t
obtain from other suppliers and these differentiators are what will give you an advantage
in business. We have developed these aspects of our offering precisely because we
know that for you as freight-forwarders, they can give you a competitive edge.
Consider how the MultiFreight family of products:
n Provides everything you need to run your business within a single system
n Includes tailored support for all types of freight-forwarding operation
n Uses a single, system-wide database that can be accessed by anyone, anywhere in
the organisation and even selectively by partners, suppliers and customers
n Automates routine tasks and streamlines processes between different business
functions
n Gives you a high level of control over costing, invoicing, credit management and
profitability
n Allows you to view and manage all your interactions with customers, suppliers and
partners
n Incorporates new communication technologies such as email, EDI and the internet
n Is developed and supported by freight-forwarding industry professionals
How could you use MultiFreight to give you competitive advantage?
We consider the future
We don’t know how our industry will change in the future – all we can say is that we
are committed to tracking industry trends with professional zeal. MultiFreight is an
associate member of BIFA (British International Freight Association) and an active
member of the AFSS (Association of Freight Software Suppliers). We stay as close
as possible to the freight industry and are well placed to recognise emerging trends.
As soon as we identify a need for change, we make it our business to ensure that
MultiFreight develops and so continues to match the challenges faced by its users.
Who
we are
Section 7 - Who we are
Who we are
MultiFreight has some outstanding people in its team. We select them because of their
specific expertise or experience and because they make us better equipped to meet
your requirements. You may not get to meet or talk to all of them – here are just some
of the people you may get to know.
Tom Clayton
Chairman and Managing Director
Tom started at MultiFreight in May 1980 when the company was still
Security Computing Services. Along with his chairman’s duties, Tom has
special responsibilities for software development and business strategy.
Diane Clough
Office Manager
Diane has been with MultiFreight since February 1996, and her main
responsibilities are sales and order processing, which includes preparing
quotes and general office admin.
Nick Davies
Applications Support Manager
Nick joined MultiFreight in November 2005 and first worked within the
implementations team. His 8 years’ experience of working in freight
forwarding stands him in good stead in his current role as applications
support manager, where he has special responsibility for MultiFreight and
MultiShed support.
David Godbold
Development Manager
David became part of the MultiFreight team in October 1995. He is
responsible for ‘day to day’ management of the programming team.
Bryan Hayward
Customs & Communications Analyst
Bryan has been with MultiFreight since 1997 and in his current role as a
customs and communications analyst his main responsibility is for
maintaining and enhancing MultiShed, the Customs module in MultiFreight.
David Nunn
Company Secretary
David, like Tom, has been with MultiFreight since May 1980.
Outside his duties as a director, David’s special responsibilities are
for finance & admin.
Mark Rattigan
Development Director
Mark is one of our longest-standing team members, having joined
MultiFreight back in July 1978. Today, he has special responsibilities for
the technical aspects of our products and services, including hardware,
operating systems, system software and MultiFreight’s internal systems.
Ian Taylor
Commercial Director
Ian joined MultiFreight in 2013, having previously been employed by
an associate company. Along with his directors duties, Ian has special
responsibility for sales & marketing.
Darren Welsford
Technical Support Manager
Darren has been part of the MultiFreight team since June 2001, though his
experience within the shipping industry goes back to 1989. Darren’s main
responsibility is supporting operating systems, networks and the Progress
database, as well as the MultiFreight applications.
David Wyndham-Lewis
Technical Services Director
David was a MultiFreight user before joining MultiFreight in July 2004 and
he brings over 15 years’ experience in both liner agency and freight
forwarding. At MultiFreight, his main responsibility is project managing the
implementation of MultiFreight for new customers.
Our
partners
Section 8 - Our partners
Our partners
Over the years, as well as being an active member of industry bodies, MultiFreight has developed
long-term partnerships and alliances with a number of associated IT providers, all of whom have
proven track records in their own field of excellence. We also extend our business by developing
relationships with trading partners.
We work with professional partners because combining their expertise with ours means that we
can provide you with a fuller and richer (many would say the best) products and services.
Working with partners also means we can maintain our philosophy of providing a total system to
our customers, which is of key importance to us and them.
Reseller network
MultiFreight creates commercial agreements with selected partners to
appoint them as authorised resellers. Through these resellers we can extend
our sales and technical support coverage across the globe. The advantage
to you, our customers is that our reseller network can provide local sales and
technical expertise and give you access to support if your timezone and
language is different from ours at MultiFreight.
GERMANY
SeaFair IT Solutions GmbH
SeaFair IT Solutions GmbH is based in Hamburg, Germany, and is part of
the SeaFair Group that consists of eight branches worldwide with
approximately 70 employees.
SeaFair and MultiFreight have worked together for several years. SeaFair’s IT
expertise and knowledge of our products is extensive and SeaFair IT’s base
close to one of the world’s busiest ports makes them particularly well-placed
to support MultiFreight customers throughout Europe and Scandinavia.
ITALY
Edeicos Srl
Edeicos Srl is situated in Genoa, Italy. The company was founded in 2008 by
individuals with many years’ experience in information technology and
industrial automation.
Edeicos has developed services to support organisations in the selection and
implementation of software technologies and has extensive knowledge of the
MultiFreight family of products.
Technology partners
PROGRESS
MultiFreight is a Progress Software ‘Preferred Partner’ and we have been
developing our software products using Progress since 1994.
This close working relationship with Progress means we have a reliable
development environment for MultiFreight and can provide our customers
with a proven, reliable database. Because the technology is scalable, we
know that the Progress products will cope with our development needs now
and in the future and so allow us to meet the requirements of our customers.
We can confidently take an evolutionary approach to developing our
products, which for us makes development more predictable and for our
customers produces a more stable product.
The Progress RDBMS is the world’s leading embedded business application
database, with over 2 million users and supports over 50,000 businesses
worldwide, providing a proven track record of high performance and
reliability. Progress Software is focused on simplifying the job of creating the
world’s best business applications.
Advanced Business Solutions
Advanced Business Solutions, part of Advanced Computer Software Group
plc, is a successful international provider of business finance and
collaborative solutions. Advanced Computer Software Group plc has 7000
clients worldwide and Advanced Business Solutions is the largest supplier of
business management and information systems to the UK mid-market
service sector.
Its suite of business applications has been successful in the freight industry
because it combines high-level functionality with ease of use. We have
supplied and implemented Open Accounts software with MultiFreight for
more than 30% of our customers.
We chose Open Accounts not only because it integrates seamlessly with
MultiFreight but also because it offers exceptional support for the freight
industry.
