Learn how a national container freight company streamlined processes and advanced infrastructure technology through the implemention of a turnkey, handheld system.
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Executive Summary
With Withum’s previous successful involvement with the company’s back office systems, they were asked to help simplify AZ Container Freight’s container shipping import and export processes. Withum’s Digital Advisory group implemented a turnkey, handheld system that was easily integrated into all operations and helped provide organization and more efficient technology to their infrastructure.
The Client
AZ Container Freight is a provider of logistics and transportation services based in Linden, NJ. The company has over 400 employees and provides transportation and supply chain services such as local trucking, distribution, warehousing, trailer load trucking and freight station logistics.
The Challenge
AZ Container Freight boasts that they handle “more CBM cargo on the East Coast than any other station.” But managing container shipping at the large warehouses of each of their websites is a complex process.
For import, each container must be unloaded, the freight (usually on pallets) verified, inspected and inventoried. For export, each container must be loaded, documenting each piece of freight. These processes be efficient and accurate. In addition, in both import and export scenarios, pictures are used to document the freight loaded as well as its condition.
AZ Container Freight sought to update this process with more convenient, handheld devices that were lightweight and wireless, with barcode scanning and high-quality photo capabilities.
Due to our prior involvement in the development, implementation and ongoing support of their back office system used to track all freight, as well as our expertise in handheld technologies, we were tasked to provide them with a turnkey, handheld system that was seamlessly and fully integrated into the rest of their operations. Withum also manages the servers, which are hosted on Microsoft Azure.
Contact a member of Withum’s Digital and Technology Transformation Services team.
The Approach and Solution
Handheld devices can provide an organization with many benefits that come along with adopting a new, modern technology into their current infrastructure. However, we understood our success was based upon our understanding of the devices AZ Container Freight needed, how and where the handhelds needed to be integrated into their preexisting back office system, and the responsive web design required to make an application adapt appropriately across multiple devices- from smartphones to PC-based web browsers.
Over the course of two months, we developed and deployed an HTML5-based, responsive web application for the handheld devices that allows for control of a handheld’s camera and integrates a barcode scanner. The application is stored on a Microsoft Azure web server. That means the application utilizes web services to fetch and store all data, so nothingincluding photos- is stored on the handheld itself. And since the application is loaded from a hosted web service, any handheld device is ready to use “out of the box.”
The Results, ROI
Now in full use as the key application for all AZ Container Freight loading dock operations, the new handheld device application empowers users to enjoy much faster, cleaner photography, streamlining the documentation of freight
conditions. Not only that, the handhelds are familiar and easy to handle, requiring little to no training.
This solution, however, has only scratched the surface. Over time, the application will be extended to cover more functions, further decentralizing freight processing at AZ Container Freight, for the better and many years to come.
Digital and Technology Transformation