The Advanced Business Solutions’ product incorporates specific functionality,
such as contra processing and extensive multi-currency processing, to satisfy
the freight industry. It can also process and report on the large volumes of
transactions that are produced in the industry, while still maintaining the
same level of performance.
Equisys
Equisys is a global provider of business communication software, with over
60,000 customers in more than 100 countries. Its software products include
the market-leading fax server, Zetafax, which interfaces with MultiFreight to
provide a seamless, auditable record of fax communication.
BULL
As one of the leading European IT companies, Bull delivers open, flexible
and secure information systems. The group helps organisations transform
their information systems by applying its know-how and expertise in three
main areas to:
n produce robust, innovative and open servers, based on industry-standard
technologies;
n develop and implement flexible and interoperable application
infrastructures which give business processes the freedom to evolve;
n secure data and exchanges that are so critical in preserving customers'
business integrity.
Bull’s distribution network and business partners cover more than 60
countries worldwide.
MultiFreight has an ongoing, successful relationship with Bull and is able to
call upon their infrastructure capabilities.
Digital Mailroom
Digital Mailroom provides a service that automates the sending and receiving of
important trading documents like invoices, purchase orders and delivery notes,
and then enables the accurate extraction of key business data so that it can be
processed in a business management system.
MultiFreight now integrates the Digital Mailroom service into the MultiFreight
product because it fits with our philosophy of automating freight-forwarding
business functions wherever possible.
DA Systems
DA Systems is a leading UK provider of software solutions that enable endto-end management of the movement of goods and people across the
transportation, logistics and service delivery sectors. Companies such as
Rico Logistics, Courier Systems, UK Mail, Echo Logistics plc and CEVA
Logistics (formerly TNT Logistics) all trust DA Systems with their mission
critical operations.
MultiFreight partners with DA Systems because their powerful systems
integrate well with MultiFreight and allow our customers to:
n control and manage their delivery and collection operations
n reduce their operating costs
n increase their business efficiency and
n offer their customers a higher quality service
Industry associations
BIFA
We are associate members of the British International Freight Association
(BIFA). BIFA is the trade association for UK-registered companies engaged
in the international movement of freight by all modes of transport. BIFA’s role
is to provide a focus for the international freight distribution industry, and its
mission is:
“To provide effective representation and support for the UK international
freight services industry; to promote good practice and total quality in the
provision of freight services by all members, and to encourage the members
to observe the highest standards of professional competence.”
Being a member of BIFA allows us to keep close to developments within our
industry and to anticipate the requirements of our customers.
AFSS
MultiFreight is a founding member of the Association of Freight Software
Suppliers (AFSS). The Association is recognised by HM Customs & Revenue
and BIFA, and is represented on a number of Customs consultation and
working groups. Through the AFSS we are in regular contact with port and
airport community systems and with worldwide organisations covering
Customs and security procedures. The AFSS gives us another way of
staying close to industry developments.
MultiFreight conforms to the AFSS code of conduct because we are committed
to acting in a responsible way towards our customers and being members of
the Association demonstrates that intent. Our continued membership of the
Association depends on us maintaining professional standards.
Portal providers
MultiFreight partners with a number of shipping portal providers to ensure
integrated support for e-commerce and electronic data interchange. Working
with all of the commonly available service providers allows us to give our
customers a streamlined shipping process and access to the world’s largest
network of carriers.
In this area we partner with the following providers:
INTTRA
INTTRA’s mission is to be the preferred global e-commerce shipping
platform. As the largest multi-carrier e-commerce platform for the ocean
shipping industry, INTTRA enables shippers, freight-forwarders, third-party
logistics providers, brokers and importers to electronically plan, process and
manage their shipments quickly and efficiently, replacing the traditional use of
faxes and phone calls.
GT Nexus
GT Nexus’ strategy is to build a comprehensive set of global trade and logistics
software solutions, invest in the global infrastructure and service provider
connections to support those solutions, then deliver the entire platform as a
service over the web, for a fraction of the cost – and none of the risk – of
traditional supply chain software.
CargoSmart
Importers, exporters, and transportation intermediaries use CargoSmart’s
application, integration, and hybrid solutions to plan, process, monitor, and
share their multiple-carrier shipment information throughout the shipment cycle.
Descartes
Descartes provides on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on
improving the productivity, performance and security of logistics-intensive
businesses. Descartes' B2B network, the Global Logistics Network, integrates
more than 35,000 trading partners.
Descartes offers Canadian, American, and key European Union solutions to fully
manage the requirements of Customs declaration and fiscal compliance.
MultiFreight integrates with the Descartes Customs processing software to allow
you to use United States’ Automated Commercial Environment (ACE),
Automatic Broker Interchange (ABI) and Automated Export System (AES), and
Canadian Release Notification System (RNS).
Section 9 - Main features of the MultiFreight system
Main features
of the
MultiFreight
system
Main features of the MultiFreight system
The MultiFreight system provides support for key business functions and combines this
with specialist functions required by different types of freight-forwarding.
All system functions use the same system-wide, corporate data held within the
MultiFreight database. Changes made within one area of the system are automatically
and immediately available to all other functions in the system and therefore instantly
available to any user no matter where they are located or what function(s) they are
using. You do not need to maintain separate data for the different functions, so your
data can always be up to date and synchronised across your organisation.
MultiFreight reduces the risk of errors because data needs to be entered into the
system only once. In many instances, data can be collected automatically from external
sources, which further reduces possible mistakes.
Using MultiFreight, you will be able to automate many routine tasks. This allows you
not only to improve accuracy, but also to do these jobs more quickly therefore making
your operation more efficient. These efficiencies could mean cost savings for you, while
your customers will perceive this increased efficiency as an improvement in service
and enhanced customer care. This in turn will set you apart from your competitors and
help you to win and retain more customers.
Core business functions
key featUres
Sales and marketing
n Keeping customer records – MultiFreight will store all of your customer and
prospect data and provide easy access so that you can provide a better service to
your customers. For sales prospects as well as customers you can build up
marketing profiles, record details of visits and contacts, list as many individuals as
you like against a single organisation and use this information for telephone, mail or
electronic canvassing. Where detailed notes are associated with an organisation
they are displayed automatically when you create a job and you are able to view
them at any time from within a job file.
n Managing tariffs – you can set, change and manage different sales and cost
tariffs and use these to create quotations, invoices and job costings automatically.
The system calculates the rate based on rules you specify relating to a number of
different parameters, such as:
n Customer
n Supplier
n Location, transport type, job type, route/service
n Country, trade area
n Origin and destination points
n Collection address and/or delivery address (zones)
n Collection/delivery times
n Load port/airport, discharge port/airport
n Container size and type
n Package types, products
The system determines the amount for each line item within the tariff by taking the
rates you define and then calculating according to:
n Quantities
n Sliding scales with break points
n Minimums and maximums
n Lump sums
n Metric and imperial weights, cube, chargeable weight and revenue tonnage
n Linear metres
n Percentages (such as CAF, BAF, fuel surcharges)
n Number of containers
n Number of pieces
n Mileage
n Start and end times (for example, storage and demurrage)
n Preparing quotations – MultiFreight allows you to prepare a quotation whenever
you require using either a standard template quotation or a tailored design. The
system determines the pricing details from its tariff information or from manually
entered spot rates, or using a combination of the two. You can then immediately
email the finished quotation (along with any associated documents or
communications you want to attach) to the customer – or print it or fax it
automatically if you prefer. The system will store the quotation details and a copy of
the finished document for access later.
n Following-up quotations – MultiFreight archives your quotations and allows
you to retrieve them for reference and to attach documents or communications
associated with them. You can also use the system’s diary functions to schedule
automatic follow-up letters or prompt system users to call the customer. You’ll be
able to monitor the progress and analyse the results of your quotations with system
reports on quotation statistics.
Operations
Handling jobs
n Job files – you can build a job file in different ways.
One way is to use an existing quotation as the basis. The system will identify any
differences between the original quotation and the job as booked and notify the
user. If the pricing or quantities have changed, the system prompts the user to
check the figures and will automatically recalculate the charges if necessary. This
makes it easier for you to ensure that you are charging correctly.
For repeat or similar jobs, MultiFreight allows you to copy any previous job as a
template for new file, which you can then amend to reflect the current job.
Where you are able to use EDI messaging with your customer, supplier or partner,
you can collect details for a job file direct from them and MultiFreight will build the job
file automatically for you. This saves you admin time and reduces the risk of errors.
Lastly, if you are not able to collect the job file data in any other way, you can key it in!
n Transferring jobs – if you need to transfer a job from one department to another,
within MultiFreight the easiest way of doing this is to use the ‘replicate job’ function.
Even if it requires a different mode of transport, you will be able to transfer the job
details without having to re-key the data.
n System diary and workflows – MultiFreight incorporates a detailed proactive
job diary which makes it more difficult to overlook important tasks or to disappoint
your customers. MultiFreight is particularly sophisticated in its handling of diaries
and workflow and few other systems offer a similar level of control.
Each department can define specific ‘events’ which the system automatically tracks
and records as they are completed for each job. These events can be whatever you
want, and could therefore be different depending on the customer or destination, for
example.
Events shown as ‘outstanding’ act as reminders for the user and give managers the
ability to review them by user, type, date, and so on. The events (or tasks relating to
them) can then be chased or even reassigned. MultiFreight manages the diary
automatically, but users can also add their own notes and reminders manually
against jobs or customers.
You can also use the system to track changes to key information, such as a change
to the shipment details. The system automatically notifies the user about the
modifications and gives them the opportunity of adding explanatory notes.
The system automatically transfers updated details on the events and information
you are tracking to MultiTrack where this is implemented as part of your system.
This allows you to keep your customers up to date with the changes as they
happen. See the section on MultiFreight system options for more information.
Customer, partner and supplier communications
n Carrier messaging – MultiFreight is enabled for use with the shipping and
logistics portals INTTRA, GT Nexus, CargoSmart, and Descartes for Customs
processing in North America. This allows you to access the services they provide
from within MultiFreight such as electronic airwaybills, FSRs and FSUs, airline
interrogation and airline bookings, and bill of lading instructions.
You do not need to know which of the portals handles the specific carrier you wish
to use because MultiFreight will automatically forward your request through the
relevant portal to your chosen carrier. Similarly, MultiFreight automatically directs
messages from the carrier to you.
n EDI – MultiFreight is enabled for electronic data interchange, so where your
contacts have similar capability, you can use this means of communication. Our
customers most often use EDI for collecting information from partners or customers
for a job file and for transmitting job details and manifests as EDI messages to
partners.
n Using template documents – create and modify system-wide template letters,
documents, emails and faxes so that any document leaving your company reflects
your corporate branding.
Within the templates you may incorporate graphics, such as your company logo, as
well as text, which allows you to design templates for printing on plain paper or preprinted corporate stationery. Each department may create its own templates
according to requirement – the number and type of templates is unlimited. You are
completely in control of your template documents and therefore not dependent on
MultiFreight to create, change or maintain these on your behalf.
n Preparing letters and instructions – MultiFreight includes all the facilities for
preparing standard letters, emails or instructions without you having to use an
external word processing package. Each department could define its own standard
communications to reduce admin overheads. The system automatically inserts
address information from its database saving you having to type it in.
n Sending emails and faxes – send emails and faxes direct from MultiFreight
using addressing information from the customer records held on the system. This
reduces the risk of communications being undelivered or delayed because of
incorrect addressing.
From within MultiFreight you can send out batch emails. You have full control over
the distribution list because you can select specific email addresses to be omitted
from the mailing. The system also allows you to combine multiple documents from
within the system to be sent to the same address, so sending a complete set of
documents for a shipment to an overseas partner or emailing the notices of arrival
for a complete vessel is simplified.
n Managing documents and electronic filing – MultiFreight incorporates the
facilities for storing, collating and archiving any electronic document, so there’s no
need to purchase additional document management software from a third-party.
MultiFreight manages electronic documents created within the system as well as
electronic documents generated by your suppliers, customers and others.
All the documents MultiFreight generates are automatically filed within its own
archiving system, so that a copy of every document is permanently retained and
you can review, reprint, fax or email it whenever required. This gives you a complete
audit trail, including revisions, with a record of how, when and to whom each
document was sent.
MultiFreight stores documents against the quotation, job, consolidation or address
book record from which it was generated. All documents can be retrieved by any
user with the correct access permissions from anywhere within the system using
MultiFreight’s comprehensive search functions.
In addition, so long as they are in electronic format, you can attach any number of
external documents to an address, quotation, job, consol or purchase invoice
record. Whether they are scanned images, emails and attachments received, or
letters you have produced, they can all be filed within MultiFreight and associated
with the record they relate to.
Job costing and invoicing
n Costing jobs – accrual accounting and multi-currency job-costing are provided as
standard within MultiFreight. You will be able to determine the projected profit
margin on any job. The system automatically calculates the cost reserves
associated with a shipment depending on specific values you define, such as mode
of transport, carrier, and destination. Where you have an agreed tariff with a
supplier, you can store this on the system for use in calculating cost reserves,
though you can override one or more line items by entering details manually.
For consolidations, the costs associated with the consolidation can be pro-rata’ed
across each of the component shipments. In this way you will be able to determine
the profitability of each individual consignment within a consolidated shipment.
The system stores the cost reserves it calculates so that when the actual charges
are available, your accounts department staff can compare the two. You can speed
up the approval process by giving the accounts department authority to approve
invoices within a defined amount of the cost reserve without referring back to the
operations department.
n Processing purchase invoices – when you register purchase invoices, the
system identifies the job(s) or consol(s) they relate to and displays the cost
reserves. If the invoice amount falls outside pre-defined allowable limits, the system
will warn the user, otherwise you can simply authorise the system to process the
invoice. If there is a difference between the cost reserve and the actual invoice
amount, MultiFreight automatically recalculates your profit margin.
Using MultiFreight’s document management functionality, you will be able to scan
purchase invoices, then enter and match the purchase invoice while viewing it on
the screen, and automatically attach the scanned document to your invoice record.
MultiFreight outputs accrual journals and purchase invoices electronically so that
they can be posted directly into your chosen accounting package.
n Standard electronic purchase invoices – MultiFreight processes electronic
invoices, such as those raised by CASS or port authorities for security services,
automatically matches them to accruals and posts them to your purchase ledger.
n Automating purchase invoices – If you subscribe to MultiFreight’s MultiDox
service, you can automatically convert any form of purchase invoice into a common,
standard format for your organisation. Invoices may be entered online by your
supplier or entered into the system manually. Once the details are on your system,
MultiFreight automatically matches the purchase invoice against reserves and posts
it to your purchase ledger.
n Pre-payments and cheque requisition – MultiFreight allows you to enter
details of pre-payments manually so that these can be accounted for within the
system. The details of job costing are automatically updated. You can also create a
pre-payment cheque using MultiFreight or send an authorisation to raise a cheque
direct to the accounts department.
n Write-offs – MultiFreight gives you the ability to identify and write-off all cost
reserves (either globally (by age) or for specific suppliers) for which no actual
invoice has been received. Write-offs are automatically taken to profit, with the
reserve on the job or consol being matched off, and a supporting journal produced
for your general ledger.
n Invoicing – MultiFreight automatically generates invoices using details from within
the system. It supports multi-currency invoicing with separate duty/VAT invoicing if
required. MultiFreight will automatically assign general ledger codes to the
transactions which means your operations staff will not need to enter this
information, and in this way you can eliminate posting errors.
You can set the system up for period invoicing and specify the parameters for such
invoices. MultiFreight outputs sales invoices and general ledger postings in a way
that the details can be automatically entered direct into the relevant ledgers within
your chosen accounting package.
n Integration with accounting ledgers – MultiFreight is designed to work in
conjunction with the accounting package of your choice. It exchanges data with all
of the popular accounting packages available and if you have not yet selected one,
we can supply and support Open Accounts as part of your MultiFreight system.
The interoperability between MultiFreight and your accounting package means that
MultiFreight will be able to enter data direct into the relevant ledgers, so ensuring
that no re-keying errors are introduced. The two-way interface also means that you
will be able to manage credit control more effectively.
Business management
n Management reporting – MultiFreight includes its own management information
system so you can create management reports to track aspects of your business
you want to monitor most closely. You define the number and type of reports you
want to be produced and specify how you would like them to look. You can obtain
information on any aspect of your business by requesting a report on such things
as: profitability, accruals, cargo and container volumes, analysis by company, office,
department, transport type, customer, supplier, agent, route, trade, country and
many more.
n Managing multi-site companies – MultiFreight is designed to be scalable for
remote locations over a wide area network so you can readily use just one system
to manage a complete organisation. It can support up to 99 individual companies,
each with any number of different offices/locations, even across national borders.
Each location can define its own operating procedures and manage them using the
system. Each operating site can maintain unique content and layout of its
documentation without compromising the way the corporate-wide system functions.
n Integrating with other systems –MultiFreight allows you to share your system
information with many third-party application packages.
Freight-forwarding business functions
Processing Customs entries
The core MultiFreight system can be extended with MultiShed to include support for
handling import and export procedures. See the section on the MultiFreight system
options for more information.
Managing your transport needs
The MultiFreight system allows you to control and manage transport schedules across
all of the different types of transport. The system displays an on-screen traffic sheet
that shows day-by-day details of collections and deliveries booked through any of the
MultiFreight functions.
This information will assist you in identifying and scheduling movements which have
not yet been planned, help you to plan your future haulage requirements and ensure
that you will be able to fulfil them. You can also check off successful movements, and
at the same time analyse transport failures so that you can keep your customers
informed and monitor the performance of any sub-contractors.
Air freight
From within the air freight functions you have access to all of the core business
functionality as well as the specialised support you need to process air cargo efficiently
and accurately.
MultiFreight’s user interface comprises a set of specific data-entry screens that allow
you to process all types of export and import air freight (including direct shipments,
consols, IATA shipments, back-to-back shipments, handovers and co-loads) and to
manage AWB stocks. Because the screens are tailored for air-freight transactions, they
use terminology and procedures that will be familiar to anyone who has worked with air
freight before.
key featUres
n Export shipments – the system allows you to produce master and house bills
and handles back-to-back shipments and co-loads.
n Export consolidations – MultiFreight fully handles both masters and masterhouse shipments.
n Producing airwaybills – within the air freight functions you will be able to rate
and cut airwaybills (both house and master) and MultiFreight is accredited by CASS
for use with neutral airwaybills. Using CCS-UK you will be able to transmit electronic
airwaybills.
n Airline buying rates – you can store details of airline buying rates within
MultiFreight. When you are preparing a job, the system can show a list of all
suitable carriers and the expected cost for each, so the user simply selects the most
appropriate carrier for that shipment.
n Making pre-bookings with airlines – if you make regular shipments with a
particular carrier, block-booking space could allow you to negotiate a better rate with
that carrier. MultiFreight can automatically send a request to reserve space to cover
your requirements for the next month. The system uses your previous month’s
requested bookings as the basis and gives you the option of amending this before
MultiFreight emails it as a request to the carrier. As it does so, it also reserves AWB
numbers.
n Bar-coded labels – MultiFreight produces IATA-approved bar-coded labels for
each item within a shipment.
n MAWB numbers – MultiFreight maintains your AWB stock. It allows you to
reserve MAWBs, automatically assigns the number, and manages MAWB
cancellations and reassignment of numbers. There is no need for you to allocate or
administer MAWBs manually.
n Post-flight information – because MultiFreight integrates with CCS-UK, you will
be able to receive information relating to the post-flight status of cargo direct into
your system.
n Air ACE support – if you are shipping goods into the United States by air,
MultiFreight provides full support for the US Customs and Border Protection’s Air
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
n Calculating profit shares – MultiFreight automates the process of calculating
profit shares. For consolidations where you work in partnership with an agent,
MultiFreight uses system data (such as details of the consignments within the
consolidation, total revenue, total costs, and details relating to the financial
arrangement with your partner) to show the invoice/payment amount. Once the user
authorises, MultiFreight automatically generates the invoice or credit note, produces
a schedule and updates the ledgers within your chosen accounting package.
n Import consolidations – MultiFreight processes import manifests. You can
either enter the details manually, or if available, use EDI to receive the details from
your partner direct into the system.
n Import shipments – MultiFreight automatically creates break-bulk shipments
from import consolidations and allows you to manage agent handovers as well as
clearance and handling shipments.
n Customs – if you extend your system with MultiShed, you will also be able to
prepare Customs entries for air freight. (See the MultiFreight system options
for more information.)
n CASS invoices – MultiFreight automatically allocates CASS invoices using data
from the system so you do not have to re-key the relevant information.
n E-freight and electronic AWBs – MultiFreight supports the IATA e-freight
initiative through its electronic storage and transmission of shipper and carrier
documents and customs processing. This functionality, which has been established
by MultiFreight working with its customers, provides paperless trading with major
carriers, using FWB and FHL messaging to replace printed airwaybills.
International road freight
From within the international road freight functions you have access to all of the core
business functionality as well as the specialised support you need to process
international road freight.
MultiFreight’s user interface comprises a number of specific data-entry screens that
allow you to process all types of international freight transported by road. This includes
tools for handling import and/or export cargo. Because the screens are tailored for
road-freight transactions, they use terminology and procedures that will be familiar to
anyone who has worked with road freight before.
key featUres
n Export consignments – MultiFreight allows you to manage full trailer loads and
groupage cargo.
n Export groupage – within the system you can allocate and deallocate
consignments, create manifests, and run ‘what if’ scenarios against options for
vehicle loading to help you determine which would be the most profitable.
n Producing CMR notes – MultiFreight automatically produces CMR notes from
system data.
n AMETAs – MultiFreight automates the process of calculating AMETAs. For
groupage cargo where you work in partnership with an agent, MultiFreight uses
system data (such as details of the consignments within the groupage, total
revenue, total costs, and details relating to the financial arrangement with your
partner) to show the invoice/payment amount. Once the user authorises,
MultiFreight automatically generates the invoice or credit note, produces a schedule
and updates the ledgers within your chosen accounting package.
n Managing sub-contractors – within MultiFreight you can store details about
sub-contractors, such as details of their driver insurances and insurance expiry
dates as well as specific capabilities, like refrigerated vehicles or hazardous loads.
You can then query the system to show all suitable sub-contractors for a specific job
and select the most suitable. The system automatically sends an email request to
the sub-contractor.
n Import groupage – MultiFreight processes import manifests. You can either enter
the details manually, or if available, use EDI to receive the details from your partner
direct into the system.
n Import consignments – MultiFreight handles both full trailer loads and groupage
cargo.
n Import and export – for traffic outside the EU, you will also be able to prepare
Customs entries for road freight if you extend your system with MultiShed. (See the
MultiFreight system options for more information.)
n NCTS entries – the system automatically transfers data direct into NCTS for
transit cargo arrivals and departures.
Sea freight
From within the sea freight functions you have access to all of the core business
functionality as well as the specialised support you need to transport freight by sea. For
managing multi-container bookings, you are unlikely to find facilities as comprehensive
as MultiFreight’s in any other system.
MultiFreight’s user interface comprises a number of specific data-entry screens that
allow freight-forwarders and NVOCC’s to process sea freight. The system allows you to
manage small-scale shipments right through to large consignments and multiple
container consolidations for both import and export operations.
MultiFreight’s screens are tailored for sea-freight transactions and so use terminology
and procedures that will be familiar to anyone who has worked with sea freight before.
key featUres
n Export shipments – the system covers general cargo, LCL cargo, and FCL cargo
with any number of containers.
n Arranging transport – the system lets you record all the information you need to
generate transport instructions direct from your desk – from simple LCL collections
to complex multi-container multi-drop movements. Because MultiFreight is an
integrated system, from within the sea freight functions you will also be able to view
overall transport requirements and planning.
n Producing house and master bills – using data stored within the system,
MultiFreight will automatically produce the line’s ocean bills and FIATA bills required
for sea freight. You can also design and produce your own house bills and
manifests within the system.
n Export consolidation – within the system you can build consolidations for
groupage containers and allocate shipments (in whole or in part) to a master
consolidation.
n Electronic bookings and shipping line instructions – because MultiFreight
is connected directly to INTTRA, GT Nexus and CargoSmart, as well as producing
paper or email instructions to carriers, it can also automatically send EDI freight
bookings to most of the major carriers. You do not need to know which of the
portals handles the carrier you want to use because MultiFreight automatically
passes your request to the relevant portal. As status updates are returned from the
shipping portal, the system automatically updates the job file and if you are using
MultiTrack, it also updates the tracking information on the web.
n Vessel-level updating – the system can show details of all your shipments on a
specific vessel. If there is a change to key information that affects the vessel (for
example, the arrival date changes or the exchange rate fluctuates) the system
automatically updates all shipments that are affected by the change.
n ACE support – if you are shipping goods into the United States by sea,
MultiFreight provides full support for the US Customs and Border Protection’s
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
n Import consolidations – MultiFreight processes import manifests. You can
either enter the details manually, or if available, use EDI to receive the details from
your partner direct into the system.
n Import shipments – within the system you can arrange local transport for
shipments from the port to the delivery address. The system automatically
generates the associated delivery notes and sends out notifications when shipments
have arrived at the port.
n Duty invoicing – MultiFreight generates separate Duty/VAT invoices which it can
build direct from the amounts returned from the Customs entry.
n Import and export – for traffic outside the EU, you will also be able to prepare
Customs entries for road freight if you extend your system with MultiShed. (See the
MultiFreight system options for more information.)
n Cheque requisitions – the system allows you to register payments to shipping
lines and raise cheque requisitions. MultiFreight will also automatically update the
job file and post the updates to your accounting system.
n Port invoices – MultiFreight handles electronic processing of port invoices such
as those raised for port security services.
Liner agency
The liner agency functions extend MultiFreight’s sea freight export and import
capabilities to streamline liner agency operations.
From within the liner agency functions you have access to all of the core business
functionality as well as the specialised support you need to manage a liner agency
business.
MultiFreight’s user interface comprises specific data-entry screens that allow liner
agencies to take cargo bookings, arrange transport, manage vessel allocation and
manifesting, produce bills of lading, organise cargo release and collect charges.
Where you are also providing a forwarding service, MultiFreight allows you to fully
integrate liner agency functionality with sea freight export and import and Customs
processing.
key featUres
n Export and import shipments – MultiFreight covers general cargo, LCL cargo,
and FCL cargo with any number of containers.
n Voyage management – the system allows you to allocate shipments to voyages,
creates export manifests, and produces bulk documentation (such as emailing all
parties to advise the arrival for a voyage).
n Integration with third-party systems – with MultiFreight, depending on the
customers and transport partners you work with, it may be possible for you to
automate the interfaces between MultiFreight and shipping lines’ proprietary
systems to give you automated downloading of import manifests and uploading of
export bookings. To enable this, some element of customised development may be
required.
n Vessel-level updating – the system can show details of all your shipments on a
specific vessel. If there is a change to key information that affects the vessel (for
example, the arrival date changes or the exchange rate fluctuates) the system
automatically updates all shipments that are affected by the change.
n Arranging transport – the system lets you record all the information you need
to generate transport instructions direct from your desk, from simple LCL collections
to complex multi-container multi-drop movements. The system’s transport
management functions are seamlessly available so you can see and plan overall
transport requirements.
n Automated costing and invoicing – the costing and invoicing functions have
been specifically extended in the context of liner agency exports to automate
calculations and manage costs and charges in such areas as quay rent,
demurrage, and transport costs taking into account mileage, timed deliveries wasted
journeys and other factors.
n Integration with transport companies – with MultiFreight, depending on the
customers and transport partners you work with, it may be possible for you to use
fully automated EDI functionality for transport bookings, acknowledgements, and
self-billing including approval against stored tariffs. To enable this, some element of
customised development may be required.
Ships’ agency
From within the ships’ agency functions you have access to all of the core business
functionality as well as the specialised support you need to manage a ship’s visit to port.
MultiFreight allows you to record and maintain the information you need to estimate costs
based on vessel characteristics and port charges, and provide quotations, record and
process transactions, generate communications and provide accounting to vessel owners.
Courier shipments
MultiFreight provides streamlined data-entry screens for processing, costing and
charging courier jobs and generating documentation, such as courier airwaybills. The
system also includes interfaces with courier company systems (such as DHL).
Domestic transport
MultiFreight provides streamlined data-entry screens for processing, costing and
charging domestic local transport jobs, to include producing documentation such as
delivery notes and schedules, and recording Proof of Delivery.
From within the road distribution functions you have access to all of the core business
functionality as well as the specialised support you need to monitor and manage road
freight consignments.
As an optional extension to the MultiFreight system you can license the DA Systems
NX Software. This provides you with real-time, in-cab communications between the
MultiFreight system, vehicles and drivers. The key features of this extension to your
system are:
n Tracking of drivers – MultiFreight tracks the movement of consignments through
a dedicated 3G comms device, such as a PDA. This device provides mobile
communications between your MultiFreight system and the vehicle driver.
n Tracking of vehicles – optionally, you can incorporate GPS vehicle tracking with
an in-cab device. This provides the driver with a real-time map and/or directions to
collection and delivery points, and updates the MultiFreight system with the
vehicle’s location at all times.
n Automatic allocation of jobs – as soon as a collection request is entered into
the MultiFreight system, the details are sent automatically to the nearest driver. The
mobile device shows the driver the system reference, size and weight of the
consignment and address details. The driver can then accept or reject the job from
his location on the road and when the job has been allocated, the traffic desk
information is automatically updated.
n Mobile proof of delivery (POD) or collection – collections and deliveries
can be authenticated in real time through the mobile device’s 'sign-on-screen'
function. The customer’s signature image is automatically sent to the MultiFreight
system, so the traffic desk can identify and provide up-to-date information about
consignments, jobs or delivery manifest details.
Equipment control
From within the equipment control functions you have access to all of the core
business functionality as well as the specialised support you need to track the number
and location of your containers and trailers. You tailor the tracking within MultiFreight to
mirror your organisation’s processes.
MultiFreight’s user interface comprises a number of specific data-entry screens that
allow you to monitor not only where your equipment stock is, but also its condition (full,
empty, damaged, and so on) and details for leased equipment, such as leasing costs
and how much longer the lease runs for.
key featUres
n User-definable life cycle – the system allows you to control the exact process
and level of detail you need to manage your equipment stock. For example, you can
specify ‘in depot and empty’, ‘on quay and awaiting release’, ‘under repair’, and so on.
n User-definable activity rules – within the system you define what actions are
valid depending on the current status of a piece of equipment.
n User-definable variable data – you define what information needs to be
recorded for each type of activity.
n Immediate on-screen access – the system provides information relating to a
detailed enquiry on the current status and previous history of specific container, or a
general enquiry – such as how many 40’ high cubes are available by depot?
n Calculation of leasing costs – MultiFreight allows you analyse expected costs
by customer, based on stored rates and equipment usage for a given period.
n Calculation of sub-leasing charges – MultiFreight allows you analyse charges
due by customer for sub-leased containers, based on stored rates and equipment
usage for a given period.
n Integration with other MultiFreight functions
Transit warehousing (Warehouse receipts)
MultiFreight’s warehouse receipts function provides specific data-entry screens for
recording and managing cargo received pending shipment or delivery. It supports
multiple warehouses, and can be linked with any of your operating departments so that
operations staff can immediately check whether the cargo for a shipment has been
received, and use the warehouse records to build up their job file, so avoiding repetitive
data entry.
Section 10 - Main features of the MultiFreight system options
Main features
of the
MultiFreight
system options
Main features of the MultiFreight system options
Any of the MultiFreight options can be purchased with the core system or added some
time after.
MultiShed
As an extension to your MultiFreight system, the MultiShed option integrates fully to
provide complete support for electronic Customs procedures. Few other systems
integrate to quite the same degree, and this high level of integration speeds up
transaction time, minimises errors and reduces processing costs.
When you combine MultiShed with MultiFreight, you can access the records stored in
your corporate database and in the job file you are working on to build your Customs
entry, and transmit it direct from your screen. This linkage means there is no need to
re-key relevant data, and because the details are taken directly from MultiFreight, you
can complete the required transaction more quickly and with a reduced risk of errors.
With this fully-linked system, MultiFreight is automatically updated with information
returned from the Customs system, such as entry numbers, routing, and duty and VAT
amounts. MultiShed and MultiFreight together provide a complete system, so you
eliminate the need for any other software or manual system for handling Customsrelated transactions, thus further reducing possible errors.
key featUres
MultiShed provides interactive communications with major community system providers:
n MCP
n CNS
n CCS-UK
n FCS (for ACE transactions)
n AEP (for Irish Customs)
n It also supports e-mail communications for NCTS and NES
MultiShed handles all of the following Customs procedures:
n Import entry
n Export entry (NES)
n NCTS
n CFSP
n ERTS
n ACE
n DEP
Interactive Tariff enquiry
n An electronic customs tariff (with regular updates) is available for our customers to
download as part of their support contract, with tariff interrogation and selection fully
integrated within entry build-up.
MultiTrack
MultiTrack is a service provided by MultiFreight that allows you to communicate with
your customers via the internet. Through MultiTrack, customers will be able to track
their purchase orders, track and trace the movement of their consignments, and obtain
access to an extensive range of individually defined reports. You will be able to advise
them automatically by email whenever key information relating to them changes within
MultiFreight.
Companies that subscribe to the service appear as professional, modern and efficient
to their customers, and no matter how large or small the business is, each can provide
an internet-based service similar to that offered by large, multi-national operators.
What makes MultiTrack especially attractive is that your customers need never know
that you are using a service provider. The MultiTrack service allows you to customise
what each of your customers sees when they log on, so that it appears they are
accessing your corporate website. You can personalise their view into your system, and
control what information is available to them.
For many freight-forwarding operators it is just too costly to fund the development and
maintenance of this type of service in-house. MultiTrack provides a way of making it
cost-effective. In addition, it will reduce admin costs associated with dealing with
queries and orders, while at the same time providing an ‘on-demand and always
available’ ordering and information service for your customers.
At all times you retain full control over the content and look of the website. What you
don’t have is the high cost often associated with providing this type of service for your
customers.
key featUres
n Customisation – MultiTrack is fully configurable, and can be built into your
website in such a way that it appears to be an integral part of it. We take the HTML
and style sheets from your web designers and present the ‘Track and Trace’
functions in your corporate design.
n Hosting – MultiFreight hosts the service securely on its own web servers, which form
a robust system that has been tried and tested by tens of thousands of transactions.
n Subscription – subscription fees are charged monthly and depend on your usage.
n Shipping – details of freight movement are reflected on the website as the
shipment progresses. When MultiTrack is integrated with MultiFreight this is an
automatic process, and any relevant changes within MultiFreight are automatically
updated on the website.
The shipping database within MultiTrack allows you to manage air, sea, and road
freight. It handles everything from simple A-to-B consignments to complex
shipments with many different products relating to a variety of different purchase
orders, even if these have been loaded into different containers with multiple
transhipment points and multiple delivery points.
n Tracking – you can specify key tracking points (such as factory/warehouse
handover, delivery to port/airport, departure, arrival, customs clearance, release,
delivery to final destination, and so on) to suit your individual customer’s business
model. In this way you can track when these points occur, and as well as updating
the details on the website you can automatically notify your customer by email.
n Automatic email alerts – you can configure MultiTrack so that it automatically
notifies your customers of changes to key information. If an ETA changes,
MultiFreight will automatically update MultiTrack, which would then let your
customer know by email of the change. You can enable or disable these automatic
alerts for specific customers or for specific events for an individual customer.
n Automated carrier updates – you can interface MultiTrack to various air and sea
freight carrier systems, such as CCS-UK, INTTRA and GTNexus, so that freight status
updates are made automatically to your website. This means that with a simple
enquiry over the internet your customer can get up-to-the-minute information about if
and when their cargo sailed/flew – even when they are in a different time zone.
n Proof of Delivery – to complete the cycle, MultiTrack can accept proof of
delivery either as an electronic message or by online entry. The system also allows
you to store the ‘Proof of Delivery’ document as a scanned image so it can be
viewed by you, or by your customer on the website. See Online documents below.
n Reporting – MultiTrack’s comprehensive and flexible reporting suite is one of its
greatest benefits for you and your customer. You can define and send a range of
reports in a variety of formats including Excel. Your customers can request reports
at will, or take advantage of the report scheduler to define the reports they want and
when they would like them to be delivered. This means that you (or they) can simply
set up reports, as per your customer’s specification. For example, they could
request a report to be emailed to their Shipping Manager every Monday at 9.00
a.m., and to their Operations Director every Friday at 10.00 a.m. Because reporting
is automated, there’s no risk that you’ll overlook producing a report that your
customer depends on.
n Online documents – MultiTrack provides online storage of document images. If
you wish, any electronic document stored within MultiFreight, such as a bill of
lading, for example, can be made automatically available on the website for you and
the customer.
MultiStock
The MultiStock option provides the facilities to administer third-party warehousing. It
can be integrated with MultiFreight or used stand-alone.
MultiStock is designed for warehousing operations, and is often used by MultiFreight
users to manage secondary businesses that help them to maximise the return from
their available warehousing. It provides tools and functionality similar to those in
MultiFreight which are tailored for this type of commercial operation.
MultiStock allows you run several virtual warehouses concurrently. You are able to:
n administer and track jobs
n manage storage for any number of customers
n create reports for individual customers
The third-party warehousing features enable you to keep control of longer-term storage
on behalf of your customers, and help you to manage charging for that handling and
storage.
When MultiStock is used in conjunction with the MultiFreight family of products it allows
you to offer your customers a complete logistics service – from managing the import of
goods from abroad, their warehousing and distribution through to freight-forwarding and
export.
key featUres
n Separate stock records – MultiStock handles any number of customers and
allows you to manage goods under different part numbers.
n Receipts, dispatches and movements – you can manage all of these
independently for each customer across any number of locations.
n Bespoke tariffs – MultiStock allows you to define a different tariff for each
customer to suit the commercial agreement with that specific customer.
n Automated multi-currency invoicing
n Customs-approved bonded stock tracking
n Reporting – MultiStock allows you to raise enquiries and generate reports by
individual customer. You can tailor the reports and drill down into the data to request
more detailed reports and enquiries if you wish.
n Exporting data – you are able to export data and reports generated by MultiStock
to Excel, Word and other Windows applications.
n Integration – you can fully integrate MultiStock with MultiFreight and your
accounting package and therefore remove the need to re-key data. This saves time
and reduces the risk of errors.
n Customer web access – customers can remotely access individually assigned
groups of data through personalised menus and security procedures.
n Document organiser – the document organiser allows you to sort letters, faxes
and emails by customer and gives you easy access to correspondence history.
MultiChain
MultiChain allows you to monitor and manage large and complex supply chain orders,
particularly if you are importing from manufacturers abroad when timezones and
language can hinder communication.
The facilities within MultiChain allow you to standardise incoming POs, to consolidate
goods for different orders into a single consignment, identify the location and status of
items, to monitor supply against order and to build shipments for onward distribution.
Once an electronic PO enters the system you can keep track of the status of the order
right down to the level of individual line items. If you order from manufacturers a long
time in advance and the items arrive as several part shipments (and not necessarily in
the same order as on the PO), MultiChain will give you more oversight and control. You
can accurately ascertain where individual items are within your supply chain.
When you extend MultiFreight with both MultiStock and MultiChain, it allows you to offer
your customers a complete logistics service – from managing the import of goods from
abroad, their warehousing and distribution through to freight-forwarding and export.
key featUres
n Contracts and purchase orders – contracts can range from a single purchase
order right up to a multiple product agreement to be fulfilled by variable call-offs
over an extended time period. You can receive order details from your customers
electronically.
n Automatic standardisation of POs – MultiChain automatically converts
purchase order data into a common, standard format. Orders may be received
electronically or entered into the system manually. Using a standard format makes
accessing and tracking information quicker and allows the production of
management reports.
n Status tracking – full up-to-date tracking of all orders on the system. You can
see instantly where individual line items are in the supply chain, such as ‘on order’,
‘ready to ship’, and quantities outstanding/already shipped against each line item.
n Building a shipping order – anyone within the supply chain with access to
MultiChain can build the shipping order, so you, the overseas factory, its agent or
overseas operator can build the supply order.
n Electronic bookings and shipping line instructions – when goods are
ready to ship, either you or the manufacturer (or agent) can make the booking. The
integration between MultiChain and MultiFreight provides access to all the shipping
functions within the core system. Through MultiFreight and the optional MultiShed
you have access to import and Customs functions.
n Monitoring the location of goods – MultiChain identifies where goods are
within the supply chain until the point they are shipped to the customer. For
example, you can identify whether goods needed to fulfill an order are still with the
manufacturer or in a Custom-cleared warehouse, and whether you have received
the required quantities against a given line item.
n Enquiries – MultiChain allows you to raise enquiries and generate reports by
individual customer or PO.
n On line visibility – links MultiChain to MultiTrack to give your customers on-line
access to status information.
MultiDox
MultiDox integrates technology from Digital Mailroom Limited to convert incoming
documents for use within MultiFreight, and to provide secure, HMRC-compliant storage.
Processing of purchase invoices
The service allows you to receive, enter, attach and match your purchase invoices
electronically within MultiFreight, eliminating any manual processing and saving
administration costs on purchase invoice identification, entry, attachment, and matching.
MultiDox converts purchase invoices of any format into a single format and imports
them into MultiFreight. The original purchase invoice can be scanned paper
documents, PDFs or electronic data files. Data feeds from MultiFreight allow automatic
linking between invoices and other system data, with automatic matching before
posting them to your accounts package in the normal way.
key featUres
n Purchase invoice matching – purchase invoices are automatically matched
against the order/job estimate information imported from MultiFreight within set
tolerances
n Creditor status information – view up-to-the-minute information on creditors’
status
n Batch POD processing – MultiDox allows you to automatically identify, enter,
and attach PODs to the relevant job file
n HMRC compliance – MultiDox complies with HM Revenue & Customs
requirements for electronic invoicing and removes the need for paper copies
Attaching documents automatically
MultiDox allows you to receive PODs and other documents electronically and
automatically attach them to the relevant job file. For example, it can automatically
attach a copy POD to your outgoing sales invoices.
Electronic sales invoices
The service allows you to turn your sales invoices into any EDI format demanded by
your customers. The electronic sales invoice and any supporting documentation, such
as a POD, can be sent automatically from MultiFreight to minimise errors and reduce
the time it takes to process a sales invoice.
MultiStat
MultiStat is a business intelligence tool that gives you the ability to sort, filter, analyse
and report on any data held within your MultiFreight system – it allows you to extract
detailed information in any combination that is meaningful and relevant to you.
The specific and detailed information MultiStat provides allows you to focus on any
aspect of the customer and business operations data stored within your system. You
create a set of data that is relevant to the business function you are examining, and
have control over who can view this information.
Your view into the business
MultiStat presents your business data as a set of “activities” (such as customers,
quotations and jobs) each of which is a view into the database. You can add activities as
required to provide new views of the database, including combinations of other activities.
Within each activity you can sort, filter, add/remove/reposition data columns, and drill
down to underlying data. For example, you could filter jobs for a particular customer and
period, and then examine in detail the financial transactions behind them. If you wish to
retain your query so that you can use it again, you can save it as a favourite.
Reports
You can save your query as a formatted report, to which you can add your own design
features such as logos and graphs. You’ll be able to re-run any of the formatted reports
within your library at any time, either manually or as a scheduled report, to pick up
current data.
As an example, MultiStat allows you to create formatted KPI reports for your customers
that can be run and e-mailed to them automatically each week or month. You can also
export data to Excel or other formats suitable for use with third-party applications.
key featUres
n Immediate access to live data – each time you query the data base MultiStat
searches current data, so you know your information is up to date
n Create your own view into your business data – choose from and combine
activities (various views into the system data) to select the information you wish to examine
n Powerful filters – refine your query by including or excluding certain information
to give you only the data you are interested in
n Underlying details at your fingertips – MultiStat allows you to display the
detailed data for any query
n Save the search criteria for your query – once you have created a query
that displays the data you wish to view, you can save the query settings so that you
can quickly bring up the same query again
n Control access to system data – once you have returned a set of data from a
query, you can define who is able to view that information. This means you can
distribute targeted and relevant information to people both within your organisation
or externally
n Tailored reports – the results from any query can be inserted into a predefined,
tailored report within MultiStat
n Report data shown in various ways – as well as spreadsheet-style reports,
MultiStat can present the data from your query as a graph or pie chart